Week four assignment (history) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Week four assignment (history) - Essay Example vocation was introduced, meaning that American soldiers were not allowed to shoot at the enemy combatant unless they were shot at first, yet this was a full-blown conventional war which was unforgiving because it was fuelled by the communist ideology and actively supported by the communist USSR. Later on, the same soldiers were made to wait for approval to open fire on enemy combatant, in the ROE. In part, this was also a source of anger for the individual soldiers felt that they were being restricted merely for political reasons, and not serious considerations: American Presidents, wanted to maintain America’s international reputation as a country that values life. Battalion Commanders unlike individual soldiers serving under them had a wider threshold of operational freedom. Interestingly, Battalion Commanders had more operational freedom than their superiors even though they seldom fully utilized these powers. Battalion Commanders were accorded the power to use their discretion depending on: the nature of military operations they were discharging; and the type of force they were presiding over. Battalion Commanders such as Col. David Hackworth who served in the 101st Airborne Division adopted guerrilla war strategies to match Vietcong’s strategies. This was informed by strategic, other than political reasons. The ROE accorded Division Commanders more power at the platoon, company and battalion levels. Nevertheless, there were ROE-informed limitations such as the Division Commanders not being allowed to engage in divisional-sized combat. ROE had bifurcated Division Commanders into on-line and off-line categories, with the former being the only category being the only one allowed to engage its platoons on operations and patrols, provided that the group was being led by commanders. Division Commanders nevertheless were nevertheless restricted by institutional policies and Corps Commanders, and thereby making this group a hindrance to the effectiveness of