![]() King, who did participate in these meetings as a member of the American Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Anglo-American Combined Chiefs of Staff. While Nimitz did not participate in inter-allied conferences and decision making, he met regularly with Admiral Ernest J. These meetings allowed them to work through their disagreements. They discussed, among other topics, theater-level strategy and personnel matters. Hone’s book deals with the ways theater-level activities are decided and the way these commanders use their staffs. The main subjects of a conference were high level strategy and policy, encompassing war aims, choosing allies and operational theaters, as well as creating organizations to distribute men and matériel. When fighting in a coalition engaged in a global war, conferences decided strategy based on plans and statistics concerning matériel, shipping, and personnel. Important decisions are made before the first shots are fired, when the nature of the war to be fought is determined. ![]() Admiral Nimitz and his staff experienced all these phases. As a war continues and a nation fully mobilizes its resources, it can choose options and, as final victory appears certain, debate how to secure it quickly and cheaply. In the first campaigns nations fight for survival with inadequate resources, and often with unsuitable commanders-handicaps of fighting on terms dictated by the enemy. The most important lessons drawn from any war are usually found in the events preceding hostilities and at its beginning when there are no abundant resources. The latter was divided between two commanders-in-chief-Admiral Chester Nimitz, Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet (CINCPAC) and Commander in Chief Pacific Ocean Area (CINCPOA) and General Douglas MacArthur, Commander in Chief Southwest Pacific. The United States divided this theater of war into several sub-theaters: the North Pacific, the Central Pacific, the South Pacific, and the Southwest Pacific. The area of conflict was vast and consisted of oceans dotted with islands which were home to various ethnic groups. Many narrative histories of the Pacific War present events as occurring in a set pattern with little chance for variation, eliminating much human agency. Further, he shows how Nimitz created opportunities for offensive action by asking his staff to consider various strategic options as situations in the theater of war evolved. He uses the way General MacArthur organized his theater-level staff to examine the efficacy of these two models (Army and Navy) through the lens of organizational behavior theory. The tables, in particular, show how Nimitz and his staff were able to adjust their plans to reflect changed circumstances. To aid those unfamiliar with the course of events, Hone includes lists of operational code names, abbreviations, maps, figures, and tables as well as an extensive bibliography to enlighten readers. Nimitz initially organized and then modified his staff organization to meet a changing military environment. Nimitz initially organized and then modified his staff organization to meet a changing military environment.įollowing these general ideas, Trent Hone presents a study showing how Admiral Chester W. Trent Hone presents a study showing how Admiral Chester W. All leaders must also set aside time for self-reflection to remind themselves all success includes other people. Those in formal leadership positions must be cognizant of the welfare of those they lead: their well-being must be encouraged as this is one way a leader ensures organizational effectiveness. ![]() A good commander is accessible and promotes subordinates sharing their stories as a way to learn and communicate, creating an adaptable, innovative, and flexible organization based on mutual trust and confidence. This fosters a collaborative organizational culture that avoids blame by encouraging learning from mistakes to take bold but calculated risks. Good leaders stress clarity of intent-state the goal but never tell people how to do things. Leadership is an intangible, composed of personality and vision and its practice an art. Therefore, a commander’s greatest attribute is an ability to place the right people in the right jobs and his effect on morale. Because people fight wars, finding the best ways to exploit their talents is central to attaining victory. War is a human endeavor and technology alone does not win wars. Commanders should rely on capable, well-trained, well indoctrinated subordinates’ talents, judgments, and initiative to gain victory. Scholars and practitioners have been examining the art of command since organized warfare began and have identified two models: centralized and decentralized.
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