Operation Anaconda And The Seven Principals Of Mission Command

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Operation Anaconda and the 7 Principals of Mission Command Operation Anaconda was a large-scale joint military operation conducted by the United States and its coalition partners, which implemented the seven principles of mission command. By following the principles of mission command, Operation Anaconda effectively coordinated the efforts of multiple branches of the United States military to achieve its objectives. The mission was launched in 2002 as a part of the War on Terror to destroy terrorist networks in Afghanistan and surrounding countries. Operation Anaconda and mission command go hand in hand as they emphasize decentralized decision-making and mission-type orders. The seven Mission Command principles used throughout Operation Anaconda were competence, mutual trust, shared understanding, commander's intent, mission orders, disciplined initiative, and risk acceptance. Giving commanders the freedom to act within the purpose of a higher command enabled commanders to respond quickly to changes on the battlefield. I will explain how incorporating mission command principles during Operation Anaconda helped the mission's success. …show more content…

Air Forces, initially seen as something other than an essential part of the operation. General Franks and General Mikolashek needed competence in their subordinate commander General Hagenbeck to give him the leverage he needed to make command decisions. Therefore, the military forces must devise a new plan without veering from the commander's intent. This new plan consisted of massive air strikes to support U.S. Army forces in the valley. Having a shared understanding as defined in ADP 6-0 (2019) paragraph 1-38, commanders and staffs actively create shared understanding throughout operations (planning, preparation, execution, and assessment). Task Force Mountain and the U.S. Air Forces shared knowledge that the operation needed collaboration to make the mission