I echo previous statements which assert that ROTC is directed at accomplishing the commission goal set. While cadets are invariably motivated, very little of the program, if any of it, is designed for developing knowledge and intellect. That largely depends on the specific instructors. My conception of the "officer" may be classic idealism, but it is my belief that the officer should be engaged physically, spiritually, and intellectually with this trade.

This semester, I presented a 30-min brief on Army modularity to my cadet peers; the strategic context which compels development in that direction, the ins and outs of modularity itself and how it seeks to match doctrine, organization, technology, and training, and some of the potential problems and obstacles which will need to be addressed in the near future.

I ran into a brick wall of wide-eyed disinterested cadets who, like me, will soon be directly engaging and influencing the components of modularity regardless of our branch affiliations (for the record, I attempted to make it exciting with nifty pictures of the future force systems, etc). If future officers are unable to engage conceptually with the things which will directly impact their lives, careers, and soldiers, the "big picture" will be lost; particularly in regards to the causes and consequences of the Long War.

Without that kind of knowledge or interest, it will increasingly difficult to not only recognize the actual issues presented to us, but also to address them appropriately.