General Natonski Mission Command Analysis

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Major General Richard F. Natonski, now Lieutenant General Natonski, was the 1st Marine Division (1 MAR DIV) commander during the 2nd Battle of Fallujah, Iraq. Operation Phantom Fury also known as Operation Al Fajr (New Dawn) took place in November of 2004. LTG Natonski is a prime example of a leader who exemplifies the use of mission command, resulting in the success of 1 MAR DIV Joint Task Force during Operation Phantom Fury. Mission command is: “… the exercise of authority and direction by the commander using mission orders to enable disciplined initiative within the commander’s intent to empower agile and adaptive leaders in the conduct of unified land operations”1 LTG Natonski demonstrated the six principles of mission command while in charge of the 1 MAR DIV. He built cohesive teams through mutual trust, created a shared understanding among the Joint Task …show more content…

Control of the city was in a constant state of “tug of war” between coalition forces and the insurgents. After the First Battle of Fallujah in April of 2004, the Marine Corps had successfully gained control of Fallijah. However, the insurgents regained control of the city soon after, setting the stage for the second battle. The Second Battle of Fallujah took place in November of 2004, this time with a much larger force. 1 MAR DIV is part of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force (1 MEF) which was deployed to Iraq with the mission sets to defend the capital city of Baghdad. 1 MAR DIV was part of a Joint Task Force alongside 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division “Blackjack Brigade”; two heavy- mechanized battalions; TF 2-7 (2ID) and TF 2-2 (1CD); and the Iraqi forces. The ultimate goal was to remove the insurgent stronghold of the city and prevent enemy reinforcements. In order to achieve this mission, LTG Natonski exercised the principles of mission command starting with building a cohesive team through mutual