General of the Army Omar Nelson Bradley in the Korean War and the Meaning of the Chairmanship

General of the Army Omar Nelson Bradley served as the first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and he played a significant role during the Korean War. Bradley served as the senior military advisor to President Harry S. Truman, and he was the critical link to General of the Army Douglas MacArthur as the United Nations Commander during the war. The most critical events in the Korean War occurred in the first year. Bradley established the military policy that guided the actions for MacArthur in the conduct of military operations. His role with MacArthur was to ensure operations did not violate policy. In the beginning of the war, Bradley granted MacArthur wide latitude as the field commander, yet he restricted his actions later in the war because MacArthur’s actions were in contradiction to military policy. Eventually, Bradley recommended the removal of MacArthur to President Truman. As Chairman, Bradley established certain precedents for the job position. He balanced the need to support the field commander in military operations and to enforce the military policy approved by the President.