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Field Marshal Slim—Theoretical Thinking and the Impact of Theory on Campaign Planning

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Field Marshal Slim—Theoretical Thinking and the Impact of Theory on Campaign Planning Field Marshal Slim—Theoretical Thinking and the Impact of Theory on Campaign Planning A Monograph by MAJ Shawn P. Steele US Army School of Advanced Military Studies United States Army Command and General Staff College Fort Leavenworth, Kansas AY 2012 Form Approved REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE OMB No. 074-0188 Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing this collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0704-0188), Washington, DC 20503 1. AGENCY USE ONLY (Leave 2. REPORT DATE 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED blank) 26 March 2012 SAMS Monograph July 2011 – May 2012 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5. FUNDING NUMBERS Field Marshal Slim—Theoretical Thinking and the Impact of Theory on Campaign Planning 6. AUTHOR(S) Major Shawn P. Steele (United States Army, AD) 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS) REPORT NUMBER 250 Gibbon Avenue Fort Leavenworth, KS 66027-2134 9. SPONSORING / MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSORING / MONITORING AGENCY REPORT NUMBER Command and General Staff College 731 McClellan Avenue Fort Leavenworth, KS 66027-2134 11. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 12a. DISTRIBUTION / AVAILABILITY STATEMENT 12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE Approved for Public Release; Distribution is Unlimited 13. ABSTRACT (Maximum 200 Words) Field Marshall Viscount Slim holds a special place in modern military history. He soundly defeated the Imperial Japanese Army in Burma in 1945, retaking the strategically important Burma Road, and safeguarding the Chinese Theater from sure culmination. By all accounts, Slim is a military genius, having achieved this notable victory even after the Japanese 15th Army pushed Allied troops all the way back to India. The historical records attribute Slim’s success to his superior ability to lead soldiers in combat, but they tell only half the story. By tracing Slim’s implicit process of theoretical thinking, using an observe, interpret, hypothesize, test, and prescribe action framework, this story demonstrates that Slim’s genius came from a combination of his abilities to lead and think theoretically. Specifically, in the case of Slim, his ability to think theoretically afforded him the opportunity to develop a new operational approach—a paradigm shift of sorts—and his leadership made it possible to motivate his men to employ that approach. The author asserts that it is the presence of these two abilities in a single man that make him a superior military commander. 14. SUBJECT TERMS 15. NUMBER OF PAGES Theory, theoretical thinking, leadership, operational approach 55 doctrine, William Joseph Slim, Field Marshal 16. PRICE CODE 17. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION 18. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION 19. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION 20. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT OF REPORT OF THIS PAGE OF ABSTRACT (U) (U) (U) NSN 7540-01-280-5500 Standard Form 298 (Rev. 2-89) Prescribed by ANSI Std. Z39-18 298-102 SCHOOL OF ADVANCED MILITARY STUDIES MONOGRAPH APPROVAL MAJ Shawn Patrick Steele Title of Monograph: Field Marshal Slim—Theoretical Thinking and the Impact of Theory on Campaign Planning Approved by: __________________________________ Monograph Director Bruce E. Stanley, Ph.D. __________________________________ Second Reader Mark D. Collins, LTC(P), LG ___________________________________ Director, Thomas C. Graves, COL, IN School of Advanced Military Studies ___________________________________ Director, Robert F. Baumann, Ph.D. Graduate Degree Programs Disclaimer: Opinions, conclusions, and recommendations expressed or implied within are solely those of the author, and do not represent the views of the US Army School of Advanced Military Studies, the US Army Command and General Staff College, the United States Army, the Department of Defense, or any other US government agency. Cleared for public release: distribution unlimited. Abstract Field Marshal Slim—Theoretical Thinking and the Impact of Theory on Campaign Planning by Major Shawn P. Steele, U.S. Army, 49 pages. Field Marshall Viscount Slim holds a special place in modern military history. He soundly defeated the Imperial Japanese Army in Burma in 1945, retaking the strategically important Burma Road, and safeguarding the Chinese Theater from sure culmination. By all accounts, Slim is a military genius, having achieved this notable victory even after the Japanese 15th Army pushed Allied troops all the way back to India. The historical records attribute Slim’s success to his superior ability to lead soldiers in combat, but they tell only half the story. By tracing Slim’s implicit process of theoretical thinking, using an observe, interpret, hypothesize, test, and prescribe action framework, this story demonstrates that Slim’s genius came from a combination of his abilities to lead and think theoretically. Specifically, in the case of Slim, his ability to think theoretically afforded him the opportunity to develop a new operational approach—a paradigm shift of sorts—and his leadership made it possible to motivate his men to employ that approach. The author asserts that it is the presence of these two abilities in a single man that make him a superior military commander. i Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge the following people for their heartfelt dedication and selfless sacrifice in assisting in the completion of this project: Bonnie Joranko Major Eric S. Fowler, US Army Major Evans Hanson, US Army ii Table of Contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Background.................................................................................................................................. 1 The Problem ................................................................................................................................ 2 Purpose of the Study .................................................................................................................... 2 Importance ................................................................................................................................... 3 Theoretical Framework ............................................................................................................... 3 Research Questions ..................................................................................................................... 6 Hypothesis ................................................................................................................................... 6 Organization of Study .................................................................................................................. 7 Extant Literature .............................................................................................................................. 7 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 7 Current Military Doctrine ............................................................................................................ 8 Mission Command .................................................................................................................. 8 Army Design Methodology ..................................................................................................... 9 Military Leadership ............................................................................................................... 10 Methodology ................................................................................................................................. 11 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 11 Selection of Case ....................................................................................................................... 12 Data Sources .............................................................................................................................. 12 Autobiographical ................................................................................................................... 12 Biographical .......................................................................................................................... 13 Military Campaign Text ........................................................................................................ 14 Scope ......................................................................................................................................... 15 Summary.................................................................................................................................... 15 Case Study: Slim’s Burma Campaign ........................................................................................... 16 Introduction ..............................................................................................................................
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