Command in the twenty-first century -- The division -- Defining command -- Twentieth-century operations -- Twentieth-century commander -- Leadership -- The counter-insurgents -- Kandahar -- The march up -- The new headquarters -- Distributing command -- The decision point -- The crisis -- The command collective.
Summary:
"In the wake of the troubled campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, military decision-making appears to be in crisis and generals have been subjected to intense and sustained public criticism. Taking these interventions as a starting point, Anthony King examines the transformation of military command in the twenty-first century. Focusing on the army division, King argues that a phenomenon of collective command is developing. In the twentieth century, generals typically directed and led operations personally, monopolising decision-making. They commanded individualistically, even heroically. As operations have expanded in range and scope, decision-making has multiplied and diversified. As a result command is becoming increasingly professionalised and collaborative. Through interviews with many leading generals and vivid ethnographic analysis of divisional headquarters, this book provides a unique insight into the transformation of command in western armies"-- Provided by publisher. "It would be convenient to claim that a book on command exemplified its own subject matter and that this work executed a clear, coherent research plan with military precision. The reality was quite different. Having completed The Combat Soldier in 2012 (to be published the following year), I fully intended to return to the topic of warfare and the armed forces but only after I had completed a long contemplated project on social theory and on the question of social change, in particular"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.