The Best Trained, Most Professional Military...Just Lost Two Wars?

[Bill Moore]

There are a number of reasons for the evolution of the risk-adverse culture. Some come from within the military, others originate outside it. Hanging it all on Congress is the easy answer, and ignores the problems that exist within the services. Doesn't mean that Congress doesn't have a share in the blame...but just that they aren't the only ones.

Constant rotation, a stunning cultural inability to look at its own history (but at least they've been consistent in that inability), accelerated deification of the military by outsiders with their own agendas, and a host of other things contribute to the military's inability to look at itself honestly and find answers. Congress...they're a mixed bag as well. If they pay attention at all, they remember the Cold War and its associated misconceptions and flawed assumptions about the US's historical military norms. They like spending programs, because those translate to jobs they can brag about and a certain level of myth creation.

Steve, while I may sound like an apologist for the military I'm far from it, but it gets a little old when everyone, especially those uninformed on how things actually work only throw stones at our senior military leaders.

I don't think we have a cultural inability to look at our history, but rather like most we cherry pick our history to conform with our preconceptions. I agree strongly with Ken that our problems are largely cultural in orign. The only saving grace is that most others, perhaps all others, have even worse cultural problems which is why most militaries around the world are somewhat of a joke. That is no excuse for us not to adapt, but it does put it in perspective.

The last two weeks at my location have been exceptionally frustrating. Dealing with officers who can't see past doctrine and they continuously struggle to make problems conform to their preconceived doctrinal solutions. I have seen nothing positive come from our officers indoctrinated in JMPE. I think it is a stretch to call it education, at best it is training. This is how you will work in my factory.

We have many, many constraints on our people ranging from cultural, educational, Congress, media, and of course good ole ineptness. We should actually be pleasantly surprised we're as good as we are.

Carl,

You have a media fed bias against night raids, so it is your opinion they should cease, and just because the military doesn't share your opinion they're inept? The fact of the matter is those targeted by them fear them, but yes it also disrupts normal life, but it should be needless to say that war disrupts normal life, and even if we were naive enough to quit conducting them their life would still be disrupted by those you are indirectly arguing that we support. Until we're allowed to address the threats that reside relatively safely across the border, night raids are a viable tactic (not a strategy) to disrupt attacks on our troops. It is not a strategy for winning, but then we never a strategy for winning.