There has been much discussion in recent weeks about the need for a better educated officer corps. Major General (retired) Scales in the October 2009 issue of the Armed Forces Journal International wrote “Unless intellectual excellence is tied to the services’ personnel systems, true reform is impossible.”
Lieutenant General (retired) David Barno, Drs. Williamson Murray and John Allen Williams recently testified before the The Oversight and Investigation Subcommittee on Charting the Course for Effective Professional Military Education. Each raised critical issues related to Professional Military Education of the Officer Corps. General Barno, in his prepared remarks noted that a constant theme in the American military culture was a theme of anti-intellectualism. He stated, “[t]his well known characteristic of our military culture—found in one form or another in each of our military services—denigrates the value of knowledge and reflection on war and promotes operational experience above all other matters.” Professor Murray argued that until there are reforms to how we promote officers there is no incentive for an officer to get advanced schooling. Professor Williams that it is clear there is a “. . . need for adaptive leaders is apparent in this new era.” What is clear from the foregoing discussions there we need to rethink how we train Officers once they are commissioned, however we need to also think how we commission educated men and women.
The Army, and here I will speak only of the Army, as I know it best, has since the end of World War II relied on three primary sources of commissioning: The United States Military Academy at West Point (hereinafter referred to as West Point); the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC); and the Officers Candidate School (OCS). The general requirement for commissioning is a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. Except for West Point which has a specified curriculum there are not specific requirements for graduation. According to a friend who is the Professor of Military Studies at a well-known university the most important requirements in ROTC is how well you do at ROTC camp, physical training, and basic soldier skills . What your major is not a consideration. If we are to have a truly adaptive Officer Corps, perhaps it is time to consider raising the bar and requiring that we our officers be educated and critical thinkers.
It should be noted that West Point has altered it academic curricula over the years. It was not too many years ago that all who were commissioned from West Point were trained as engineers. We often forget that West Point was established as a School of Engineering. Today’s graduates, regardless of their major, have been exposed not only to science and engineering, but also to the humanities. It is my observation, that of our officers today, the West Point graduate is academically the best prepared.
I wish I could say the same for the graduates of ROTC and OCS. The Army has not established any academic requirements for graduation. I have run into officers in the Army who were functionally illiterate. While they easily master the tactical aspects of being an Army Officer they are ill prepared for being critical thinkers. Other than the courses required by their college or university they have not been exposed to good literature, political thought and theory, history, or economics. Often they have majored in soft subjects such as Communications Studies or Hospitality and Tourism Management. They have been spoon fed and have not been forced to exercise the gray matter between their left and right ear lobe.
As for OCS it depends. My experience with Officers Commissioned through the OCS program at Fort Benning has been very positive; they were the most motivated of the enlisted soldiers who truly want to attain something greater. On the other hand I have also encountered a number of Officers commissioned through the Army National Guard OCS program. Most were adequate to mediocre—the good ones stood out and they were few and far between.
As General Scales and Barno have stated, we need Officers who are adaptive. They need not only master the specific of their craft, that is being tactically proficient; but they must also be able to make the leap working at the Operational and Strategic levels. They have to be comfortable with ambiguity and have to be curious and willing to ask the hard questions. Our junior officers will find themselves operating in an environment which demands they be adaptive and critical thinkers.
So how do we get this type of Officer? Here is my modest proposal. First, the Army needs to ensure the schools where they ROTC have an academic program which will support the education of our future officers. Second, the Army needs to establish academic requirements for graduation, here is my proposal:
• 1 Year of a Foreign Language or cultural studies to include study abroad programs
• 2 Semesters of either America or European History above the 100 level
• America Government and Politics or US National Security
• International Relations or Introduction to Economics
• A Military History Seminar in which a major paper is part of the course requirement
• A course on Comparative Religions.
Those applying for OCS would be expected to meet these requirements. Third, get rid of the Army National Guard OCS program; require all to attend the Fort Benning OCS program. What is critical is that the Army has educated officers who are capable of critical thinking.
While this will not guarantee the next Patton or even Marshall, it will give the Army Officers who have been challenged academically, who are critical thinkers, and who will become the next generation of leaders in the United States Army.
