THE ROLE OF INTUITION IN MILITARY DECISIONS

Abstract

Over the course of history, the decision-making process was at stake for many military commanders and their ability to act in critical situations. All historical events occurred as a result of powerful people making either a beneficial or detrimental decision. Therefore, the first part of the paper will be focused on the importance and the main elements of the decision-making process. Furthermore, the complexities of this process will be displayed along with the limitations that can influence the decision-maker. Also, the approach that a leader might choose affects the outcome of a specific situation. In the second part, attention will be directed at intuition as a favorable attribute for the leaders of the armed forces and how it can be taught in order to achieve the intuitive judgement necessary in the military. This paper’s goal is to analyze the effectiveness of using intuition in the military decision-making process rather than the rational evaluation that has been used and taught for years. Because military circumstances are so fluid these days, the decision-making process is hampered by a dangerous tempo of action, disordered intelligence, and agitated activity rather than a basic, easy-to-implement approach. In such situations, decision-making is rarely clear and objectively rational but rather intuitive.