Chapter 11-4ADP 6-031 July 2019decisions and act based on changing situations and unforeseen events not addressed in the initial plan in orderto achieve their commander’s intent. Enemy forces may behave differently than expected, a route maybecome impassable, or units could consume supplies at unexpected rates. Friction and unforeseeablecombinations of variables impose uncertainty in all operations and require an approach to command andcontrol that does not attempt to impose perfect order, but rather accepts uncertainty and makes allowancesfor unpredictability.1-16.Mission command helps commanders capitalize on subordinate ingenuity, innovation, and decisionmaking to achieve the commander’s intent when conditions change or current orders are no longer relevant.It requires subordinates who seek opportunities and commanders who accept risk for subordinates trying tomeet their intent. Subordinate decision making and decentralized execution appropriate to the situation helpmanage uncertainty and enable necessary tempo at each echelon during operations. Employing the missioncommand approach during all garrison activities and training events is essential to creating the culturalfoundation for its employment in high-risk environments.Von Moltke and AuftragstaktikHelmuth von Moltke (1800-1891) was appointed chief of the Prussian general staff in1857. One of the important concepts he promulgated was Auftragstaktik (literally,“mission tactics”), a command method stressing decentralized initiative within anoverall strategic design. Moltke understood that, as war progressed, its uncertaintiesdiminished the value of any detailed planning that might have been done beforehand.He believed that, beyond calculating the initial mobilization and concentration of forces,“…no plan of operations extends with any degree of certainty beyond the firstencounter with the main enemy force.” He believed that, throughout a campaign,commanders had to make decisions based on a fluid, constantly evolving situation. ForMoltke, each major encounter had consequences that created a new situation, whichbecame the basis for new measures. Auftragstaktik encouraged commanders to beflexible and react immediately to changes in the situation as they developed. It replaceddetailed planning with delegation of decision-making authority to subordinatecommanders within the context of the higher commander's intent. Moltke realized thattactical decisions had to be made on the spot; therefore, great care was taken toencourage initiative by commanders at all levels.Moltke believed that commanders should issue only the most essential orders. Thesewould provide only general instructions outlining the principal objective and specificmissions. Tactical details were left to subordinates. For Moltke, “the advantage whicha commander thinks he can attain through continued personal intervention is largelyillusory. By engaging in it he assumes a task that really belongs to others, whoseeffectiveness he thus destroys. He also multiplies his own tasks to a point where hecan no longer fulfill the whole of them.”Moltke's thoughts, codified in the 1888 German field regulation, were imbued into theculture of the Germany Army.
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