Quote Originally Posted by Ken White View Post
JMA:No differing by me for one, I think you're spot on. The French, by tradition have two Lieutenants commanding Platoons and the other two are commanded by NCOs. Seems a sensible way to provide experience for a select few who are being groomed to do Officer stuff at echelons above company...
Having arrived at the School of Infantry directly off ops it was like entering another world. In that environment there was a disconnect between what was happening on the ground in the war and in that august training establishment. In wartime one tends to address the immediate issues and let the future look after itself (however that turns out). To their credit there was no necessity to lower the standards to get more junior officers into the field as it was understood that where there was no platoon commander (officer) the platoon sergeant would (and could) do the job.

We say we're training future Commanders and Leaders and then we place most in an environment where they are charged with rote operations of questionable value while their drive and initiative gets trampled by set piece training and operations -- that drives many to depart after five years or so and the Army accepts that because a big war will see them called back.
The tend does tend to get lost over time unless ever new idea is tested against the stated aim and intension before being adopted. You are old enough to remember the Peter Principle. What I remember best from it was this as quoted in an artile:

In the chapter `Follower and Leaders', Peter points out the hierarchiological fallacies. He cites the example of the mother of George Washington who, when asked how her son was so accomplished as a General, answered: "I taught him to obey." Peter asks how the ability to lead depends on the ability to follow, as though the ability to float depends on the ability to sink.
We know you can't herd cats so the tendency is to adapt and apply spin to make the crushing of initiative and spirit sound almost noble.

Yes, and the wasted investment when so many leave after five years is justified as you say. They will be available for a future 'big' war through the Reserve. How many people do you think actually believe this?

It takes a pretty mature group of people (or desperate circumstances) for the ‘sacred cows’ to be tackled and revised. Constant review and constant change must be encouraged (unless it will lead to a loss in the annual Army Navy sports competitions that is )