--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: (The) chain of command has failed over…" description: "\"(The) chain of command has failed over the years, obviously, for a lot of reasons.\" — Chuck Hagel" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfc/chuck-hagel-9288_chain-of-command_the-chain-of-command-has-failed-over-the_1949826.png" --- # (The) chain of command has failed over the years… ![“(The) chain of command has failed over the years, obviously, for a lot of reasons.” quote by Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfc/chuck-hagel-9288_chain-of-command_the-chain-of-command-has-failed-over-the_1949826.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfc/chuck-hagel-9288_chain-of-command_the-chain-of-command-has-failed-over-the_1949826.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfc/chuck-hagel-9288_chain-of-command_the-chain-of-command-has-failed-over-the_1949826.png) > “(The) chain of command has failed over the years, obviously, for a lot of reasons.” [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker critiques the hierarchical chain of command, noting its repeated failures over time. **In simple terms:** Chain of command has often failed. Key Takeaway Question authority structures. Themes leadership military bureaucracy Mood critical analytical Type political military When to use this quote - defense policy - corporate management - government agencies Key Concepts organizational theory political science Questions to Reflect On - Why do hierarchical systems break down? - What alternatives exist? A Different Perspective Complex systems may need more flexibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chain of command](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chain-of-command/) [Chains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chains/) [Military](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) ## Related quotes > [You know what the chain of command is? It's the chain I go get and beat ya with until you realize who's in ruttin'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-baldwin/you-know-what-the-chain-of-command-is-it-s-the-chain-i-go-get-and/) [Adam Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-baldwin/) > [It has to come out of the chain of command, because the chain of command has really become impotent. The chain of command is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-coughlin/it-has-to-come-out-of-the-chain-of-command-because-the-chain-of/) Paula Coughlin > [“Leadership doesn’t just flow down the chain of command, but up as well,” he said. “We have to own everything in our world. That”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocko-willink/leadership-doesn-t-just-flow-down-the-chain-of-command-but-up-as-well/) [Jocko Willink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocko-willink/) > [“Chain of command, Synthia. I say it. You do it. End of chain, am I clear?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelia-hutchins/chain-of-command-synthia-i-say-it-you-do-it-end-of-chain-am-i-clear/) [Amelia Hutchins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelia-hutchins/) > [“Chain of command knows no age restrictions," he once told Connor. "You could be six, but if you were my superior, I'd still do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/chain-of-command-knows-no-age-restrictions-he-once-told-connor-you/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“When leading up the chain of command, use caution and respect. But remember, if your leader is not giving the support you need, don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocko-willink/when-leading-up-the-chain-of-command-use-caution-and-respect-but/) [Jocko Willink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocko-willink/) > [When I was working in the Pentagon, I had to own the recommendations I made up the chain of command.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elissa-slotkin/when-i-was-working-in-the-pentagon-i-had-to-own-the-recommendations-i/) [Elissa Slotkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elissa-slotkin/) > [“The chain of command, I wear it around my neck.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/the-chain-of-command-i-wear-it-around-my-neck/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“This is where they failed, all those years back, he believes. In taking care of one another when tragedy struck. It broke them, broke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-black/this-is-where-they-failed-all-those-years-back-he-believes-in-taking/) [Robin Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-black/) > [I just assume that I'll fail at something for several years - that I'll try my hardest and still fail for several years. With…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/i-just-assume-that-i-ll-fail-at-something-for-several-years-that-i-ll/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [I think you learn this as the years go on, but obviously some games you are not going to do good as you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luka-doncic/i-think-you-learn-this-as-the-years-go-on-but-obviously-some-games/) [Luka Doncic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luka-doncic/) > [I will have failed in this if in five years there are not many more people using public transport and far fewer journeys by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-prescott/i-will-have-failed-in-this-if-in-five-years-there-are-not-many-more/) [John Prescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-prescott/) > [We must have a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. forces - or at the very least a plan for it - something the administration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrod-brown/we-must-have-a-timetable-for-withdrawal-of-u-s-forces-or-at-the-very/) [Sherrod Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrod-brown/) > [There's a certain way you stand to give yourself authority, which gives you the texture for the part. I chose that my character hadn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-goddard/there-s-a-certain-way-you-stand-to-give-yourself-authority-which/) [Mark Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-goddard/) > [Once you have hierarchy you need rules to protect and administer it, and then you need law and the enforcement of the rules, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-p-young/once-you-have-hierarchy-you-need-rules-to-protect-and-administer-it/) [William P. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-p-young/) ## More by Chuck Hagel > [When you're dealing in situations that are uncontrollable and combustible, you try to stabilize the situation as quickly as you can and then work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/when-you-re-dealing-in-situations-that-are-uncontrollable-and/) [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) > [Closing Guantanamo Bay is not a military solution. The closing of that prison, which I support, I supported it when I was in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/closing-guantanamo-bay-is-not-a-military-solution-the-closing-of-that/) [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) > [We must prepare for everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/we-must-prepare-for-everything/) [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) > [Desperate men do desperate things when you take hope away. And that's where the Palestinians are today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/desperate-men-do-desperate-things-when-you-take-hope-away-and-that-s/) [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) > [The president of the United States is the commander in chief, and the people who work with him at the National Security Council are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/the-president-of-the-united-states-is-the-commander-in-chief-and-the/) [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) > [The Israeli people must be free to live in peace and security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/the-israeli-people-must-be-free-to-live-in-peace-and-security/) [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) > [In a general way, if one cannot attribute to the Jew the whole responsibility of the situation, economic, political, and social, by which Algeria…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/in-a-general-way-if-one-cannot-attribute-to-the-jew-the-whole/) [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) > [Institutions are imperfect. Governments surely are. People are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/institutions-are-imperfect-governments-surely-are-people-are/) [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) > [No one individual vote, no one individual quote or no one individual statement defines me, my beliefs, or my record.