Mission Command and Leadership on Operations Since 1991

Foreword

Major General Zac R. Stenning OBE, Director Leadership

Mission Command is the British Army’s Command philosophy, and equally a tenet of British Army leadership, both of which combine to underpin the Army’s ability to fulfil its core purpose – to protect the nation by being ready to fight and win wars on land.

In the British Army, Mission Command is founded on the principles of responsibility, unity of command, freedom of action, trust, mutual understanding, and the responsibility to act to achieve the superior commander’s intent. A decentralised system of command in which leaders grant followers freedom of action, with a reason why and within a clear intent, is fundamental to our ability to enact the Manoeuvrist Approach (ADP: Land Operations (2022)/AC 72202, Part 2). Employing these command and leadership principles in combination with the physical and conceptual components of fighting power makes the Army the best it can be at delivering on its core purpose.

In a world where insecurity and threats are pervasive, and the ways of war continue to evolve at pace, having Army leaders that can think and act at a tempo is critical to future success. This book is an excellent additional resource to the study of Mission Command and to British Army doctrine more widely. It boosts the material available for leaders at all levels – in the British Army, in other Services, in the UK and beyond – to learn from the experience of others to enhance their own leadership and command development.

The contemporary operational anecdotes collected here demonstrate how and why the learning, practice and execution of Mission Command is so fundamental to the British Army winning in the future. They describe how the combination of command and leadership, expressed through Mission Command, has impacted the widest spectrum of British Army operations since the end of the Cold War. Undoubtedly, the wisdom captured here through the experiences of others will resonate with those in the Army preparing and training for war.

I am extremely grateful for the honest and insightful contributions from the broad range of authors here, and to Dr Linda Risso, Senior Researcher at the Centre for Army Leadership, in bringing them and this work together for the benefit of us all.