Don't want to create an argument but above it was stated that the NCOs are responsible for the combat development of young officers. I would add that the officers' superiors are also responsible for that. Having been enlisted and officer, I tell you they are different worlds. We need officers heavily involved in the development of other officers. NCOs are great leaders and essential warehouses of advice and wisdom. But, we absolutely must have officers involved in the development of other officers.

Also, I vehemently disagree with the notion that junior officers "really don't count", and that officers should only be trained for eventual life as a senior leader/commander. This is part of what's wrong with our system. It's lazy, it's incompetent, and it stinks for lack of a professional approach to the commissioning of our officers.

We provide our junior officers with about 50% of the training minimum to step in front of a platoon, and that's being generous. We then throw them out to the Force and expect the NCOs to do the rest, and expect their superior officers to chip in a bit. Wrong, wrong, wrong. We should expect and train our officers to step in front of a platoon from day one. Otherwise, why have PLs? Why have junior officers at all? If we're going to sell the nobility of leadership, and speak about our officers as being leaders, then they need to be leaders from the start. There are learning curves - we all know that. But, the mentality where we exercise the "care and feeding of lieutenants" is 100%wrong. They wear the rank, they are paid the salary,they should be acting accordingly from the start. Will our NCOs still advise them and assist them - of course. Will their superiors mentor, correct, and train them additionally - of course. But to accept less than true leadership is wrong. To train for less is wrong as well.

Right now we have a completely hypocritical system, full of double speak and we hang our junior officers out to dry. We set them up for failure continuously. Our BN and BCT commanders will stand up at a promotion for 2LT going to 1LT and tell the troops that the LTs are just overpaid SPCs, then turn around and dismiss the formation and expect the LTs to go "lead" those platoons, after the big commander told his troops the LT is effectively a SPC. Then, when a situation like Wanat takes place, the Army will come in and write the history books and effectively place the blame on a LT for not doing x,y,z. Wrong answer.

Working on "your brain in combat" needs further study. It's a fascinating topic. But, when it comes to officers and their brains in combat, the Army needs to invest more time and energy into commissioning programs and branch basic schools.