TRADOC ordered to watch President?

[Cavguy]

Quite a few references to Brown Shirts and 1930's Germany came up, which was probably not the intended response. The discussion of actual policies fell along normal political fault lines, and did not really add anything positive to a class on targetting.

.... What was so important about this speech, or this President as to warrant that order? This is very easily a slippery slope.

First, it wasn't a TRADOC or CAC order, because it certainly didn't come to Leavenworth, which is the higher for all the branch schools and part of TRADOC. So I imagine its local.

Second, the State of the Union address is not your normal political speech. It is a constitutionally mandated executive report to Congress. However, it is given by politicians to politicians, so of course it will be political in tone.

I guess I have a hard time making the mental leap from being required to watch the Commander and Chief's State of the Union Address to Nazification and indoctrination. Given he is our CINC, I don't see the harm in military officers watching and understanding the national priorities outlined in his annual mandatory report to Congress. Hell, 53 million citizens watched it. Perhaps it wasn't necessary, but making the analogy to Gobbels-like propaganda is silly. You weren't ordered to repeat what he said or turn off your brain, were you?

Now if your "discussion" afterwords was poorly guided by instructors, that's a different question.

We have formations all the time where the president or other dignitaries speak to military audiences - welcome homes, service academy graduations, ship commissionings, photo ops (anyone remember "Mission Accomplished?"). It isn't endemic to any president, all of them do it. They all make political and foreign policy speeches in front of a cheering background of soldiers. Watch any USMA graduation speech or addresses to staff colleges (which are all mandatory). I'm pretty sure this goes back to the founding of the republic. Welcome to the military.

Now I suspect much of the b*tching is simply because your peers had time taken away that could have spent doing something else (which I suspect it is). If it's also because some of your classmates don't approve of the President's party or image, tough luck. He's the CINC now, and you can be ordered to listen to him anytime for any reason, like any other superior officer. You even have to obey his lawful orders and salute him.

I may be reading too much into this, but I just don't see the issue with being forced to become an informed citizen. I also imagine the class watched the opposition response? (not that it matters)