MEMORANDUM FOR ALL 442nd Military Police Company Soldiers SUBJECT: Command Philosophy   I.  INTRODUCTION   My ultimate goals as commander are to achieve a high state of combat readiness within the company and to create a command climate where all soldiers have an equal opportunity to excel.  The following paragraphs outline the command philosophy I have developed which I believe will lead to the successful achievement of these goals.  Specifically, they list the individual soldier, leader, and unit attributes that I believe are essential in order accomplish any mission.   The purpose of my command philosophy is to communicate to and focus all leaders and soldiers of the company on those things that I feel are important.  In the absence of orders, my command philosophy is my command intent designed to ensure that all members of the company understand what I expect of all soldiers and leaders of the company, how I expect missions to be executed, training to be conducted, and the normal day-to-day operations of the company to be performed.   II. MISSION AND METHOD STATEMENT   Company Mission:  The 442nd Military Police Company will deploy in support of Army combat operations and needs as well as in support of New York State emergencies and needs.  Method:  We will accomplish the above stated missions using tough, realistic, battle-focused training to develop soldiers who function as members of a disciplined and cohesive MP force.   All training will focus on developing the individual soldier, leader, and unit attributes outlined in sections III, IV, and V below.   III.  THE SOLDIER  Qualities of the American Military Policeman.   The individual soldier is at the point of attack for all missions and is therefore the cornerstone of the cohesive unit. The qualities that distinguish the MP from the average soldier, and hence mark the soldiers of the 442nd Military Police Company as the NYARNG premier MPs, are skill, will, and morale.  All soldiers of the company must possess these three attributes as defined below:   a.  SKILL:  Skill is a measure of a soldiers technical and tactical proficiency.  The individual skills necessary for units to win in combat are those dealing with a soldiers ability to shoot, move, and communicate.  Specifically, these categorizations includes skills such as weapons marksmanship, land-navigation, the ability to maneuver units, and the ability to communicate clearly with subordinates, peers, and superiors.  It is the duty of every soldier and leader of this company to learn and master those skills necessary for the performance of his job.  Soldiers and leaders should also familiarize themselves with the skills of other soldiers and leaders within the unit as much as possible.  The leader is tasked with teaching soldiers the skills required for the performance of their duty position and with providing soldiers with the training opportunities needed to perform and perfect these skills.   b.  WILL:  Will is one of the least understood, but most important qualities of the soldier.  It is imperative that soldiers of the company understand this concept, and that leaders work to cultivate it, both as an individual and as a unit attribute.  While will is an intangible quality, there are many things that we can do to ensure that our will is superior to that of our enemys.  As a measure of a soldiers mental and physical toughness, superior will is best achieved in peacetime through the confidence gained by enduring and overcoming the mental and physical duress and challenges of tough, realistic, battle-focused training.  Such preparations will allow individuals and the unit collectively, to rise above and crush the enemy through our mental and physical domination of him on the field of battle.  It also allows us to accomplish what seemingly impossible during National and State emergencies.   c. MORALE:  Like will, morale is an intangible quality that is difficult to define or quantify.  In terms of the individual characteristics of the soldier, however, morale may be best understood as a function of a soldiers motivation.  Motivation springs from a soldiers belief in the cause he is fighting for, his confidence in his unit and fellow soldiers, and his trust and respect for his leaders.   To achieve a high level of individual motivation within the company, leaders must:  1) clearly communicate not only the purpose for each assigned mission, but also a sense of the historical importance of the MP, National Guard and the U.S. Army to the nation; 2) develop confidence through the successful accomplishment of truly challenging training; and 3) demonstrate that they are worthy of the soldiers trust and respect by always acting in a manner consistent with the values, standards and professionalism of the NCO and Officer corps.   IV.  THE UNIT Qualities of the 442nd Military Police Company   While the individual soldier is at the point of every mission, it is only in acting as a member of a strong unit that the company will be able to achieve success on the modern battlefield.  The unit qualities that I believe distinguish a superior unit from an average one and hence often mark the difference between success and failure are:  excellence, teamwork, and discipline as defined below:   a.  EXCELLENCE:  Leaders and soldiers of the company must strive and commit to excellence in everything they do.  A commitment to excellence includes training to high standards and allowing all soldiers the maximum opportunity to excel.  Never settle for second best; always give your best effort; and continuously take whatever steps are necessary to better yourself and your unit as MPs.  