The Military LeaderMilitary Doctrine Archives - The Military Leader

We Can Do Better at Teaching Army Doctrine

The Military Leader — Wed, 04 Jan 2017 14:39:32 +0000

As historian Hew Strachan states in The Direction of War, “Operational thinking finds its intellectual focus in doctrine.” Doctrine drives how leaders think and fight. But when the Army publishes new doctrine, as an institution we owe it to ourselves to do a better job informing, then educating, the Total Army force. Doctrine is our institutional center-point. […]

The post We Can Do Better at Teaching Army Doctrine appeared first on The Military Leader.

Leadership In Action – Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain

The Military Leader — Wed, 06 Apr 2016 02:59:25 +0000

Bayonets, Forward! With this command Union Army Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain ordered the 20th Maine Regiment to execute a daring counterattack against the 15th Alabama Regiment of the Confederate Army on July 2nd 1863 during the Battle of Gettysburg. At the extreme left flank of the Union Army, the 20th Maine fought off repeated assaults for […]

The post Leadership In Action – Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain appeared first on The Military Leader.

Have We Removed Leadership from Leader Development?

The Military Leader — Sun, 20 Mar 2016 13:55:23 +0000

Every year, new command teams spend thoughtful hours crafting the words that will precisely convey their version of unit success. This intent typically reaches the service members in the form of an organizational mission statement or “Unit Vision.” And if your experience is anything like mine, leader development takes center stage. When those command teams […]

The post Have We Removed Leadership from Leader Development? appeared first on The Military Leader.

What Combat Leaders Need to Know About Neuroscience

The Military Leader — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 12:56:42 +0000

We remember the books that change us…that alter our thinking, move us emotionally, or reveal unseen, enlightening perspectives. Powell’s My American Journey did that for me. So did Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything. And when I read Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking in 2007, I recall connecting so many new […]

The post What Combat Leaders Need to Know About Neuroscience appeared first on The Military Leader.

Stop Telling Me to Listen to Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History!

The Military Leader — Wed, 18 Nov 2015 11:21:04 +0000

For the last year, friends and colleagues have recommended that I listen to Dan Carlin’s podcast, Hardcore History. People from separate circles and professions brought it up as a “must-listen-to.” I even subscribed a few months ago but never got around to beginning any of the multi-hour episodes. I finally succumbed to the pressure last […]

The post Stop Telling Me to Listen to Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History! appeared first on The Military Leader.

Challenging the Army Culture – “A Good Answer to an Obsolete Question”

The Military Leader — Mon, 22 Sep 2014 11:16:54 +0000

If you haven’t already read this paper from Casey Haskins, it’s definitely worth a look. You may not agree with the sweeping premise, that the present-day Army suffers under the administrative and philosophical burden of the Cold War era. But there are plenty of valid points that will cause you to evaluate the quality of your own […]

The post Challenging the Army Culture – “A Good Answer to an Obsolete Question” appeared first on The Military Leader.

6 Reasons Staff Officers Should “Surge on the Problem”

The Military Leader — Wed, 18 Jun 2014 11:44:49 +0000

Good staff officers surge right away on mission analysis after identifying a new problem or receiving guidance from the commander. Even though the task suspense may not be pressing, they ‘get after’ the problem because doing so: Defines the problem as a result of the design process Gives the staff (and the commander) immediate perspective on the […]

The post 6 Reasons Staff Officers Should “Surge on the Problem” appeared first on The Military Leader.