HOW ARE GREAT LEADERS MADE? Lessons from the Career of General John Shalikashvili (1936–2011)
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U.S. Army (L. McQueen) General Shalikashvili addresses U.S. and UN troops at Sword Base in Mogadishu, Somalia, Operation Restore Hope HOW ARE GREAT LEADERS MADE? Lessons from the Career of General John Shalikashvili (1936–2011) By ANDREW MARBLE an exemplar in civil-military relations, and a Commander Europe from 1992 to 1993—a remarkable, effective diplomat. critical period of post–Cold War transition. General Shalikashvili attained the Finally, he himself served as Chairman of highest positions of command and influence the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest ranking peaking at an August 6, 2011, in the U.S. military. As Assistant to Chair- memorial service for the recently man of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Colin deceased General John Sha- Powell from 1991 to 1992, he was the trusted Dr. Andrew Marble is currently writing the likashvili, former Secretary of interagency representative of perhaps the authorized biography of General John Shalikashvili. S He authored the former Chairman of the Joint Defense William Perry described the general most powerful Chairman in U.S. history. as a superb military leader, a Soldier’s Soldier, He also held the position of Supreme Allied Chiefs’s memoriam in JFQ 63 (4th quarter 2011). ndupress.ndu.edu issue 64, 1 st quarter 2012 / JFQ 135 RECALL | How Are Great Leaders Made? uniformed position in the world’s most pow- If we wish to understand how great heavily centered on logistics, and diplomati- erful military, from 1993 to 1997. leaders are made, General Shalikashvili’s cally sensitive What catapulted General Shalikashvili command of Provide Comfort provides an ■■ holistic understanding of how to lead to this pinnacle of leadership was his stellar excellent case study. How did he accomplish a team command of Operation Provide Comfort, this miracle? Since there was no preexisting ■■ altruistic motivations for tackling the which represented the first time that a major playbook for such an unprecedented crisis, task at hand. international humanitarian crisis was tasked the general had no option but to rely solely on to the U.S. military. the skills and experience he developed during Challenges In April 1991, more than 500,000 his prior 33 years of military training. When On April 17, 1991, Lieutenant General Kurdish refugees had been chased into the he stepped off the plane in Turkey to take Shalikashvili, second in command at U.S. mountains on the Turkish-Iraqi border in command of the operation, what skills did he Army Europe (USAREUR), was in a mild the aftermath of the first Gulf War. Barred bring with him? state of shock. As an expert in the subject of from crossing the border by a nervous My research on the life and career of defending Western Europe from a possible Turkey and too afraid of Saddam Hussein’s Shalikashvili has led me to conclude that he Soviet invasion, he had never before heard of military to willingly return to the lowlands drew on three main resources that made him the Kurds. But after a series of meetings that of Iraq, the Kurds were stuck. Not equipped an effective, unifying leader: day in Heidelberg, Stuttgart, and Frankfurt, for the inhospitable mountain conditions, Germany, he boarded a plane to Incirlik, Kurdish men, women, and children began ■■ rock-solid professional competency Turkey, on orders to evaluate and report dying at a rate of 1,000 per day. Called in to in handling complex operational challenges, back on this rapidly developing refugee crisis lead the combined rescue operation, General especially those that were one of a kind, at the Iraqi border. His first thought before Shalikashvili accomplished what General Powell would later term a “miracle”: leading a coalition of militaries from 13 nations and what catapulted General Shalikashvili to this pinnacle more than 50 nongovernmental organizations of leadership was his stellar command of Operation Provide (NGOs) to stop the dying and return all the Comfort Kurds to their homes in Iraq in only 90 days. Then Lieutenant General Shalikashvili greets Kurdish citizens in Isikveren, Turkey, during Operation Provide Comfort U.S. Army (Stephen B. Jones) 136 JFQ / issue 64, 1 st quarter 2012 ndupress.ndu.edu MARBLE departing was to check his footlocker to see if the Service schools had provided him with a manual titled something akin to “operations other than war.” But no such manual existed; this was the first time the U.S. military had U.S. Navy (April Hatton) been called upon to lead the response to a major international humanitarian crisis. By the time the general arrived in Incir- lik, the situation had changed so rapidly that, while en route, he had been made commander of the entire operation. After a quick review of the situation, it became clear