Theories, Models and Concepts of Mission Command

This approach proposes an introspection within the existing theories and models that address the concept of Mission Command (MC) to identify the place and role within the operational art, capturing the essence of the concept by examining its emergence, development and applicability. The evolution of the risks and threats to the current security environment determines a conceptual adaptation regarding the approach of the mission command, starting from the basic principles of the concept and up to the ways of its application. The mission command concept embodies a command-and-control philosophy that is based on mutual trust between commanders at different command levels. In this approach, we start from the premise that the essence of this concept has not only theoretical but also practical significance, related to the technological evolution, the doctrinal knowledge, the general strategy, elements that define the conduct of modern armed forces. The first objective is oriented towards identifying the particularities of the concept from its emergence to its applicability, in relation to the principles underlying it and from the perspective of existing theories and concepts. The second objective is to identify command and control models and mission command perspectives within the theoretical approaches to these concepts. The result of the endeavour will be able to predict that the concept of Mission Command can be imposed as a basic doctrine, representing a flexible and decentralized approach to the conduct of military actions at any level of military art.