the inevitable contingencies that could arise. It was a worst-case
scenario. Had this gunfight happened where he had originally planned to
go—much deeper into enemy territory, out of the range of COP Falcon,
with separate supporting Army or Marine elements that had different
radio frequencies and different operating procedures—it would likely
have been catastrophic. If they had made this patrol more difficult and
complex than it already was, the MiTT leader and all his Iraqi soldiers
might have been killed.
I gave the MiTT leader a different nod than the one I gave the SEAL
leader. This nod said, That’s why we keep it simple. The MiTT leader
looked back at me. He didn’t say a word, but his eyes communicated to
me clearly, I know that now. I understand.
PRINCIPLE
Combat, like anything in life, has inherent layers of complexities.
Simplifying as much as possible is crucial to success. When plans and
orders are too complicated, people may not understand them. And when
things go wrong, and they inevitably do go wrong, complexity
compounds issues that can spiral out of control into total disaster. Plans
and orders must be communicated in a manner that is simple, clear, and
concise. Everyone that is part of the mission must know and understand
his or her role in the mission and what to do in the event of likely
contingencies. As a leader, it doesn’t matter how well you feel you have
presented the information or communicated an order, plan, tactic, or
strategy. If your team doesn’t get it, you have not kept things simple and
you have failed. You must brief to ensure the lowest common
denominator on the team understands.
It is critical, as well, that the operating relationship facilitate the
ability of the frontline troops to ask questions that clarify when they do