This paper communicates the implementation of mission command doctrine in an Australian emergency services agency.

This paper proposes how Mission Command can be relevant to the command and control operations of emergency management agencies.

Over time and numerous investigations more and more layers of rules, regulations and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) have been written and applied to all that we do. This prescriptiveness is applied well in routine situations (i.e. small grass fires, motor vehicle accidents,) but the same cannot be said when confronted with the ‘unexpected’. The ‘unexpected’ throws rules and SOP’s off script. A climate of ‘permission asking’ has evolved with our people who are at risk of being more afraid of making mistakes and breaking rules than of losing the advantage from a previously unrecognised operational opportunity.

Mission Command is a philosophy that allows an organisation to make rapid decisions in uncertain, fast-changing, time critical environments and translate them, without delay, into decisive action. It attempts to maximise human creativity, initiative and diligence. It is enabled by decentralised decision making, allowing local personnel with local knowledge and understanding of the situation to make decisions to achieve the leader’s intent. This paper communicates the foundational doctrine for mission command, its concepts and principles, and the organisational alignment required to implement mission command successfully. It also contains examples of intent-based leadership, historical case studies, and a discussion of the alignment of mission command with AIIMS.

The presentation will discuss the evidence that mission command is the safest, most efficient and most effective command philosophy during dynamic large-scale emergencies. It will describe the business case of mission command and discuss its current implementation, challenges and successes within the CFA and other organisations.