"I don't think we can operate on a business model that espouses efficiency over effectiveness and operate in the type of high risk environments we do in the spectrum of war while maintaining the potential for success that we like to go to war with."
That seems to me to summarize a great many synergistic things that put us where we are. I'm going to work on a post on that after Turkey Day, pretty crammed up between now and then -- be outa town from Fri until the Tue after the day.
What do you make of this:
Federal Times
November 12, 2007
Pg. 1

DoD Executives To Take More Jobs Held By Generals

By Stephen Losey

Career civilian executives at the Defense Department will be taking over more leadership posts held by generals and admirals in the coming months.

Positions overseeing logistics and other non-war-fighting operations — traditionally considered as military billets — will increasingly be done by members of the Defense Department’s Senior Executive Service (SES), said Patricia Bradshaw, the deputy undersecretary of Defense for civilian personnel policy.

A directive signed Oct. 25 by Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England formally gives the top tier of senior career executives authority comparable to some of the military’s three-star generals and admirals and political appointees.

“They’ll be invited to senior meetings and have a seat at the table,” Bradshaw said. “They’ll occupy positions that have real scope of authority and responsibility for major portions of the organization.”
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........ If you go back to a lot of our SES, they’ll say, ‘I could always be a deputy, but I could never be in charge.’”

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are helping drive the changes in the way the Pentagon thinks about its civilian executive corps.
...........

Praise and concerns

Carol Bonosaro, president of the Senior Executives Association, applauded the Pentagon’s plans.

“This opens up a new avenue of opportunities for senior executives,” Bonosaro said. “It’s refreshing to see the department take on a comprehensive view for managing its senior executive corps.”

But she said she’s concerned the plan could keep a lid on salaries for the vast majority of senior executives who are not in the top tier of enterprise executives.

Also, she said the plan could force senior executives to accept jobs they don’t want. The new directive requires executives to sign a document agreeing to accept reassignments when asked.
You know I was fortunate enough to receive a tour of the Capitol building via Senator Mitch McConnell's office last Friday with some of ginger's family - I was amazed at how young everyone who seemed to work there was - our guide was a sharp fellow out of UK, and the other young men and ladies in the two offices were also sharp - but what struck with me was the idea that these folks were pretty much going to grow up in the beltway and thus within the system. When I read this article yesterday I thought about what kind of people would fill those positions and wondered what experiences they would have had? How will they understand those unknowable frictions which gobble up resources - how will they build that in? There was a piece of justification which I did not paste in as I did not want to put the whole article in which said - "this will allow those generals to go where they are needed" which seemed a little odd in itself. I've no doubt that the SESs are good people wanting to serve their country - but I just wonder about how much they've contemplated the difference between War and the boardroom?

Best, Rob