Quote Originally Posted by Ken White View Post
Our training and education does not inculcate the basics of our trade -- and it is a trade, not a profession IMO -- so people have to learn on the job. Then we move them from job to job to rapidly so they never really master the jobs; they just do them "good enough." That can work in a major, existential war, however, it does the service, its people and the Nation no favors in peace time or in quasi peace as now. That needs to be fixed and we need to spend more time on Officer and Enlisted initial entry training -- get the basics right and it's like riding a bicycle; one does not forget. One also acquires a sound foundation on which to build...
Is there also an element of expectation management that needs to be looked at as well i.e. has there now been created as career progression expectation that a successful twenty year career should put into a LTC/COL or senior soldier position. Once a upon a time, you could retire at twenty as a Sgt or Maj and that was considered a good productive career - it also meant that the pools of experience at every level were far greater and almost every NCO and officer could 'step up' if required because of that depth of experience. Those who were being groomed (hopefully on ability and not family or other connections) were fast-tracked but even then there was a big enough pool to sustain the fast-tracked if some, for one reason of another, departed that track...

Developing senior officers is a bit out of my area but from a view looking upwards, command and leadership ability should always outscore big thinking i.e. a good leader/commander can always tap into big thinkers in their staff; it less easy for a big thinker to tap into leaders/commanders in their staff...