SOLLIMS Sampler Special Edition, May 2017 | Page 18

communicates intentions and keeps internal and external audiences
informed of the vision and actions being taken to achieve it.
Determination toward the vision. Determination toward the vision is the
quality of steadily moving forward – with commitment, hard work, patience,
and endurance – despite difficulties and setbacks occurring throughout the
peacekeeping/stability operation.
There are countless examples in which the above-cited leader attributes were
contributory to highly successful operations. Likewise, there are numerous
examples in which failures occurred due to the absence of such leader attributes
being demonstrated. What follows are just a few examples:
“General Petraeus's achievement (January 2007-September 2008) in
Iraq was to push his thoughts down to the lowest level so that everyone on
the ground knew what was expected of them, leaving little doubt as to the
mission and tasks.” [Visioning] (reference 1)
“The first problem confronted by the Baghdad South Embedded
Provincial Reconstruction Team (ePRT) was lack of operational direction
(i.e., lack of State Department leadership and planning). No definitive
guidance was provided to ePRT team members by way of the Embassy,
the higher echelon Baghdad PRT, or the Baghdad South ePRT's
leadership. ... Without [mapping the environment] and being able to
dovetail operations into a larger, more comprehensive operational plan,
the resulting effect was to support a number of "look good" projects. ...
Unfortunately, these projects did more to destabilize this fragile region
than to stabilize it.” (reference 10)
“In Somalia, for example, shortcomings in leader interpersonal maturity
and cross-cultural savvy did, in fact, lead to a loss of popular support, low
troop morale and the eventual withdrawal of the UN mandate. Similarly,
fragmentation of group unity can prove disastrous for peacekeeping and
stability operations. Efforts in Angola, Bosnia, Cambodia, Congo,
Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Somalia all fell victim to uncoordinated,
unsynchronized activities by the various actors, that hindered the overall
mission’s goals.” (reference 7)
“Whereas U.S. civil-military cooperation (between the Department of
Defense, State Department, and other U.S. Agencies) had not been
effectively established or practiced during Operating Iraqi Freedom over
the course of previous years, the senior military officer and the senior
State Department officer on the ground in 2007 – General Petraeus and
Ambassador Crocker – possessed the keen ability and the willingness to
closely and continuously partner on U.S. operations – bringing exceptional
unity of effort and oversight for implementing the President's guidance.
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