Quote Originally Posted by Ken White View Post
Of course, it could also be that I don't see it as an all pervading problem because I've been lucky enough to have been in more good units that bad ones.
But it's not a "good unit, bad unit" thing. It's a micro-culture thing. Even the best units get to the point where they don't see their own micro-cultural bias. Personally, based on working at the CTCs plus a couple of deployments, I disagree with the assertion that more units use their low-density specialties correctly. It certainly seems like more units misuse them than not.

Then why would they stick around a culture they don't like, respect or agree with? No one today is drafted. Makes no sense to me that folks come in the Army, decide they hate it for this or that reason and stay.
I don't see why a guy who isn't suited to the infantry "mindset" (which is what we're discussing here... See the OP; WILF is asserting that specialized recon and snipers are not necessary. I'm attempting to rebut that assertion.) has to leave the army. All God's critters got a place in the choir, etc., when it comes to this here Army, which means we're discussing something we probably agree about. My point is that really good infantry guys probably won't make really good recon or sniper guys. It takes a different mindset, imo.

[quote} Why would one do that...Yes, there are -- and while there are Infantry (and other branch) guys who are way too doctrinaire, there are also all sorts of guys in the Army who don't have the problem you attempt to tack onto them -- unless the Army has changed a whole lot more than it seems to have from my day...[/QUOTE]

Well, post 1991, upon the dissolution of the Cavalry Regiments, Divisional CAV became a mini-regiment, and absorbed the kinetic missions. This resulted in much less recon capability, imo, and a tendency to use them as a mini-regiment, as witnessed by 3ID's sending 3-7 CAV into Baghdad. Watching several CTC rotations, I saw Brigade and Battalion Scouts doing more fighting, and less recon missions. LRS has been disbanded, so there really isn't a persistent direct observation capable force in the current force mix.

Add to this the current state of the art, over-taxonomied and over-specialized S-2 shop at the BCT level, you have a perfect storm.

I don't disagree with WILF's or your assertions, but in tangential degrees.