Pattons Measures of Performance

In the words of Blanken and Lepore (2014), “wartime assessment involves the gathering and analyzing of information to update a decision maker’s understanding of an ongoing conflict” (p. 14). In the First World War and the Second World War, quite a number of parameters were used to measure or show success. These included, but were not limited to, the number of enemy soldiers captured, the number of those wounded or killed in action, and the terrain covered (attached text). Collectively, these are referred to as body count. As a measure of military effectiveness, body count has been used extensively, most particularly during the Vietnam War. Body count as a performance measure, however, has its own limitations. This, according to (attached text) is more so the case when the enemy appears to have been clearly overmatched. Further, body count effectively fails to take into account a critical fact – the ability of the enemy to replenish his forces by replacing ‘lost’ or fallen soldiers. The terrain may also make it virtually impossible to effect body count.
Measure of effectiveness could be used in place of body count. This, according to Joint Publication 3 could be defined as the method utilized in the assessment of deviations from end state in the operational environment, capability, or system behavior (attached text). Here, the author points out that the superior commander is expected to make use of his mission orders in seeking to define success, in such a way that the quantification as well as reporting of exploits is left to the subordinates’ own devices. Patton’s approach aligns with this method as can be discerned from one of his proclamations: “there is only one tactical principle which is not subject to change. It is to use the means at hand to inflict the maximum amount of wound, death, and destruction on the enemy in the minimum amount of time” (Blanken & Lepore, 2014, p. 12). His subordinates had a clear picture from the word go of what was expected of them.
References
Blanken, L.J. & Lepore, J.J. (2014). Performance Measurement in Military Operations: Information versus Incentives. New York: Taylor & Francis Group