Principles of Mission Command

ASSIGNMENT. Review the principles of Mission Command in ADP 6-0 Mission Command: Command and Control of Army Forces (JUL 19) and research your selected battle. Write a paper not exceeding six pages analyzing a commander’s performance from the selected historical battle. This analysis will evaluate how effectively the commander executed the mission command principles during the battle. Address at least four of the principles in your analysis and, through research, suggest how the commander’s utilization of those principles (good or bad) ultimately affected the battle’s outcome. Use the provided source and at least two others to support your analysis. Use the format provided. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate your understanding of the principles of mission command and ability to analyze an historical battle effectively.

4. ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES.

a. Sources: ADP 6-0 Mission Command: Command and Control of Army Forces (JUL 19) and at least two (2) non-doctrinal books, magazines, or articles

b. Paper Length: The body of the paper (not including the References page) should be a maximum of six pages.

c. Citations: Cite all sources, including U.S. Army publications, using the American Psychological Association (APA) format.

d. Writing Style: Use the Army writing style IAW AR 25-50 Preparing and Managing Correspondence (OCT 20). Focus on “clear, concise, and well-organized” writing; place the main point up front and use active voice (AR 25-50, p. 7, para. 1-38).

Writing Guidelines

The following serves as a quick reference of writing guidelines.
a. Font: Arial 11 or Times New Roman 12

b. Paper Margins: 1 inch margins on all sides

c. Page Numbers: Located in header, flush right for student papers. For information papers, follow the guidelines for Army information papers (TRADOC Regulation 1-11) provided in the Information Paper Format (appendix A in the information paper assignment).

d. Paragraphs and Sentence Lengths: Paragraphs should contain the information necessary to convey the point. No more. Sentences must be 30 words or less. Style points will be deducted for sentences exceeding the 30-word maximum.

e. Spacing: A single space will be used to separate sentences. Paragraph spacing should be set to 0 before and 0 after with double line spacing.

Using Quotations
As a general rule, use quotations sparingly. Instead, demonstrate you understand the content of your paper by using your own words, paraphrasing or summarizing your research. When you paraphrase or summarize someone else’s work you must cite it. This gives proper credit to the authors and allows you to avoid plagiarizing. Using excessive quotes indicates you do not fully understand the topic.
Citations
a. Citation Style: American Psychological Association (APA) 7th Edition

b. What to Cite: Cite all sources, including U.S. Army publications

c. How to Cite in APA: APA uses in-text citations in the body of the document which coincides with a separate Reference page at the end of the document. In-text citations should contain the author’s last name and the date of publication on parentheses, e.g. (Author, 2021). There are guidelines for citations with more than one author, no publication date, no author listed, interviews, etc. For more specific information on in-text citations in APA, refer to General Format // Purdue Writing Lab.

d. Reference List: APA format requires a separate page titled “References” that provides more in-depth information about each of the sources cited in the document. Depending on the source, the required information varies. The general format includes the author’s last name, first and middle initials, date of the work, and title of the work cited. See Reference List: Basic Rules // Purdue Writing Lab for more information on how to cite different types of works in the reference list.

e. Reference List Format: The word “References” should be bolded and centered at the top of the page. The page should be double-spaced and listed alphabetically. The second line of each cited work must have a hanging indent of 0.5 inches. See the example below of how a reference page should look.

Writing Resources
a. Purdue Online Writing Lab, https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_style_introduction.html

b. USAICoE Writers Handbook, 6th Edition (AUG 2022)

Battle :
Students are free to analyze any commander’s use of mission command principles in the battle they select. However, students will select only one commander to analyze.

BATTLE/OPERATION WAR COMMANDER Type of Operation
Encirclement of Nancy WW II (1944) LTG Patton Offense