just how herculean the task before him was. In the days ahead, he would have to: ■■ develop efficient ways to get food, Kurdish children play in refugee medical expertise, and shelter to the largest camp at Turkey-Iraq border during concentrations of refugees in the mountains in Operation Provide Comfort order to stop the dying ■■ create a coalition protection zone in northwestern Iraq, construct temporary taught to him early in his career while serving The general was able to convert his camps within them, and create transit stations as a second lieutenant leading a platoon in expertise into influence. As a senior Army between these camps and the main popula- Alaska in the early 1960s. The general later staff officer at the Pentagon in 1986, Major tions in the mountains recalled with appreciation his platoon sergeant, General Shalikashvili helped develop the ■■ build an organizational structure and First Sergeant William Grice, stating: Army position on the reduction of medium- processes to integrate the ever-expanding range nuclear missiles in Europe. General number of military personnel, NGO person- [He] knew that if our platoon was going to be Robert W. RisCassi, USA (Ret.), General Sha- nel, and supplies that were arriving often good at the countless things that would make likashvili’s boss at the time, later recalled the willy-nilly into Iraq and Turkey us a finely honed war-fighting machine, then moderating influence that Shalikashvili had. ■■ keep the Iraqi military from interfer- he had to teach me and practice with me so “There were camps that said we can’t give ing with the rescue and repatriation effort that when I walked that gun line, the soldiers up one iota of anything, and those who said ■■ work closely with the Turkish govern- would know that I knew more than them.1 maybe there are some things we can give up,” ment to ensure their continued support of RisCassi recalled. “Shalikashvili just brought the operation as well as with the local Turkish So throughout his career, Shalikashvili logic to the table. He’s relaxed, non-intrusive. population to help with logistics supply efforts threw himself into becoming an expert at His forte is knowledge.”2 ■■ convince Kurdish tribal leaders, at the whatever he was tasked to do. Upon arriv- By the time he reached flag grade, appropriate stage, to encourage their disparate ing at Fort Bliss in the early 1960s, First Shalikashvili’s expertise in a broad array groups to return to Iraq. Lieutenant Shalikashvili took a 2-week crash of logistical and operational areas allowed course to learn about the Nike Hercules him to manage complex systems. For The challenges were indeed daunting, guided missile system. For the next 2 years, example, as deputy commander of the 1st and a trip to Turkey that he originally thought he instructed U.S. and Allied officer students Armored Division in the mid-1980s, one of would last a few days would be extended ranging from second lieutenants to general the “hats” he wore was as “mayor”—making into months. Yet Shalikashvili faced his new officers on the topic. His superiors consis- him responsible for providing service to a assignment with his characteristic calm. By tently lauded his ability to relay complex military community of 27,000 Soldiers with this point in his career, he had a proven track information in an accessible way and to a an annual budget of more than $65 million. record. Since being inducted as a draftee into wide range of students. The community he was responsible for as the the U.S. Army in July 1958, he had developed Similarly, when Captain Shalikashvili USAREUR deputy commander, his position a broad array of leadership skills that he could was a nuclear weapons control officer for at the time of Provide Comfort, had an even rely on. the 32d Army Air Defense Command in larger budget of $100 million. Germany, he developed a system of easy-to- Shalikashvili’s proven logistical and Maestro of Operational Challenges understand instructions and booklets. operational capabilities earned him chances One of General Shalikashvili’s greatest A subsequent command inspection found to experiment. As commander of the 9th strengths was his ability to manage highly his system so effective that it was adopted Infantry Division (ID) at Fort Lewis in 1987, complex missions, particularly those with a USAREUR-wide. Other large units with Major General Shalikashvili oversaw a “high major logistical dimension. The basic building similar quick-reaction responsibilities and technology test bed” tasked to integrate three block of this skill was the importance he placed functions would visit Captain Shalikashvili’s brigades—one heavy armor, one light infantry, on “knowing one’s stuff.” This was a lesson operations center for first-hand study. and one “experimental mechanized”—into ndupress.ndu.edu issue 64, 1 st quarter 2012 / JFQ 137 RECALL | How Are Great Leaders Made? Powell.