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/no-one-individual-vote-no-one-individual-quote-or-no-one-individual/) [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) > [We live in a world of absolute immediacy. It is an interconnected, combustible world, where technology and many other actions have given nonstate actors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/we-live-in-a-world-of-absolute-immediacy-it-is-an-interconnected/) [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) > [Too often in Washington we tend to see foreign policy as an abstraction, with little understanding of what we are committing our country to:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/too-often-in-washington-we-tend-to-see-foreign-policy-as-an/) [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) > [Imposing democracy through force is a roll of the dice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/imposing-democracy-through-force-is-a-roll-of-the-dice/) [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) > [I have never believed you go to war in Iraq, you go to war in Afghanistan, and believe that you can deal with those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/i-have-never-believed-you-go-to-war-in-iraq-you-go-to-war-in/) [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) > [Well, Mr Obama inherited probably the biggest inventory of problems, certainly foreign policy problems, than any American president ever has. I think the entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/well-mr-obama-inherited-probably-the-biggest-inventory-of-problems/) [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) > [Foreign policy will require a strategic agility that, whenever possible, gets ahead of problems, strengthens U.S. security and alliances, and promotes American interests and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/foreign-policy-will-require-a-strategic-agility-that-whenever/) [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) [Explore all 74 Chuck Hagel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) ## More Chain of command quotes > [Once you have hierarchy you need rules to protect and administer it, and then you need law and the enforcement of the rules, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-p-young/once-you-have-hierarchy-you-need-rules-to-protect-and-administer-it/) [William P. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-p-young/) > [“Then it hits me… And it hits me with the force of a blow. I am maybe fifteen years old. I am a girl.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-meyer/then-it-hits-me-and-it-hits-me-with-the-force-of-a-blow-i-am-maybe/) [L.A. Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-meyer/) > [“The chain of command, I wear it around my neck.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/the-chain-of-command-i-wear-it-around-my-neck/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [There's a certain way you stand to give yourself authority, which gives you the texture for the part. I chose that my character hadn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-goddard/there-s-a-certain-way-you-stand-to-give-yourself-authority-which/) [Mark Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-goddard/) > [“Justice can only be delivered by someone who doesn't care about how much he's paid, or where he is in the chain of command.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-victoria/justice-can-only-be-delivered-by-someone-who-doesn-t-care-about-how/) Eliza Victoria > [You know what the chain of command is? It's the chain I go get and beat ya with until you realize who's in ruttin'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-baldwin/you-know-what-the-chain-of-command-is-it-s-the-chain-i-go-get-and/) [Adam Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-baldwin/) > [Oh, propriety," says Mrs Benjamin. "We're always so concerned with propriety. Even in total madness, we still stick to our hierarchies and chains of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jackson-bennett/oh-propriety-says-mrs-benjamin-we-re-always-so-concerned-with/) [Robert Jackson Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jackson-bennett/) > [I've been deeply concerned that to date no individuals have been convicted for the brutal killing of three United States citizens, the Bytyqi brothers:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-engel/i-ve-been-deeply-concerned-that-to-date-no-individuals-have-been/) [Eliot Engel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-engel/) > [It has to come out of the chain of command, because the chain of command has really become impotent. The chain of command is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-coughlin/it-has-to-come-out-of-the-chain-of-command-because-the-chain-of/) Paula Coughlin > [“Type II trauma also often occurs within a closed context - such as a family, a religious group, a workplace, a chain of command,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-a-courtois/type-ii-trauma-also-often-occurs-within-a-closed-context-such-as-a/) [Christine A. Courtois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-a-courtois/) > [Military investigations are designed not to find anyone guilty. And you can't investigate up the chain of command, which is a huge impediment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/military-investigations-are-designed-not-to-find-anyone-guilty-and/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [When I was working in the Pentagon, I had to own the recommendations I made up the chain of command.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elissa-slotkin/when-i-was-working-in-the-pentagon-i-had-to-own-the-recommendations-i/) [Elissa Slotkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elissa-slotkin/) > [“stairwell and started the climb to the seventh floor. He was knackered by the time they got to the third, but his agitation drove…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-robson/stairwell-and-started-the-climb-to-the-seventh-floor-he-was-knackered/) Roy Robson > [What you of the CHOAM directorate seem unable to understand is that you seldom find real loyalties in commerce. ... Men must want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/what-you-of-the-choam-directorate-seem-unable-to-understand-is-that/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“The "contempt of cops" by those in their chain of command creates Toxic Boss Blues.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-neal/the-contempt-of-cops-by-those-in-their-chain-of-command-creates-toxic/) Steve Neal [Browse all 61 Chain of command quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chain-of-command/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "(The) chain of command has failed over the years, obviously, for a lot of reasons.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Chuck Hagel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/the-chain-of-command-has-failed-over-the-years-obviously-for-a-lot-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Chain of command" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/the-chain-of-command-has-failed-over-the-years-obviously-for-a-lot-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfc/chuck-hagel-9288_chain-of-command_the-chain-of-command-has-failed-over-the_1949826.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfc/chuck-hagel-9288_chain-of-command_the-chain-of-command-has-failed-over-the_1949826.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfc/chuck-hagel-9288_chain-of-command_the-chain-of-command-has-failed-over-the_1949826.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“(The) chain of command has failed over the years, obviously, for a lot of reasons.” — Chuck Hagel", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Chuck Hagel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "(The) chain of command has failed...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/the-chain-of-command-has-failed-over-the-years-obviously-for-a-lot-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/the-chain-of-command-has-failed-over-the-years-obviously-for-a-lot-of/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```