Operational Autonomy Quotes

A commander-in-chief cannot take as an excuse for his mistakes in warfare an order given by his sovereign or his minister when the person giving the order is absent from the field of operations and is imperfectly aware or wholly unaware of the latest state of affairs. It follows that any commander-in-chief who undertakes to carry out a plan which he considers defective is at fault; he must put forward his reasons, insist on the plan being changed, and finally tender his resignation rather than be the instrument of his army's downfall.

One of the real core competencies of Blackwater, or companies like Blackwater, is we can operate in difficult places without any outside support.

The right rules of engagement means giving our forward commanders the authority and flexibility to take the initiative and win. Trust our forward deployed warriors to do their job. Political appointees running the war from Washington is just wrong.

An intelligence officer in the field is supposed to keep his home office informed of what he is doing. That is quite true, but with some reservations, as he may overdo it. If, for example, he tells too much or asks for instructions, he is likely to get some he doesn't relish.

I do wish to emphasize that in light of the Alibaba deal, Youku Tudou management will remain independent, and we will continue to be open to opportunities for cooperation with other strategic partners going forward.

In a company where tech decisions were still ultracentralized, the repercussions of a distracted CEO had to be damaging.

With such interference in my command I cannot expect to be of much service in the field