In message , ArtKramr
writes
Here are some more caveats from my training. When you issue and order to a
subordinate there are only three answers allowed. They a
1. YES SIR
2. NO SIR
3. NO EXCUSE SIR

I can see why that would work for your situation. That regime would be
moderately disastrous for the officer training I went through, however.

The overriding rule was "What would my CO want me to do if he was here?"
The classic example given (apologies for discourse...)

2Lt Rupert Smugly-Smoothly-Shaven is OC of 1 Platoon, A Company, Royal
Berkshires. He is briefed at the company O-group about the battlegroup
plan, the company's role within it and what his orders are.

Specificially, the Berks have been tasked to seize the bridge across the
River Etsway. A Company will provide fire support for a battlegroup
attack, with B and C companies assaulting the bridge and exploiting to
secure the far bank.

A Company's plan is to seize the two hills on this side of the Etsway,
which flank the road to the bridge and overlook the crossing. Intel
believes that the enemy has established a platoon on Hill Two to provide
observation and fire, but Hill One is unoccupied. Therefore 1 Platoon
will occupy Hill Two and provide fire support for the rest of A Company,
who will clear the position; A Company will then support the rest of the
Berks in the attack on the bridge.


All straightforward and clear so far, right? However, when 2Lt
Smugly-Smoothly-Shaven arrives at the ground in question, he finds
things very different. Firstly, his radios are being jammed, and he
can't raise even company HQ.

Secondly, there was a four-man OP on Hill Two, though one was killed and
the others driven off after a brisk firefight.

Thirdly, Hill One appears to be abandoned and unoccupied, and while
defensive positions on the far side of the bridge are visible they
appear to be recently abandoned.

Lastly, a team of a dozen enemy sappers are busy wiring the bridge with
explosives and preparing for a rapid retreat.



What do you do? Your orders are clear and direct: hold Hill Two, wait
for the rest of A Company to move up and take Hill One, then cover the
battlegroup's attack on the bridge. Will you disobey orders?

But is that what your commander would want if he knew what you knew?
Nobody will praise you for dogmatically obeying your orders if the
overall objective - to seize that bridge intact - is failed. If you obey
your orders to the letter you'll watch that bridge - the objective of
the entire operation - be destroyed under your nose by a dozen men.

Because Rupert knows what his overall mission is (to seize that bridge
intact!) he can ask "What would my CO tell me to do if he could see what
I see now?" and hopefully decide to lead 1 Platoon in a snap attack on
the bridge, driving off the sappers before they complete their
demolitions and hoping to be relieved before an enemy counterattack.


Remember that I wasn't in the Air Force. I was in the Army Air Corps, emphasis
on ARMY and went through a full schedule of combat infantry training as well as
flight school and as an officer as well.. Good thing too because during the
Battle of the Bulge we were all issued M-1 Carbines and thrown into the line
along with the XXX Corps. And I never ever heard any long discussions
involving diverse opinions on what we should do. Orders were issued and were
followed without question. We knew what we should do and we did it.

Did you know what your unit was meant to achieve, or were you just told
just "sit in this hole and cover these arcs and shoot anyone in feldgrau
not waving a white flag"?

Seriously - we've worked hard to get to "mission command", which is
where on the one hand you have your orders but on the other you know
what you're meant to be achieving and what the Big Picture (typically
two levels up) is. You don't rewrite your orders but you _do_ understand
that the real world changes faster than your CO can keep giving you
updates.

Again, the key phrase: "if my commander was here with me now, what would
he want me to do?"

And
remember we won that war so maybe we knew something back then that the military
has forgotten since.

We've been fairly successful over here since 1945.

--
When you have to kill a man, it costs nothing to be polite.
W S Churchill

Paul J. Adam MainBoxatjrwlynch[dot]demon{dot}co(.)uk