tered for purposes of temporary record.

Summary

The work sheet, therefore, if properly utilized, contains the Running
Estimate of the Situation, and is supported by the journal and the
journal file. By the use of the Running Estimate and its supporting
documents, the commander is enabled to keep himself apprised of the
developments of the situation. On this basis he is able to detect the
necessity for any changes in his plan and to arrive promptly at
decisions in accordance with such needs. These decisions become the
basis for new or modified plans and directives, to cause the action of
his command to conform to changes in the situation.

Where the full procedure described in this Chapter is unnecessary or
impracticable, a suitable modification without fundamental change will
be found applicable. The mental process, even if no records are kept
in writing, applies to the supervision of the planned action in every
situation.

CONCLUSION

The discussion of "Sound Military Decision" now closes with a
brief review of the application of mental power to the
solution of military problems.

Mental power, which includes the ability to arrive at sound solutions
of military problems, is a recognized essential component of fighting
strength because (page 18) it is the source of professional judgment.

The procedure most likely to ensure sound solutions is the studied
employment of a natural mental process, differing in no fundamental
respect from that effectively utilized in all other human activities.
The basic mental procedure remains unchanged, irrespective of the
nature of the problem,--be it simple or complex, its solution
instantaneous or slow. The procedure is especially adapted to the
needs of the profession of arms through the use of the Fundamental
Military Principle. By outlining the essential elements involved, this
Principle, a valid guide for the solution of military problems, covers
the full scope of the application of mental power as a recognized
component of fighting strength.

It is more especially during the swift-moving action of the tactical
engagement that moral capacity to command, and mental ability to solve
military problems, experience the maximum pressure of events. It is
then, also, that the responsibility of the commander creates an added
demand for intelligent application of mental power because of the
vital issues which may hinge upon his decisions. That this pressure