Schmedlap

Too often similar occurrences are due mostly to the system deciding that the NCOs are incompetent and bypassing them by having an Officer do 'stuff.' That trend started in Viet Nam in the late 60s and is endemic. The symptom that hurts is that the NCOs perceive, rightly or wrongly that they aren't trusted and the reaction of most is to get their feelings hurt say 'No prob, I can sit on my a$$.' The solution is to let them do their jobs. Not make them, most want to do their job but they're human, can be lazy and are generally very practical -- they see no sense in doing a job themselves if you're going to do it for them. There's usually a sharp, go-getter around somewhere, find him and use him to get the others rolling. It is simply making the entire Chain of Command work, not just selected pers...

That is not a criticism of anyone and particularly not of Schemdlap -- it is, as I said, a systemic fault, societally induced in the US Armed Forces that is inimical to decent performance.

Like our badly flawed training system, this process was dumbed down in the 20+ year block from the early 70s until recently. It must be corrected.

Wilf:
an art sadly dead and gone in the US Armed Forces recent manual and most actual writing on the subject of war and warfare.
That too is a systemic fault and societally induced.

The easy way to fix it it have TRADOC 'authors' stop cutting and pasting stuff from old manuals and adding current day fluff plus their Bosses expressed (or, more often, presumed) positions to make it look new.

And, yes, that is a leadership problem. High level -- but leadership.