Page 73 - Navy Journal 219

Greater Trust on ...

The previous success of decentralized execution has kept the concept in use
by the mainstream military. However, it has been termed as ‘Mission Command’ in
US military doctrine. It has been defined as “the conduct of military operations
through decentralized execution based upon mission-type orders. It demands that
the subordinate leaders at all echelons exercise disciplined initiative and act
aggressively and independently to accomplish the mission. ” Smaller units will
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conduct much more decentralized operations at the tactical level with operational
and strategic implications. Synergizing actions and effects of disparate tactical
units in both time and space demands to create jointness deeper and stronger in the
force. The primary attribute of ‘Mission Command’ is ‘understanding’ from both
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bottom-up and top-down. Secondary attribute is ‘commander’s intent’ with concise
purpose of operation and the desired military end-state. Finally, it is ‘trust’ at every
echelon of the force. Given the projected need for superior speed in competitive
cycles of decision-making, operations will move at the speed of the trust. However,
trust will not be blind, and the leader should have the ability to recognize the
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capabilities of their subordinates and the skill to know when and how to adjust their
level of supervision. 11
Generic decision - making process in a smaller navy
Ministry of Defense Issues Higher Directives

Naval HQ Relay Higher Directives with intents

Fleet HQ Conceptualize and Issue Commander’s intent

Force Commander Issue Concept of Operation and supervise execution

Unit Commander Execute Concept of Operation under supervision of
Force Commander/ Fleet HQ
Source: Comprehended by the author
Experience Gained Through Service and Interaction
Personal experiences indicate centralized planning process in terms of all
echelons of command in most of the smaller navies. Naval headquarters, at
strategic level, is busy in convincing the political masters regarding the reality and
necessity of naval forces at sea. Lack of bureaucratic awareness and culture in
utilizing the Navy as a foreign policy tool make the decision-making slower than
needed in time of crisis. Sometimes it is felt that bureaucrats are not adequately
equipped to make a decision which is transcended from the political will. Analysis
of decision-making pattern in Sri Lankan Navy (SLN) during their operations
against LTTE offers an insight in this regard. Until the crisis was intense,

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