European Security and Defence Policy. An Analysis of Decision-Making Processes towards Military Deployments

Experts from every conceivable corner of the U.S. government were at their service. They were seamlessly connected to the commanders of the four military services in a state-of-the-art interface. They were the beneficiaries of a rigorous ongoing series of analyses about what their opponentБЂ™s next moves might be. But once the shooting started, all of that information became a burden. БЂњI can understand how all the concepts that Blue was using translate into planning for an engagement,БЂ«Van Riper says. БЂњBut does it make a difference in the moment? I donБЂ™t believe it does. When we talk about analytic versus intuitive decision making, neither is good or bad. What is bad is if you use either of them in an inappropriate circumstance. Suppose you had a rifle company pinned down by machine-gun fire. And the company commander calls his troops together and says, БЂWe have to go through the command staff with the decision-making process.БЂ™ ThatБЂ™s crazy. He should make a decision on the spot, execute it, and move on ...»