General Council of the Army

General Council of the Army
Name	General Council of the Army
Formation	c. 18th century
Type	Military advisory council
Headquarters	National military headquarters
Leaders	Senior officers

Contents

General Council of the Army

The General Council of the Army is a high-level deliberative body associated with senior leadership in armed forces such as the British Army, French Army, Prussian Army, Imperial Japanese Army, United States Army, and other national land forces. It has functioned historically as an institutional forum for resolving matters involving commanders at the echelon of War Office, Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), Quai d'Orsay, Pentagon (building), and analogous ministries in states like Russia, Germany, Japan, China, Italy, and Spain. The council interacts with political institutions including the Parliament of the United Kingdom, United States Congress, National Assembly (France), Reichstag, and executive offices such as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, President of the United States, Chancellor of Germany, and Emperor of Japan.

History

Origins trace to collegiate war councils in the era of the Napoleonic Wars, the Seven Years' War, and the reforms after the War of the Spanish Succession. Precursors include advisory bodies like the Privy Council (United Kingdom), the Committee of Public Safety, and the War Council (Ottoman Empire). Reorganized forms appeared in the 19th century under reforms of figures such as Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, Prince Klemens von Metternich, Yamagata Aritomo, and Ulysses S. Grant. During the Crimean War, the Austro-Prussian War, and the Franco-Prussian War, councils adapted to industrialized logistics and staff systems pioneered by the General Staff (Prussia). In the 20th century, councils were prominent during the World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, and Cold War crises such as the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Berlin Blockade, interacting with entities like the Council of Ministers (Italy), National Security Council (United States), Winston Churchill, Charles de Gaulle, Joseph Stalin, and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Composition typically includes chiefs such as the Chief of the General Staff (United Kingdom), Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Chef d'état-major des armées (France), Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, and equivalents like the Chief of the Defence Staff (United Kingdom), Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Chief of the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office (historical), and senior representatives from branches like the Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers (United Kingdom), Infantry Regiment, and Cavalry. Membership often extends to ministers such as the Secretary of State for War (United Kingdom), United States Secretary of Defense, Minister of National Defence (Canada), Minister of War (Japan) (historical), and political figures from the Cabinet of the United Kingdom, Cabinet of the United States, and other national cabinets. Staff support comes from institutions like the General Staff (United Kingdom), École Militaire, Staff College, Camberley, Command and Staff College (Pakistan), and allied liaison officers from organizations such as NATO, SEATO, and the United Nations.

The council advises on campaigns exemplified by the Gallipoli Campaign, Somme Offensive, Operation Overlord, Operation Market Garden, Battle of Stalingrad, and counterinsurgency operations in Algerian War, Mau Mau Uprising, and Malayan Emergency. It develops doctrine influenced by works like On War, The Influence of Sea Power upon History, Mahan, and Clausewitz. Responsibilities include strategic planning as in Plan Yellow (Fall Gelb), resource allocation reminiscent of Lend-Lease, mobilization comparable to Conscription in World War I, logistics seen in the Red Ball Express, force structure decisions akin to Pentomic division experiments, and rules of engagement reflecting legal instruments like the Hague Conventions and Geneva Conventions. Councils also interact with judicial institutions such as the Court Martial system, International Criminal Court, and domestic tribunals including the High Court of Justice and Supreme Court of the United States.

Formal procedures borrow from staff practices codified by the Prussian General Staff, the U.S. Army War College, and manuals like Field Service Regulations. Decision-making can follow consensus models used by bodies like the Privy Council (United Kingdom), majoritarian voting reminiscent of the Reichstag procedures, or executive-driven directives issued by leaders such as Winston Churchill, Charles de Gaulle, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Douglas MacArthur, and Chester W. Nimitz. Deliberations incorporate intelligence from agencies like MI6, MI5, Central Intelligence Agency, GRU, Mossad, and KGB. Crisis decision cycles resemble the OODA loop used by commanders and are informed by doctrine from institutions including the NATO Military Committee and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Records and minutes have influenced historiography found in archives like the National Archives (United Kingdom), National Archives and Records Administration, and papers of leaders such as Winston Churchill and Harry S. Truman.

Historic councils convened for events such as deliberations before the Battle of Waterloo, strategic meetings preceding Operation Barbarossa, and wartime councils during Battle of Britain and the Pacific War. Postwar councils shaped policies during the Marshall Plan, Truman Doctrine, and rearmament debates in West Germany. High-profile cases include counsel on nuclear strategy during the Suez Crisis, legal deliberations after the My Lai Massacre, court-martial reviews following Nuremberg Trials, and restructuring after scandals like the Aberfan disaster's indirect military inquiries. Councils have also advised on modern operations including Gulf War, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and peacekeeping missions under United Nations Security Council mandates.

Reforms have been driven by lessons from the Hague Congresses, the Hague Conventions, the Washington Naval Conference, and postwar commissions such as the Harris Committee and Howe Commission. Criticisms focus on civil-military relations highlighted by debates involving Lord Mountbatten, Pierre Mendès France, Robert McNamara, and David Petraeus, concerns over politicization evident in controversies like the Suez Crisis and Vietnam War, and accountability issues raised by inquiries such as the Churchill inquiry and domestic parliamentary reviews. Proposals for change reference comparative models from the General Staff (Prussia), integrated approaches like Goldwater–Nichols Act, and transparency measures akin to reforms in the European Union and Council of Europe.

Category:Military councils