On Combat

There may be no greater emotional shock in combat than the violent death of a comrade. Survivor’s guilt, rage, or thirst for revenge are very strong emotions that naturally spring from the heart of any human being. These emotions are amplified by adrenaline and arousal inherent to highly stressful situations. Some of these emotions may be beyond the individual on the spot’s ability to control.

It is clearly the commander’s responsibility to control adverse human reactions to the extraordinary stress of battle. These points are explicitly made in the Joint manual on counterinsurgency FM 3-24/MCWP 3-33.5: “leadership positions must provide the moral compass for their subordinates as they navigate this complex environment” … “Caring leaders recognize these pressures and provide emotional ‘shock absorbers’ for their subordinates”

Hearings being conducted at Camp Pendelton on the Haditha killings suggest a trap posed by the increasingly networked battlefield we are creating. The Marine battalion commander did not respond to the killings, and instead watched video feeds from his command post, seven miles away.

“From a command post about seven miles from Haditha, he viewed insurgent movements via video from an aerial drone and directed several attacks and counterattacks by marines against insurgents in residential areas around the city, according to testimony this week. Colonel Chessani visited one battle site later that day, but did not inspect the homes where 19 of the 24 civilians were killed by grenades and rifle fire.” See “At Haditha Hearing, Dueling Views Of A Battalion Commander” New York Times, 8 June 2007.

Chessani may have been tired, he may have trusted his subordinates too much, he may have lacked a security detail to reach the site of the ambush, or perhaps he may have been content to lead his troops indirectly through a TV screen. Increasing sensor feeds, connectivity, remote communications characterize the network-centric future of warfare. Can remote feeds substitute for looking into a subordinates eyes or replace the calming effect of a cool-headed commander arriving at the scene? Apparently not in the case at Haditha in 2005.