How Many Feathers for the War Bonnet. A Groundwork for Distributing the Planning Function in Objectives Force Units of Employment

摘要

The monograph gains insights from historical analysis and analyses the implications of desired Unit of Employment capabilities, other operational concepts, and descriptions of Objective Force command and control. From this follows organizational concepts for distributing the planning function between the Unit of Employment and its higher headquarters. The proposed organization integrates insights from the historical cases with anticipated technological capabilities in the Objective Force. The continuing elaboration of military headquarters into over-towering headpieces prompts the war bonnet metaphor in the monograph title. The members of the general staff, supporting, and administrative personnel within a flag-level headquarters are like feathers in a war bonnet. The Army can continue adapting current headquarters structure and general staff organization or it develops new ones. Present field army, corps, and division headquarters structures and general staff organizations evolved from 19C solutions to the challenge of controlling mass armies operating within a continental theater of operations. How should the planning function be distributed between an UE and its Higher Headquarters (HHQ) Joint Task Force (JTF), Standing JTF, or Land Component Command (LCC). This monograph starts to answer that question.