Exploiting the Wellspring: Professional Military Education and Grassroots Innovation

MAJ Ken Landgren I would say that all that the current generation needs to do - is to look. The information is there and easily available, especially today since it is being digitized.
The problem is that 'basic' education is being ignored for the latest and greatest BS jargon and pablum.

SSG Robert Webster I'd agree plus we do not emerce ourselves in other cultures. We are cultivating zero T.E. Lawrences but a metric ton of yes-men and women.

LTC (Join to see) - Unfortunately you are correct about not immersing ourselves in other cultures. I learned that lesson back in 1978 while in the 82nd. When we were placed on alert because of the problems in Zaire, division G-3 and G-2 did not even have a map of the country, much less any maps of Shaba/Katanga Province or of Kolwezi. It is interesting that there were a few people that had the 1977 National Geographic maps. But then again, if you think back there appears to be a cycle of that sort of thing going back to at least Thomas Jefferson and the Barbary Wars starting in 1801. Thomas Jefferson's libraries and the beginnings of the Library of Congress.

LTC (Join to see) - I started to write one and then said what the heck.
But then we could start with the authors' use of the word 'gyre' in their opening statement, and whether they meant to use it or to use the word 'grey' (née gray for some, either spelling is correct).
I also believe that the authors' are way off the mark and do not understand that PME (Professional Military Education) is supposed to be 'leadership' training and not 'management' training. Their writing style is in the form of MBA speak and 'Lean Six Sigma' jargon that when boiled down does not really say very much. Here is an example - "To inspire future generations of innovative minds and stay ahead of adversaries, the joint force should explore how to optimize its learning institutions to establish a culture of innovation. We found through our research, and through founding the extracurricular professional network Ender’s Galley, that the professional military education system has many of the attributes needed to generate creative ideas and innovate: a diverse professional body, the ability to create intellectual “incubators,” and promotion pathways to accelerate the best ideas to key decision-makers."
Also, when analyzing their next statement it was very clear that they either ignored or skipped the dramatic changes and lessons learned that have occurred with PME in the past 50 years. "At the same time, the military education system is also mined with bureaucratic red tape, as well as officials who guard against deviations from the standard curriculum and operational norms. We believe if the joint force wants its best and brightest to maneuver and innovate on front lines, the education system must also expand its intellectual maneuver space in academic environments. As the saying goes, you reap what you sow: Inspiring a culture of innovation is best initiated at the grassroots level through the professional military education system."
It is also ironic that their 'working group' is called "Ender's Galley;" it makes me wonder if they even read either the original short story or the novel "Ender's Game" AND understand what it truly was about before adopting the name that they did.
And then at the end in their final paragraph their continuing use of 'military (naval) jargon,' in their use of 'Bravo Zulu.'
What is interesting to me is that they miss the entire point of some of the historical actions that they reference point to having to remaster the basics a point that I think and believe that they either missed or entirely glossed over or ignored. What amazes me is that they appear to entirely ignore all of the lessons learned by the Marine Corps during their (the Marine's, that is) so called small wars period (though it is slightly mentioned).

SSG Robert Webster Thanks. I like to know what you are thinking.

LTC (Join to see) - Thank you.