The Unfair Fight (HQ Corps job)

About this episode

Major General Mike Keating discusses the evolution of Corps level command and its implications for tactical operations.

It is the responsibility of the Corps level of command to set the conditions for a favourable and unfair fight at the tactical level: so says Major General Mike Keating, Chief of Staff at Headquarters Allied Rapid Reaction Corps. The scale, complexity, and enduring nature of combat on land requires a structure that can enable divisions to fight and prevail, enabling subordinate formations to focus on the immediate and near term with the resources necessary to succeed: recognition of that has seen a renaissance in the Corps level in NATO, and more widely. HQ ARRC was deployed and employed in Afghanistan during the COIN era, but the skills and functions were different; political, and immediate. Today, the Corps has changed. Mike explains how – and what the future holds for the highest level of tactical command and control.

People in this episode

Host: Peter Roberts

Guest: Major General Mike Keating

Topics covered

• military command
• tactical operations
• NATO
• combat strategy
• Corps level command

Keywords

• Corps level command
• tactical level
• NATO
• combat
• military strategy
• Afghanistan
• COIN

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Headquarters Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, NATO

Places: Afghanistan

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