The Commander’s Place on the Battlefield

News of Russian generals getting killed on the battlefields raises the question of whether a commander should lead an operation remotely, taking advantage of improved technical capabilities, or whether his presence close to the battlefield is necessary to meet the needs of his troops. The requirements of multi-domain operations and multi-domain integration call for command posts with enhanced capabilities along human, informational and physical dimensions. Unfortunately, these types of command posts have become very large, easily recognisable and vulnerable to attack. Alexander Kohli argues that commanders should not exclusively remain in remote command posts but should also provide support close to the front through personal contact with subordinate commanders and troops. Therefore, they must be able to rely on a command post concept encompassing several smaller forward and alternate command posts operating inconspicuously, yet capable of using a comprehensive command and control system.