Remember that second place in combat means defeat and possibly death for those whose lives we have been entrusted responsibility for.  Approach all undertakings from training (including physical fitness), to on- and off-duty conduct, to unit and individual tasks (including administrative actions) with an eye on, and approach towards excellence.  All leaders must ensure that everything is performed to standard and in a timely manner.   b.  TEAMWORK:  Leaders of the company must strive to make teamwork one of the over-riding and most pervasive aspects of the culture of this company.  I hold leaders responsible for building cohesive teams and ultimately for all that their teams do or fail to do.  All soldiers must be made to understand that a units success in combat depends on the overall performance of the team.  Likewise, all soldiers should realize that their actions both on- and off-duty, reflect on the company.   Leaders should ensure individual awards and commendations are written and presented in a manner which highlights the soldiers contributions to the team and how the soldiers actions or service contributed to the success of the team.  During collective training that emphasis should always be placed on the performance of the team as a whole.   c. DISCIPLINE.  Discipline is one of the most valued traits of the soldier and is the binding glue of the successful unit.  It is the one trait that more often than not distinguishes the MP from the ordinary soldier and the average unit from a superior one. Soldiers and units not possessing discipline are unreliable.  Discipline is the ability to control ones thoughts and actions and to consistently do the right thing regardless of the cost or consequence.  A disciplined soldier is always in control. Discipline must be evidenced at all levels of command in all undertakings.       Discipline is achieved by: 1) communicating clear standards to all soldiers; 2) ensuring that those standards are adhered to by all; and 3) exacting a penalty for not adhering to and maintaining the established standard. Leaders are charged with enforcing standards and discipline upon those soldiers not possessing the requisite amount of self-discipline, and for ensuring that measures of military justice carried out in response to failures to adhere to established standards are done so in a fair and even manner.   V  LEADERSHIP and ESPRIT DE CORPS   a.  LEADERSHIP:  Strong, effective leadership at all levels of command is the key to building a combat-ready unit.  Once we have developed skilled warriors, with the above listed qualities, the task of leadership becomes to bond them into a cohesive fighting force which is able to deploy, fight, and win on the modern battlefield. To accomplish this, leaders must direct every effort toward ensuring that all members of their unit are well-trained, that the unit possesses the attributes outlined above, and that all members of the company are maintaining a quality of life commensurate with that expected of the soldier.  Leaders must also treat all soldiers with respect in the same manner that they themselves wish to be treated.   The MP leader is characterized by his skill as a warrior, his ability to lead from the front on all missions, his consistent conduct of training to standard and, above all, his genuine concern for and devotion to taking care of soldiers. The Principles of Leadership outline the principles which all leaders should practice daily in leading their soldiers.  442 soldiers must know instinctively that their leaders possess the above listed attributes, and that they truly care for their well-being.  Such leadership will build the trust between the soldiers and leaders of this company which is an absolutely essential quality necessary for us to succeed.   b.  ESPRIT DE CORPS: Esprit de corps concerns a units spirit or morale.  The effects of high esprit de corps on a units performance in combat and during peacetime is incalculable and as such, ensuring a high level of esprit de corps should be a major objective of all members of the company.  High esprit results from the shared pride soldiers feel in being members of a disciplined unit which regularly distinguishes itself for excellence in all undertakings; in the confidence members of the company have in the skill of their fellow soldiers and their leaders; and from the unconquerable belief that soldiers possess in their units will and ability to accomplish any mission, no matter how difficult.   VI.  CONCLUSION   As your commander I am committed to providing all members of this company an equal opportunity to excel.  I will dedicate all my energy to ensuring that you are afforded every possibility of achieving all of the above outlined individual, leader, and unit qualities.  In return, I ask only that you continue to give your best in all endeavors.           Dawe Tara 1LT, MP Commanding     COMMANDERS EXPECTATIONS OF 442nd LEADERS   LEADERs:  additional expectations of all leaders. 1.  TAKE CARE OF YOUR SOLDIERS! 2.  Know the Principles of Leadership and Lead Accordingly. 3.  Conduct Tough, Realistic, Battle-Focused Unit and Individual Training. 4.  Be Positive.  Don't waste time bad-mouthing higher. 5.  Treat All Soldiers Equally and With Respect.                                                                                                                                       Dawe Tara                                                                    1LT, MP                                                                    Commanding