Are military degrees worth their stated value, or overvalued tools which reinforce the civil-military divide?

CH (COL) Geoff Bailey — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 22:51:13 -0400

https://stratblog.sites.usa.gov/deconstructing-the-warrior-caste-the-beliefs-and-backgrounds-of-senior-military-elites/

Deconstructing the “Warrior Caste:” The Beliefs and Backgrounds of Senior Military Elites

In May 2017, The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) published a study exploring the implications of the rise of a “Warrior Caste” in American society.1 The authors conclude the implications…

Response by MSgt Jason McClish made Jul 10 at 2017 11:02 PM

MSgt Jason McClish — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 23:02:25 -0400

Sir, I wish I could help you out and weigh in on his for you, but as you saw this is for the officer corps. I hope you find a great discussion.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 10 at 2017 11:30 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 23:30:25 -0400

I would say that it depends on the reason that you are getting the degree in the first place. If you are a young person going into ROTC and want a degree it is as good as any. The sad reality is that for many undergraduate degrees it is if you have it or not and not what your degree is in. I would say that it is more important to where you go then what you study.

Response by LTJG Richard Bruce made Jul 10 at 2017 11:59 PM

LTJG Richard Bruce — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 23:59:51 -0400

Disagree with the basic premise of the writers' argument. Yes, there is a lessening of those in uniform, but there is a growing number of civilians and non-uniform Gov't employees involved in the defense industry. Those not in uniform are serving in combat areas, sailing the seas, and flying in support in worldwide military operations. Our first responders are members of the "Warrior Caste", as well as, our federal and state LE agents and Intel agents of the many Gov't agencies.

American Merchant sailors and American shipping firms do what long ago federal departments use to do. Many managerial functions once perform by mid-grade officers are now being done by civilians. I worked alongside O-5/6's in logistical operations. Private industry uses Gov't software and resources to carry out military operations.

A "Warrior Caste" from military families going into the family business is misleading. My first American immigrant fought in the Revolution. Nearly all men in my family served in the military, but none were lifers. Only my younger brother served 20 yrs as a reservist. I don't consider my family part of a "Warrior Caste". We put in our time and went on to live our lives. Small percentage of those in uniform come from lifer families. As for the 0.4% of those serving, it's not the same people every year. The veterans come home and hopefully instill the talents and values learned in uniform to their community.

It is not surprising the many active duty officers are registered as Independents. Identifying as member of a political party is harmful to one's ambition to be a flag officer. Also not surprising that most in uniform are not Democratic. Since post Vietnam war, the stance of the Democratic Party has been negative towards the military. Both Pres Clinton and Pres. Obama severely reduced military spending to transfer funds to social programs.

Writers state that 30% of respondents were Academy grads. This greatly skews data analysis since less than 14% of officers are from the other three military academies. Coast Guard Academy graduates were too busy to answer the survey. Can't help myself.

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Jul 11 at 2017 7:27 PM

CAPT Kevin B. — Tue, 11 Jul 2017 19:27:38 -0400

As a systems type, I see a lot of cherry picking and unsubstantiated pronouncements. Yes the Army has a lot of in house post grad stuff. However if you were in my staff corps, 100% of advanced degrees are from civilian institutions. So the real answer for all the services is somewhere in between. And the pronouncement without support of all the bad things that result, give me a break. So I find the article has some data points but would say the next step is to drill down into secondary and tertiary aspects to see what is worthwhile to anything. BTW, a good secondary would be to look at the pool going up for O-6/7. Start tracking back from there. The inference is WASPs are preferred. That's about the same odds as WASPs are too lazy to do anything else narrative. The answer is somewhere in between. Macro numbers can point to a possible condition, but are not diagnostic in themselves.