Introduction
Mission command is actually a critical element that requires people who are technically and tactically trained. This is important because they need to act in conditions of mutual trust and mutual understanding. The essence of this method is the ability to build effective interaction with soldiers. This is necessary because the commander’s task is to create a team climate in which people will feel their combat readiness. All this, in turn, will affect their desire to take risks and take the initiative. Commanders use mission orders to focus their individuals and teams on the overall goal of an operation rather than the specifics of how to complete assigned duties. This gives individuals and groups the maximum potential freedom of action in a given scenario. Thus, commanders establish the conditions for success by assigning resources based on given responsibilities and risk tolerance.
Competence
Military professional competence is understood as the integrative quality of military personnel, representing a set of professionally significant qualities. It is the ability and willingness to solve professional problems and tasks arising in real situations of military activity, using knowledge, skills, abilities, professional and life experience, values, and culture. The competence of military personnel as military professionals is formed by a system of key, basic (general), and particular competencies that develop during training and advancement in activities (Ploumis, 2020). The concept of professional military competence is complex and multidimensional since the military activity itself is versatile. It highlights interrelated parties united by social goals and objectives. This is precisely the training and combat (combat) professional and service activities, everyday relationships in which a particular serviceman and military collectives are formed. Thus, the results of military labor are achieved – combat readiness, moral and psychological state of soldiers, discipline (Rubel, 2018). All of them reflect the procedural and resultant aspects of military labor, in which the officer acts as the main organizer.
Mutual Trust
Social relations of trust are expressed through relations of dependence (interdependence), where one side (the commander) is dominant. In this context, the implementation of any managerial actions necessarily entails the other party’s actions (subordinates). Social dependence (interaction) is based on the formal status differences of actors in a military unit. Individuals with a lower status position (subordinates) depend on individuals or groups with a higher status (commanders) (Ploumis, 2020). At the same time, the phenomenon of trust can be both subject-object and subject-subject in nature. The commander needs to establish and maintain trusting relationships with subordinates for effective human resource management. Moreover, those, in turn, need the commander’s trust for the entire disclosure of their potential in order to fulfill the tasks facing a specific military team (Ploumis, 2020). Mutual trust between command and subordinates under military duty circumstances is the cornerstone of constructive interaction in the leadership process of a military unit, and it provides extra incentive for military service.
Shared of Understanding
Two interdependent factors enable shared understanding: collective knowledge and connected actions. Collective knowledge includes doctrine, operational procedures, operating systems, training, education, shared problem perception, and professional terminology (Ploumis, 2020). The contest of ideas, varied viewpoints, personal example, debate, coaching, mentoring, and collaboration are all connected actions. The foundation for resolving this issue is to improve the general and communication cultures of each soldier, sergeant, and officer. It is self-evident that individuals who are cultured and communicatively competent form their relationships on humanistic ideas.
The character of a military collective’s important activity is largely dictated by the nature of its members’ relationships. Friendly interactions aimed at assisting one another, for example, increase the quality of combat training exercises. Unsuccessful relationships destroy the collective and make it difficult for its members to work together, hinder cohesion, and generate conflicts. The commander of the military team must always remember this. Forming and improving skills and abilities is an important and challenging stage in achieving a high communicative culture (Rubel, 2018). Its most distinguishing aspect is that it necessitates a more focused and heightened emotional-volitional focus on the aim and tasks of self-improvement. Acquiring the essential information and creating the practical weapons of communicative culture are carried out in real life in a parallel, simultaneous, and interdependent manner.
Commander’s Intent
The commander’s intentions are quite important, thanks to which a general picture of the interaction between soldiers and other military personnel is built. It should be expressed clearly and reflect all the main goals and objectives of the operation. This is necessary so that if it is impossible to establish communication in the conditions of hostilities, each participant understands what is required of him and what result needs to be achieved (Ploumis, 2020). In this way, a strong foundation is provided that allows for a successful combat mission.
The commander’s intentions also determine the level of preparedness for the mission. This is manifested in the fact that the military personnel must clearly understand the level of their duties and what they have to do. In order for everything to be successful, there are several key factors determining the literacy of the commander’s intentions (Rubel, 2018). They should be simple and clear so that everyone involved can easily remember them even in unforeseen circumstances. The clarity of the commander’s intentions is determined by the fact that soldiers do not have to clarify what needs to be done constantly.
Mission Orders
The emphasis of mission instructions is on achieving results rather than how they are achieved. They are not too specific to restrict effort, nor are they too broad to give insufficient guidance. The personnel and teams may plan their activities by comprehending the circumstances, the commander’s purpose, intent, and critical duties while analyzing risk, thanks to temporary mission orders and integrated efforts (Ploumis, 2020). Commanders are fully liable and accountable for exercising delegated authority via persons and teams using mission orders. As a result, our individuals and teams can plan, develop, and execute their operations to achieve their objectives through disciplined initiative and cooperation.
Disciplined Initiative
A disciplined initiative is to ensure that people adhere to and fulfill their duties during the execution of an order. However, in other situations, they may disregard the original instructions since they are unable to completely comply with the order owing to unforeseen circumstances (Rubel, 2018). This is necessary so that the team can take the right actions to adapt to the changed situation. Despite this freedom of action, it is necessary to report to the command about the decisions taken as soon as possible (Ploumis, 2020). In order for a disciplined initiative to be implemented correctly, it is necessary to create conditions in which each participant will feel trust. Thus, commanders allow soldiers to determine the extent of their authority. All this leads to the most productive interaction, as everyone learns to apply the necessary skills in ambiguous situations.
Risk Acceptance
The ability to take risks is the ability to be responsible for radical transformations in one’s own life and choose an active life strategy. Decision-making is a volitional act of forming a sequence of actions leading to achieving a goal based on the transformation of initial information in a situation of uncertainty. This process is associated with one of the manifestations of higher mental functions, expressed in the ability of a person to overcome obstacles that arise in the way of activity with volitional acts (Rubel, 2018). In any situation, something or someone always has a certain influence on a person’s decision-making, thereby encouraging them to make a particular choice. The decision-making process in a dangerous situation is influenced by personal (mental processes, mental states, mental properties) and situational (time constraints, group or individual decision, previous experience) factors (Ploumis, 2020). In order for the decision-making process in risk situations to be successful, it is necessary, first of all, to influence the consciousness of others, to promote the development of psychological stability and adaptability.
Conclusion
In the mission command process, the prominent role is assigned to commanders (commanders) and staff. Essential elements of the command and control system, since in addition to activating their forces to achieve their goal, they must skillfully create an appropriate mechanism for realizing the potential capabilities of subordinate troops — a control system. Social relations of trust are created where members of the military collective are united to achieve common goals, a high degree of intra-group integration (collectivism), and stability has been achieved. Prerequisites for forming trust relations in a military unit are the intensity of daily contact between military personnel and sufficient social and professional homogeneity of military personnel. The level of trust in the military team is also significantly influenced by general satisfaction with daily activities, military work, social conditions, opportunities for professional growth. It is necessary to consider many aspects that develop the interaction of the commander with subordinates.
References
Ploumis, M. (2020). Mission command and philosophy for the 21st century. Comparative Strategy, 39(2), 209–218. Web.
Rubel, R. (2018). Mission command in a future naval combat environment. Naval War College Review, 71(2), 109–121. Web.