Decision Making at a Major Theater of Command

Professor O’Connell will discuss decision-making at a major theater command, with attention to how records are kept and how staffing affects the range of possible actions.  Drawing on his experience in Afghanistan, his time in the Pentagon, and his service at the U.S. embassy in Juba, South Sudan, he will focus on how problems are framed for decision-makers and the institutional hurdles that typically affect choices.  Drawing on Robert W. Komer’s landmark RAND study, “Bureaucracy goes to war,” he will show that institutional in-fighting plays a much larger role in shaping actions on the battlefield than is typically thought.