Marawi Liberation

“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” – Joseph Campbell

On May 23, 2017, the Philippines experienced its most significant modern urban combat as they battled the Islamic State-linked Maute Group, which besieged the Marawi and resulted in a five-month-long battlefield. This was the most grueling insurgency the Armed Forces of the Philippines faced as the insurgents managed to capture a city for their stronghold.

Ultimately, the war ended even at the cost of approximately 300 lives, 400,00 people relocated, and the destruction of infrastructures. Leadership and teamwork played a huge role in stopping this war, and these were elaborated in the article by James Lewis entitled "The Battlefield of Marawi: Small Team Lessons Learned from Close Fight."[1] His article discussed how these two elements enabled the AFP to subjugate the Maute Group and how the Australian Army can learn from these examples. As the enemies had the map advantage and the overlay of the city having many buildings, they posed as a potential base that needed to be thoroughly inspected. The teamwork comes into play here.

The AFP gave each team a leader and instructed them to make sure that every building was searched for militants or cleansed of them before conducting raids and inspections. Although they also employed mass area attacks like aerial bombing, the tactic of close battles helped them gain the upper hand. The smooth cooperation of each team commands great command from the leader and excellent trust and judgments from the team members. As cadets and future police officers in the making, this event dramatically impacts us, especially in the expertise of leadership and decision-making. This event highlighted the importance of communication as well as having trust with each member of the team. In this crucial time wherein chaos is rampant, the soldiers managed to remain calm, execute and follow commands properly. This is a prime example of good leadership and coordination.

In addition to that, this event also showcased the importance of building a proper relationship with your teammates. Although there were designated leaders and team members, everyone regarded themselves as equals to have a shared awareness of their surroundings. This awareness allowed them to recognize the team's needs and individual weaknesses and how to address them to avoid harm and effectively fend off the Maute. A leader who cannot emulate and share the same perspective and thoughts as their members is not good. The teams who sacrificed for the liberation of Marawi are prime examples of how influential leaders share a close relationship with their teammates by viewing them as equals, hearing their opinions, and knowing each other's strengths and weaknesses.

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[1] Lewis, J. (2019). The battle of Marawi: Small team lessons learned for the close fight. Australian Army Journal, XV(1). https://search.informit.org/doi/pdf/10.3316/ielapa.528977125865626