The same fundamentals apply as to staff organization. If proper
functioning of staffs is generally understood, and if staffs are
correctly organized to perform their functions, the basis for their
sound organization will become a matter of general understanding. Such
organization, so understood, becomes a powerful influence in behalf of
unity of effort.
Staff functions--i.e., characteristic activities of staffs--divide
fundamentally into two classifications. These may be referred to, for
convenience of terminology, as "general" and "special".
The latter have to do with the characteristic operations of the
command, rather than of the commander; they therefore relate to such
matters as routine administration and to the technical aspects of
movement, of the use of weapons, and of supply, sanitation, and
hospitalization. The administrative, technical, and supply staff, thus
broadly considered, may be said to be concerned with special functions
relating to the operations of the command.
By contrast, the functions of the commander, as such, have to do with
the necessary supervision of these special functions and, more
especially, with the important duty of planning for the future
employment of the command. The supervisory and planning activities
may, for purposes of differentiation from the specialties noted above,
be properly described as general functions. They relate more
particularly to the duties performed personally by the commander or,
where such duties become too onerous for performance by one person, by
specifically designated members of his staff.
In our naval service, the higher commanders are provided, where
appropriate, with a chief of staff, who coordinates and supervises the
work of the entire staff. Provision is also made, where the nature and
amount of the work to be done calls for such assignment, for the
detail of additional staff officers to perform the important general
functions mentioned above. Appropriate provision is also made for
staff officers to care for the special functions inherent in the
character of the particular command.
The important general functions referred to are those relating to
intelligence duties, and to operations. Intelligence duties have to do
with the collection of information as to the enemy and the theater of
operations, the analysis of this information, its evaluation, its
conversion into intelligence by the process of drawing conclusions,
i.e., by interpretation, and, finally, its dissemination to the
command or to other appropriate destinations (page 161). Intelligence
estimates and plans have been discussed previously (Chapters VII and
VIII).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account