This is an interesting column by Doug MacGregor about reforming the military.
An interesting read.
http://fabiusmaximus.wordpress.com/2012/05/10/38404/
Good read!
Quote
However, we do not cultivate professional competence in uniform. As was made clear to me by the NEOCONs in power when I was still on active duty in 2002, we don't care about character, competence or intelligence in uniform because it does not matter. Anything we did against the Arabs would work or so they contended in 2002-2003.
In their desire to be egalitarian, Americans are comfortable with the illusion that anybody can do anything, thus frequently ensuring the elevation of mediocrities to high rank.
In much the same way, Americans blundered through the 20th Century entering the worst wars in human history, WW I and WW II, when they were in their final phases. The outcomes were far from perfect as we subsequently discovered, but our lateness kept our casualties low, at least in comparison with our allies. Our economy benefited over the long term and being on the "winning side" created the illusion of effectiveness at home that in many cases was never justified.
Wow....
MacGregor is one of the true visionaries of the US military. His book "Breaking the Phalanx" was hammered in '97 when it came out as being wildly idealistic and ignoring 50 years of military tradition and doctrine. 10 years later virtually every reformed he advocated was instituted, and he was a civilian - drummed out by the same leader who then implemented his ideas.
Wild.
I was impressed with what I read in the article. I didn't expect to read what I read.
40, I think you nailed it with that quote: the inability to cultivate intelligent men of high character is hugely troubling.
Here's the formula as I see it:
Money is power. Power corrupts. The military has enjoyed what amounts to nearly infinite amounts of money. Connect your own dots.
A little context: right now Congress is fighting about whether the "sequestered budget" will fall. Y'all may recall that Congress was unable to produce a satisfactory agreement on budget cuts in a bipartisan way. Their fallback was to allow across-the-board cuts to go into effect on both military and entitlement spending, with the idea that sequestered cuts would be so bad that no one would let it happen.
Well, it's happening.
But it appears to be business as usual. Another cycle in the lucky military history (paraphrasing how I interpreted the author of the article) of the USA.
It would appear as if politics has always 'corrupted' the effectiveness of the US Armed Force, except for the brief period during WWII.