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| -Great Cultural Revolution |
| Why Our Generals Can't Think |
| 2023-10-01 |
| [Military] Having read Franklin Foer's account in the October issue of The Atlantic describing the disastrous evacuation of Afghanistan, I was struck by what it did not contain. Nowhere in the months leading up to the withdrawal did a senior military leader question the choice of Kabul's Karzai International Airport over the more defensible Bagram military air base. The military chain of command knew an evacuation was imminent for months, and the Kabul airport was even more vulnerable to attack than the disastrous French position at Dien Bien Phu during the first Vietnam war. Despite that, not a single general officer, beginning with the secretary of defense -- a retired general -- raised an objection to the State Department's choice of the Kabul Airport. One of two things happened here: Either they lacked the moral courage to speak up, or they did not know. In either case, I am convinced that the deplorable state of our military professional education system lies at the root of the problem. A misguided attempt to reform professional military education (JPME) in the 1980s led by the late Ike Skelton and other military reformers in Congress mandated that masters-level degrees be granted at all command and staff colleges, as well as a required study in "jointness." This forced all the military midlevel colleges to make room in their courses of study to accommodate the requirements of civilian academia to grant an advanced degree. What got lost in the mix was the serious study of the military profession that was formerly required. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #10 ^ We're fooked |
| Posted by: Frank G 2023-10-01 16:54 |
| #9 Technically, the GO board, composed of other general officers, provide nominations. The final decision to submit those to Congress for approval rests solely with the occupant of the White House. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2023-10-01 13:37 |
| #8 "Military education" or lack thereof did not have anything to do with the Afghan debacle. The debacle was purely political result and the responsibility for this disaster is all on the Jake Sullivan and Lloyd Austin. This duo thoroughly paralyzed the commander on the ground. Regarding the article: Our Army "Generals" (4 stars) are selected by all the other 4 stars... Almost all of them are from north of the Mason Dixon line. I had a senior PSM from the SASC tell me that a this is by design...a design emanating from the time of the Civil War and intended to continue into the future. Southerners are allowed to be ground troops and maybe even make it to the two star level, but after that, political screening of our leaders is applied by the like minded senior leader class. The result is an amateur political class of senior leaders. Its not the JPME, that is a smoke screen... a diversion. |
| Posted by: Tennessee 2023-10-01 12:59 |
| #7 For the last forty years the left has been upset that military types have been capable of independent non ideological thought. So they started changing it at the base, and it's percolated up. |
| Posted by: ed in texas 2023-10-01 09:59 |
| #6 Misguided Millys...that's a good one. |
| Posted by: Snerenter Thromogum9494 2023-10-01 09:46 |
| #5 The military chain of command knew an evacuation was imminent for months Actually, years. Trump gave them what is tantamount to a 'warning order' to make plans. That plans were not on hand when Biden took office should have resulted in a deep purge. However the misguided Mileys thought they had their man in hand by participating in the ouster of Trump and could continue their game. the State Department's choice of the Kabul Airport Until the enemy is defeated, the State Department should be along on the ride with no such authority in country. That was a problem before and now repeated. The problem is the division between leadership and management. Running a modern military 'system' does require management but it is not a substitute for combat leadership. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2023-10-01 08:01 |
| #4 /\ Somewhere along that same timeline math heavy engineering studies were replaced with liberal arts dogma. That which is cultivated tends to grow. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2023-10-01 07:43 |
| #3 It is noted, "...A misguided attempt to reform professional military education (JPME) in the 1980s..." About that time Democrats in Congress who had paid no attention to military academy nominations changed. They began to appoint sons of leftists and the academies over the years, in effect, became politicized. And the matamorphosis can be seen today, forty years later. l |
| Posted by: Jerens Black9355 2023-10-01 07:10 |
| #2 /\ Dark Passage (1947) - Humphrey Bogart , Taxi scene , 720p |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2023-10-01 03:18 |
| #1 I like this guy. project managers/critical thinker realists vs. MBA administrators/taxi drivers Ever have a conversation with a taxi driver? |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2023-10-01 02:40 |