The Human in Command

Abstract

When I was asked to participate in the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) Human in Command Workshop, I was extremely flattered; but after the initial glow wore off, I realized that I was not the most widely read student in the art of command—despite my own command experience and my 33 years of service under some outstanding commanders. So I started by doing some reading. I soon realized that much of what had been written closely matched my personal opinions about the critical importance of the human in command. This article draws on the insights about command offered by these references, but relies mostly on my own experiences in the U.S. Army. In particular, I’ll use incidents from my two Vietnam tours (1967/68, when I served as a helicopter gunship pilot; and 1971, when I commanded an Armored Cavalry troop) to highlight one of the most important aspects of command: the commander’s will.