Analyzing Principles of Mission Command During "Operation Anaconda"
SSG Bryson L. Taylor
CCoE NCOA, Fort Gordon Georgia
Senior Leaders Course: Class 005-23
SFC Thomas B. Tabor
May 10, 2023
Analyzing Principles of Mission Command During "Operation Anaconda"
Military operations require effective leadership, communication, and risk management to succeed. The principles of “commander's intent," "mission orders," "shared understanding," and "risk acceptance" are critical factors that can influence the outcome of a mission (Department of the Army [DA], 2019a). These principles were crucial to the success of "Operation Anaconda," a military operation in March 2002 in Afghanistan. This operation involved the United States military and its allies in a mission to capture or eliminate Taliban and Al-Qaeda forces in the Shah-i-Kot Valley (Kugler, 2007). The apparent destruction of these forces in this area reflected the principle of mission command, “commander’s intent." The successful execution of this operation relied on the principle of “mission orders" so that leaders could make flexible decisions as operational variables changed. Leadership requires a "shared understanding" as orders disseminate through respective echelons. The
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http://armypubs.army.mil/doctrine/DR_pubs/dr_a/pdf/adp6_22.pdf
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