The Economist explains

What is mission command?

Democracy and freedom can play a role in military effectiveness

Members of the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces participate in tactical exercises in the forest near Kyiv, Ukraine. July 13, 2022 (Photo by Maxym Marusenko/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

GREATER FIREPOWER and a disregard for civilian lives are helping Russia to make slow territorial gains in Ukraine. But soldier for soldier, Ukraine’s forces are proving more effective. Part of their edge comes down to a principle that Western armies call “mission command”. What is it and why is it helping Ukraine hold off the numerically superior Russian forces?

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