Studies in Battle Command

In responseto the recentB attle Commandi nitiative at HeadquartersU, .S. Army
Training and Doctrine Command, the faculty of the Combat Studies Institute at the
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College wrote a series of essays analyzing
various combate ngagementasn dm ilitary leaderst hroughouth istory. The unifying
theme of these essays was provided by the direct or indirect application to each
case of the five Battle Command “competencies:”
* Seeing the enemy
* Seeing yourself
* Visualizing the battle
* Seeing into the future
The battles, operations,a nd leadersd iscussedin the chapterst hat follow range
over the historical landscapef rom GustavusA dolphus in the seventeenthc entury
to Hamburger Hi11 in Vietnam. They include examples of brilliant success and
dismal faihtre. Most of aE1th, ey offer today’sm ilitary professionalp erspectivea nd
insight into the essenceo f their calling: commanda nd leadership