Introduction to the Strategic Theories of John Boyd

I remember a conversation with one of my flight instructors where someone asked the difference between Naval Aviator training and Air Force Flight training. The instructor was a salty SOB who had recently returned from a combat tour and said something I never forgot. His explanation was that the Air Force taught their pilots what they could do, while the Navy taught its pilots what their aircraft was capable of doing and it was up to the Naval aviator to find what his limits were. I know that philosophy changed over the years I was in the cockpit with a commensurate reduction in accident rates, but the concept sure came in handy when the enemy placed you in a position not covered in the manuals. He also gave a warning that you always had to log when you exceeded the book limits so that the guy who flew the aircraft two years later didn't experience a failure due to your "sins".

I think you are mostly right...you make rank early mostly through intelligence, energy, and staying within the lines. The challenge is, if you stay within the lines for 24-26 years and you make your first star, have you forgotten how to think outside the lines? There are still exceptions. Lt Gen Mark C. Nowland was a classmate of mine at the USAFA, through pilot training, and our paths crossed a couple times late in my career. He is still willing to fight the status quo and shake things up. He is a strategic thinker and is not encumbered by "what we've always done."