Mustafa Kemal usage of Mission Command Principles in the Gallipoli Campaign

Abstract

The main goal of the paper is to present the leadership of Mustafa Kemal (also known as Mustafa Kemal Atatürk) during the Gallipoli Campaign in the context of mission command principles as defined by the U.S. Army Doctrine (2014). After itemizing the six mission command principles, the paper provides a brief overview of the Gallipoli Campaign, which serves as a context for further analysis of Mustafa Kemal’s leadership during the campaign. Next, four of the six principles are discussed in detail, namely (1) providing a clear commander’s intent, (2) using mission orders, (3) creating shared understanding, and (4) building cohesive teams through mutual trust. The paper is concluded with a reflection on the connectivity of the discussed principles and their current relevance for successful military leadership.