Officers, what are your thoughts on improving the current military and the way it operates?

Subordinates at every rank and every echelon are owed three things. Time, guidance, and resources. We fail this requirement Every. Singe. Day. We no longer accept risk, we push every decision to the highest authority to which we have access and manage by blackberry and email. This is the result of a zero defect mentality and its criminal. The result is we fail to develop leaders, rather we grow beauracrats with little capacity for executing violently a good plan because they are waiting for an approved plan (they don't even care about perfect, acceptable, or good) they just need someone else to take responsibility for the decision that was their own to make to begin with.

Use common sense.
Take care of soldiers.
Do not use rank or position for personal gain.
Quit lying to seniors in order to look good (readiness requires truthfulness).
Develop subordinates.
Give adequate time to complete the mission (stop giving last minute guidance when you've known about the task for weeks).
Provide resources when giving a task. "Figure it out" does not lead to success.
Delegate.
Empower subordinates.
Praise in public, admonish in private.
Be fair and impartial.
Lead by example (really. do it).
Do not micromanage.
Build mutual trust.
Remove the middle man and unnecessary bureaucratic elements.