Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend offered a vote of thanks to President Trump, for ending the micromanagement of the Obama administration as he prepares to turn over his command of the U.S.-led counter-ISIS coalition, he
“We don’t get second-guessed a lot. Our judgment here on the battlefield in the forward areas is trusted. And we don’t get 20 questions with every action that happens on the battlefield and every action that we take,” Townsend said. “I don’t know of a commander in our armed forces that doesn’t appreciate that.”
One of Trump’s first tweaks to the strategy designed to defeat ISIS more quickly was to delegate more authority to commanders in the field to make tactical decisions, without having to call back to Washington for permission.
Military commanders privately grumbled that the review process for even simple requests, such as moving forces around on the battlefield, could take days and required the submission of lengthy decision memos for the President Obama’s appraisal.
Townsend, who served under both Obama and Trump, said the change has reverberated throughout the military because they feel like they’ve been given authority and the trust to act aggressively.
“The current administration has empowered the chain of command to make more decisions on their own, and has then given top cover to the chain of command,” Townsend said. “And I think that’s important.”
On a recent trip to the region, White House special envoy Brett McGurk credited the change for the accelerated pace of ISIS’s defeat.
“These delegations of tactical authorities from the president has really made a difference on the ground,” McGurk said in Jordan last week, “I’ve seen that with my own eyes.”
“Commanders now don’t, aren’t constantly calling back to higher headquarters asking for permission, but they’re free to act,” said Townsend.
Townsend wraps up his tour of duty Sept. 5, and returns to Ft. Bragg, North Carolina to command the XVIII Airborne Corps.
