Leadership of General Schwarzkopf

In the fall of 1990 the United States, in conjunction with a number of other nations, including several Middle Eastern states, launched an offensive against Iraq and its leader, Saddam Hussein. The assault was a response to the Iraqi invasion of neighboring Kuwait. This offensive was the first direct involvement of American troops in the Middle East since World War II. The war was over within the prescribed 100 hours, with a military victory declared by the United States and its allies. The stated goal of removing Iraqi forces from Kuwait had been achieved, and much of the credit was given to the commander of the Middle East operation, General H. Norman Schwarzkopf. This is an analysis the leadership exercised by General Schwarzkopf, its origins, how he wielded his power, and the leadership style that infuses his command. Schwarzkopf demonstrates the important leadership qualities of intelligence, capability, the ability to learn from past mistakes, and the ability to assess a situation and solve a problem.

General Schwarzkopf came to prominence during the Desert Storm operation and proved to be a strong presence before the television cameras as well as on the battlefield. This was not the first time he had been in the spotlight, however. He had been seen by the public before under difficult circumstances. He was a battalion commander at the time of the accidental deaths of several American soldiers in the Vietnam War. The incident was chronicled under the title F

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iders his leadership style, and tries to improve his performance and the performance of those under his command. In the Vietnam era, Schwarzkopf was seen as something of a martinet by those he commanded, though this may have been more because they were in an untenable situation and were lax in their own military discipline than because he was that much harsher than the norm. In his autobiography (Schwarzkopf and Petre, 1992) he discusses a series of rap sessions he held with his men in Vietnam based on his awareness of the need to allow them to let off steam and to make complaints. In part, he undertook this direct contact because he realized that the outfit he inherited when he arrived in Vietnam was not disciplined as it should have been: In a better organization the junior officers would have dealt with a lot of the misinformation and grievances that surfaced" (Schwarzkopf and Petre, 1992, 165). Schwarzkopf listened to the complaints of the men and made it clear to them that there were certain things they just had to accept, because it would serve their interests whether they realized it or not. This may have contributed to his image as a dictator, but it also enhanced his reputation as a leader. He cites the question r

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