What are Distributed Operations (US)?

Introduction Distributed Operations (DO) is a war-fighting concept drafted by the United States Marine Corps and developed primarily by their Warfighting Laboratory as a response to the changing environment of the Global War on Terror. Adaptive enemies and a more complex environment were seen as requiring conventional forces to maintain the ability to decentralise decision… Read More

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Responsibility Calling…

“Making decisions, exercising command, managing, administering ‐ those are the dynamics of our calling. Responsibility is its core.” General Harold K. Johnson (1912 to 1983) Harold K. Johnson, in full Harold Keith Johnson, was a US Army officer who fought in World War II and the Korean War and who served as the Army Chief… Read More

Factual Decision…

“Don’t let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision.” General Colin Powell (1957 to Present) Colin Luther Powell was a US Army General and statesman. He was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989-1993) and Secretary of State (2001-2005), the first African American to hold either position.

Bias & Decision-Making: Soo Stoopid

“In the end, no one is immune to the biases that lead to stupid decisions. Yet our reverence for IQ and education means that it is easy to rest on the laurels of our qualifications and assume that we are, by definition, not stupid. Most researchers agree that, overall, the correlation between intelligence and successful… Read More

Basic Managerial Skills vs Leading Men in Battle…

“There are of course those parts of the trade, or art, that can be studied, and therefore learned. There have been few great leaders who were not knowledgeable about the mechanics of the business; you cannot be an inspiring leader if you neglect the logistics that feed your men. They will not give you their… Read More

Qualities, Training, & Experience…

“Everyone recognizes that the priceless qualities of leadership are not possessed by everyone. In the best leaders, certain fundamental qualities such as competence, clear-thinking, self-discipline, impartiality, and decisiveness are apparent. These characteristics give a leader an ability to inspire confidence in his subordinates. It takes these qualities, plus training and experience, to develop good leadership.… Read More