Joe Katzman is probably our finest blogger on military big brain stuff. I’m no slouch — but I’m still just an amateur armed with a little knowledge and an especially good operational-level battle simulator. Also, Joe finds stuff I just don’t have the time to look for.
Like this gem about retiring Army Major Don Vandergriff, who says the Army is broken — and who says he knows how to fix it.
** A personnel system that accords a higher priority to the careers of individual soldiers than to the needs of their units or the Army.
** A zero-defect culture that inhibits trust between leaders and led, resulting in commanders who are afraid to take risks on the battlefield or to speak unpleasant truths off it.
** A doctrine that Vandergriff says pays lip service to maneuver warfare, but in reality promotes attrition warfare, as evidenced by the many battles at NTC that become virtual slugfests between the training unit and the resident Opposing Force.
** War-fighting proficiency that is far lower than it should be because units are not kept together long enough for their squads, platoons, companies and leadership teams to achieve cohesion; inexperienced leaders inhibited by a zero-defect culture don
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