General Stanley McChrystal and the Principals of Mission Command
SSG Jake M. Calderon
Senior Leaders Course
14 June 2023
General Stanley McChrystal and the Principals of Mission Command General (GEN) Stanley McChrystal served in the United States Army in many roles, notably as the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Joint Special Operations (JSOC) commander. GEN McChrystal also served within the 75th Ranger Regiment and the 82nd Airborne Division early in his career. GEN McChrystal exercised the principles of Mission Command found in Army Doctrine Publication (ADP) 6-0 throughout his many leadership positions. Leaders currently serving today can reflect on GEN McChrystal’s performance as a leader and incorporate
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For GEN McChrystal, leading all coalition forces in Afghanistan proved to be a challenging task that involved persistent relationship-building with Afghan political leaders and NATO forces. The general developed a strategy that involved deploying more troops to the region to combat the growing Taliban threat and doing so required convincing Congress and the many NATO countries. The general failed to mitigate and accepted the risk of undermining presidential authority while serving as the ISAF commander. The challenges associated with invading a country, occupying it, and living amongst its population to rebuild it are the very basis of COIN operations. GEN McChrystal and his staff deliberately leaked his strategy to involve more troops in the conflict to gain public traction and force a negative perception of the Obama administration and their perspective on the war in Afghanistan. Leaking the strategy to the press led to the eventual addition of more troops in the region, but severely damaged the relationship that the general had with the administration and unfortunately, Afghan political leaders. Although complex in execution, in my assessment, GEN McChrystal failed to perform within the parameters of his commander’s intent and did not foster a shared understanding with his immediate leadership. This led to the general risking his relationship with his leaders and Afghan political partners, for …show more content…
His ability to leverage the advances of technology, create a shared understanding through his “Team of Teams” concept, and build trust within his organization led to countless successes. GEN McChrystal’s achievements exist not without his failures. He is an example of how discord at the highest ranks of military authority can lead to drastic and crippling consequences that countered his and his leader’s efforts. Current and future leaders must take the experience of those that came before us, the good and the bad, and mold and adapt our leadership styles to embody the principles of mission command and create an environment filled with productive personnel that accomplishes their