For the US Army to succeed in the 21st Century, Soldiers of all ranks must understand and use Mission Command. Mission Command empowers leaders at all levels, allowing them to synchronize all warfighting functions and information systems to seize, retain, and exploit the initiative against a range of adversaries. This collection of historical vignettes seeks to sharpen our understanding of Mission Command philosophy and practice by providing examples from the past in which Mission Command principles played a decisive role. Some vignettes show junior officers following their commander's intent and exercising disciplined initiative in very chaotic combat operations. Others recount how field grade officers built cohesive teams that relied on mutual trust to achieve key operational objectives. Each historical account is complemented by an annotated explanation of how the six Mission Command principles shaped the action. For this reason, the collection is ideal for leader development in the Army school system as well as for unit and individual professional development.

Introduction / Section 1. Cases at corps/division level. Failure of command at Pea Ridge, 1862 -- Extending the line at Little Round Top, July 1863 / Section 2. Cases at brigade/regiment/battalion level. Nelson, mission command, and the Battle of the Nile -- Assault on Queenston Heights, October 1812 -- A motorized infantry regiment crosses the Meuse River, May 1940 -- Corregidor: triumph in the Philippines -- Assault river crossing at Nijmegen, 1944 -- Sicily, 1943: initiative prevails at Biazza Ridge -- Thunder Run in Baghdad, 2003 -- The drive to Bastogne / Section 3. Cases at company/platoon/squad level. An engineer assault team crosses the Meuse, May 1940 -- Capturing Eben-Emael: the key to the low countries -- The bridge at Mayenne, France 1944 -- The victory at Tarin Kowt -- The attack on the Ranch House, August 2007 -- Operation NASHVILLE: breaking the Taliban's stranglehold in Kandahar, 2010.