The need for efficient staff action exists today as it did on December 1, 1950. The near destruction of the 31st Regimental Combat Team (RCT) was not entirely due to the poor planning by the commander and staff; however, it was a dominant factor. Had the commander and staff made a greater effort to develop and coordinate a better plan, their unit may not have suffered such a great loss. The tenets of Army Operations doctrine demand that commanders seize and retain initiative in battle. Taking the initiative requires commanders to act independently, consistent within their higher commander's intent, and to never allow the enemy to recover from offensive actions. To accomplish this, commanders must act quickly and decisively. Observations from the Combat Training Centers (CTCs) indicate that commanders and staffs do not follow the military decision-making process (MDMP). Although it is often necessary to abbreviate the MDMP to make quick decisions, current doctrine does not provide an effective abbreviated method. As a result of the lack of specific techniques and procedures, commanders and staffs often eliminate steps in the MDMP rather than reduce the time for each step. This leads to plans which are not complete, lack detail and are not synchronized during execution. Emerging doctrine, to be published in FM 101-5, Command and Control for Commanders and Staffs, will provide guidance on how to abbreviate the MDMP. However, there are techniques and procedures that have been employed that are useful. This newsletter provides techniques and procedures that speed the MDMP while maintaining effectiveness. The techniques and procedures contained in this newsletter were used by brigade and battalion commanders and staffs to quickly conduct the MDMP. Back to Table of Contents -- Battalion and Brigade Battle Staff Back to CALL List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2004 by Coalition Web. Inc. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com