The Executive Leader: Is He the same in Wartime?

During Course One at the Army War College students are presented with an image of their future a complex, ambigious and demanding arena that is far different than most officers below general officer rank have experienced. The picture is that of the senior or executive leader. The picture is made more clear by a graphic representation of the environment, the tasks and the competencies of the executive leader. This graphic representation resulted from research by Dr. H .F. Barber, DCLM, using articles and results of studies relating to the executive leader in a non-military environment. The question is, do these graphics represent the senior or executive leader in the military, and more specifically, do they represent the senior leader in wartime. This study attempts to draw a parallel between the perspectives drawn by Dr. Barber and those held by senior military leaders who occupied senior positions in past wars. A primary objective of this study is to research the oral histories maintained by the Military History Institute and to attempt to draw the parallel using data from that source. Although there is no rank or position formally associated with the title senior leader, this study is limited to positions at the three and four star level. The results of the study indicate that the Senior Leader model does apply to the military senior leader. There are also strong similarities between peacetime and wartime versions of the model. Research using additional sources is needed to further confirm the results.