The Decision Maker

Simple thoughts by Chester B Cabalza

“The price of greatness is responsibility” –
Winston Churchill, in a speech at Harvard University (6 September 1943).

In one of the military articles I recently read, there is a scenario to test the wit of an Army leader in times of crisis to ensure a right national security decision making. In that scenario, Colonel Hank Tuuth, nicknamed as “Fang”, is a seasoned and successful Air Force, who would be promoted as Brigadier General, but was later tested when in 1992 the NATO Forces were tasked to immediately reduce operations in Spain.

There are times that as national security decision makers we have to deal with various role-playing situations. Just like the National Security Decision Making (NSDM) game, that is a fast-paced, challenging simulation of contemporary politics and eternal strategic principles. It is modeled after the simulations used by senior U.S. Government officials to explore geopolitical options. Thus, players will be assigned to individual roles within a variety of nation-states. "Real world" dynamics will inexorably draw these player-states toward cooperation in some areas and conflict in others. Meanwhile, within each state, players will inevitably find themselves aligned with some players in the pursuit of common goals, and against others as each seeks to obtain advantages for their interest group and achieve personal political ascendancy (http://www.nsdmg.org/nsdmis.htm).

In the given scenario, many times there were challenges and threats on how Colonel Hank Tuuth will cope to the situation, such as getting worthwhile opportunities to train pilots, getting them to the practice of bombing ranges, while they are in operation 24/7.

Because of this, I deem that when making a tough decision, ask yourself what would you do if all parties involved knew your true intentions and your true desires. Imagine you lived in a world where everyone could tell if you were speaking the truth, or lying, or hiding something. What actions would you take then? Asking this question leads you to see what is truly in your heart. Certainly, that should help you make the right decision.

Planning is useful in emergency situations, too. When a crisis arises, a little thought about the overall plan will help determine which decision to make that will not only help resolve the crisis but will also help advance the overall plan. Without a plan, crises are dealt with haphazardly and decisions are made which may ultimately be in conflict with each other. Decisions made under the guidance of planning can work together in a coherent way to advance company or individual goals.

Just like in the scenario when it ended, there was presentation of many of the recent challenges faced at Aviano Air Base in Italy where Colonel Hank Tuuth was located. Hence, the depicted US and NATO chains of command had been simplified, following the useful planning strategy to achieve a better national security decision making.