He is not a strategist, he is not trained in the operational arts, he is not a tactician, a general, or a soldier. Apart from that, he is a great military man. – General H Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. Tactical control is a subset of the powers specified in operational control. As a result, TACON OPCON is inherent and delegable. Tactical control generally gives the commander the authority to give detailed instructions and controls over the forces assigned to him. In particular, JP 1 states that TACON “provides sufficient authority to control and direct the use of force or tactical use of combat support as part of the assigned mission or task.” 4 For leadership and control to be exercised intelligently, one must understand the problems one is trying to overcome. Acquiring knowledge about the type of opposition is the function of intelligence, so often another function is grouped together, and the set of functions required to perform missions is called C3I or C4I. Dictators, with rare exceptions, tend to be selfish and increasingly believe their own propaganda, portraying them as experts on national goals and military capabilities. A particularly sharp assessment of Saddam Hussein was:[3] As described here, TACON provides a limited area of command and control and is generally prescribed for certain missions or tasks for which forces are specifically designated. The passage implies that the delegation of TACON is appropriate in circumstances where forces are provided for the execution of a particular mission or set of tasks. In some situations, such as the Vietnam War, civilian leaders sought to take operational or tactical control. It may have worked in the 19th or 18th century, but it became quite impractical unless the civilian had a solid military background.
Again, the idea of directive control comes into play: the most effective civilian role is to determine policy on what needs to be achieved. JP 1 summarizes COCOM as “the authority of a Combat Commander (CCDR) to perform these command functions over assigned forces, including the organization and deployment of commands and forces; assign tasks; setting objectives; and binding instructions on all aspects of military operations, joint training. and the logistics required to carry out the tasks assigned to the command. 2 COCOM, as defined in JP 1, provides a wide range of command and control that seems appropriate for a commander with assigned forces. If you have OPCON, you also have TACON, unless TACON is delegated. For military use, it includes authority over combat weapons, combat support and combat logistics support resources allocated to the mission. Operational Control (OPCON) gives the authority to direct the training, organization and management of operations to conduct a mission. The operational commander usually works through the chains of command of subordinate armed forces and usually gives mission-like rather than detailed orders. A recent example of this is the rotating deployment of I Marine Expeditionary Force units to Iraq and Afghanistan, facilitated by a shift in operational control between U.S. Pacific Command and U.S.
Central Command. Only the Secretary of Defense or the President can authorize the deployment of forces and the change of operational control as described. However, this type of control does not include administrative or logistical matters affecting the internal structure or discipline of subordinate units. Sensitivity to these issues is particularly important in multinational operations. Keep in mind that command is a legal authority that often focuses on government leaders setting national policy, but this control may require the exercise of specialized professional skills related to tasks, missions, and resources. The term “civilian control of the army” should actually mean “civilian command of the army”. Most senior civilian leaders have an overview of national policies and objectives (i.e., what to do), but they may not have the technical expertise to determine how to do it. ADCON is the C2 command authority level that EXERCISES AUTHORITY FOR ADMINISTRATION AND SUPPORT. ADCON includes the organization of service personnel; Control of unit resources, equipment and logistics; Personnel administration; individual unit training; and preparation, mobilization, demobilization and discipline. Combatant commanders cannot delegate the OPCON outside of their commands, but they can delegate it within their commands. In addition, any commander who exercises operational control over a force may delegate that authority within his or her command. OPCON was developed in this way to provide commanders with the authority to organize their orders, delegate the appropriate level of authority, and assign tasks to subordinate commanders when necessary to accomplish the mission.
In view of these facts, it appears that the OPCON is suitable for the temporary command and control of the associated armed forces. For example, a JFC OPCON has three Army Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs) and one Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). The power to dictate the chain of command authorizes the JFC to place the MEU under the tactical control of a BCT commander. In this agreement, the JFC reduced its scope of direct control to three elements by delegating the MEU`s TACON to a BCT.13 Without this authority, the JFC must directly control each connected force; He cannot change his ability to control. Appropriate command relationships are essential to this concept. It is no coincidence that the authorities responsible for operational control protect the internal organisation of the affiliated armed forces, this level of authority being systematically delegated and exercised. Contrary to popular belief, the difference between OPCON and TACON is not the authority to organize internally – it is much more. What drives the soldiers forward, what could be their death? A common answer is “leadership,” but just as the style of orders must match those in control with those in control, leadership must be appropriate for the people and culture.
John Keegan`s Mask of Command contrasted leadership styles:[9] Many brave men collapsed psychologically in North Korean POW camps during the Korean War, but one group that never lost its cohesion were the Turkish soldiers who had been captured. No matter what his captors did to the older man, the next superior would take control. The second, more controversial element is the power “to organize subordinate commands and forces within the command as necessary to carry out the missions assigned to the command.” 14 The key text that should be highlighted in this element is “in the command”. The command referred to in this text is the joint force. The organization of subordinate elements (commands and forces) within the joint force allows the JFC to modify its scope of control to best support mission accomplishment. This authority allows a JFC to organize its child elements into common workgroups (JTFs), functional components, or other sub-elements of its choice. There are different ways to exercise control and the focal point to which controlled actions are directed. The appropriate type for a particular situation depends in part on the personality and leadership style of the supervising officer, as well as the training, discipline and motivation of the resources ordered. There are different levels of control; This section deals with them, while the next section deals with the means by which control can be exercised. When a commander or resource is ordered to coordinate with other organizations, no command or control is taken. However, it is the responsibility to keep this other organization informed of its actions so that the chain of command and control can carry out operations that do not conflict with its own. Disciplines exist both for the management of the intelligence process itself (e.g., intelligence cycle management) and for the types of information flows required at different levels of leadership and control.
The latter can be found under C3I-ISR. The schools were first articulated by the Germans, and German terminology is often used in professional military writings. Mission tactics or mission orders, operational orders should describe what needs to be done, not how to do it. This contrasts with command tactics, which leave little room for subordinate initiative. The detailed orders of the latter type, again in the 1930s and 1940s, were characteristic of Soviet military thought. [6] At a high level, command creates a strategy, while control provides the mechanisms for executing the policies. The American doctrine is a broader statement about the nature of Clausewitz`s saying that “war is the extension of national policy by military means.” The great modern strategic doctrine, in addition to the military, encompasses many aspects of national power, including diplomacy, economic warfare, international law enforcement, covert operations, information operations, and peacekeeping operations. However, before funds can be selected, objectives must be defined. At the doctrinal level of the United States.
