In peacetime the incentive to properly prepare for war is soon lost.
Can we please differentiate between individuals on training courses and where units are being exercised.
Here lies the fundamental I believe and that is unless skills (command or otherwise) are exercised in the unit context of the now course qualified individual (be it weapons or tactics) the training is incomplete.
There is a natural shake out process that takes place in the first seven years or so where those with command potential separate from those with staff prospects. This is why I maintain (from my own experience) that the first three years after commissioning must concentrate on active (if there is a war on) platoon commanding. It is a mutual learning experience where the individual learns much about himself and the army and the army learns much about that individual.I also like the idea of having the officer corps divided into staff (planning, management) and combat (leadership, combined arms tactics proficiency, independent of branch) careers.
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