Hard Times at National Defense University

Started by DicedT, August 16, 2012, 09:50:32 PM

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bayonetbrant

"You know, if we just turn off our brains, we don't have to worry about how we might have to act on any good ideas we might accidentally generate!"
The key to surviving this site is to not say something which ends up as someone's tag line - Steelgrave

"their citizens (all of them counted as such) glorified their mythology of 'rights'...and lost track of their duties. No nation, so constituted, can endure." Robert Heinlein, Starship Troopers

ArizonaTank

Johannes "Honus" Wagner
"The Flying Dutchman"
Shortstop: Pittsburgh Pirates 1900-1917
Rated as the 2nd most valuable player of all time by Bill James.

Toonces

I was fortunate enough to be able to complete JPME II at the Joint Forces Staff College before I took my orders out here.  It was really a neat experience.  The school is amazing, great library, and the wargaming center was really cool.  The instructors were exceptional.  Our civilian instructor (former Marine Lt. Col.) was an SME on the Revolutionary War.  I learned so much about it (and many other things); we visited Yorktown while we were there and he guided us over the grounds.  It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be able to see the battlefield with someone who could tell you so much about it.

What I really liked the most is that it was a chance to check out from the daily grind of normal duty and go "think big thoughts" for a few weeks.  I had a chance to work with Army and Air Force bubbas, too, and it was interesting to see how they do things differently.  It is obviously an expensive place to run, but rarely have I felt so strongly that the education I received has paid off so well.  We recently had RIMPAC out here and I was amazed at how much of my JPME II coursework was directly applicable to what we were doing in the exercise.  I very strongly feel that the experience at JFSC has made me a much better officer.

Unfortunately there is a lot of military education that I have felt wasn't of much value for the time invested; JPME II and the JFSC/NDU was definitely completely in the other camp.  There must be better places we can save a few bucks than what this article suggests.
"If you had a chance, right now, to go back in time and stop Hitler, wouldn't you do it?  I mean, I personally wouldn't stop him because I think he's awesome." - Eric Cartman

"Does a watch list mean you are being watched or is it a come on to Toonces?" - Biggs

ArizonaTank

Quote from: Toonces on August 28, 2012, 09:10:25 PM
There must be better places we can save a few bucks than what this article suggests.

Completely agree. 
Johannes "Honus" Wagner
"The Flying Dutchman"
Shortstop: Pittsburgh Pirates 1900-1917
Rated as the 2nd most valuable player of all time by Bill James.