Do you think the Army/military is too reaction based instead of being proactive?

If you can combine some of these requirements, please send it up...recommend you use your idea in a Lean Six Sigma project and get credit for doing us all a favor!

The Army and all other branches will always be too reactionary instead of being proactive until the learn that Zero Tolerance doesn't work for a group people they train to go off to fight their wars. When they learn to put the welfare of their troops above the advancement of their careers. I know there are some people in the military who take welfare of their troops seriously, but they are far and few in between. We need to emphasis more team building, and less throwing our battle buddy under the bus. Everyone makes mistakes, they are times to learn what not to do, and point the reason why not to do, what regulation were broken, and point out all the ramifications of the event. It should reflect on the soldier who committed the deed, not against his Commander and First Sergeant and higher up. We all are human, and we can't babysit everyone in our command 24/7. We have to at one time assume that people will take responsibility and in turn they have to accept responsibility for their actions. On the other hand, we should allow them to go out get loans that have outrageous interest rate. If Private Smith and his wife are having issue, or Private Jones and her husband are getting a divorce, we don't have to act like it not our problem. It is our problem, because one of our troops is having issue, we need to accept that, and help him find ways to work them out, if that means finding counselling for them then so be it. Taking them under our wings and showing them stable relationship, then so be it. If troop is had drug or drinking problem, address the root the problem, just don't chapter them out so they can get 100% for their problem. Find out if the problem was prior, or something they developed since joining, and get them help either way.

The next thing is Military is too big of organization to be to proactive. I mean in some of the new gadgets, that have come over the last 20 odd years, many of them had been development for over 20 years for testing. The M4 for example had been in testing for years, and the M8/M25 weapon system which was hope to replace the M16/M4 and M203 weapon systems before it was cancel have been in development for several years. Molle system was in development since the early 1980's and didn't roll out for full deployment until the mid-1990's, and currently looking to be replace. Largely due to the fact the system it replace had been used for years, and there was storage units of replacement issue all over the world. So it not so much not wanting to be proactive, it matter of investment to be proactive.

As for training, yeah, well we have always done it this way is hard to get over. Until you get people who have come back from the field who know what works downrange who can change the training, it takes awhile to change it. It not right, it can be deadly, but it is what it is. Yes again with combining classes, lot of these classes are put on by different units, or if not they get paid per class. So if they were combined, some unit will probable be eliminated and we can't have that mentality kicks in, or we won't get all the money we can suck form the budget mentality kicks in. Neither one of them is right, but it how it works. Much like everyone having their fiefdom, their own budget, their own uniform, and own Command.

Lot of things can be done to eliminate the all the waste and bring the Defense Budget in line where people wouldn't mind it, and actually maybe increase the military. I agree in Central Command you need Army Command, Air Force Command, Navy Command, Marine Command, and Special Operation Command, to support the various missions. When you get to the mainland U.S. you really don't need all these separate service commands doing the basically the thing anymore. It is part of the reason Joint Special Operation Command doesn't work, because it is the only that been forced to worked together and everyone use it an the shiny example why it doesn't work. Which is shame, that the troop on the ground who do the fighting are dependent on each other working together, but in the rear, all everyone wants to do is protect their own piece of the action.