S6: The Eighth Army did not realize that a hole eight miles deep and six miles across was penetrated in the front lines until two regiments were “disintegrated.” Why was there a lapse in communication between the front lines and the Eighth Army mission command? With these defeats, the Mission Command commanders under General Walker became profoundly “defeatist.” How does this attitude affect MDMP?

There was a lapse in communication because there was not an effective way to maintain communications between the ROK and the US Armies. Once the front lines were penetrated communications were broken and could not be established. The defeatist attitude drastically affects MDMP. Commanders and staff are more prone to provide “safe” simple low risk plans when they have a defeatist attitude. Staff will stop looking for ways to minimize risks and instead exaggerate risks when recommending COAs to the Commander. This prevents the commander from being able to make effective decisions and effectively leading their troops.