Turnabout is fair play: A Marine officer interviews Tom about military leadership

He makes some good points. Combating risk aversion is one I feel is particularly important. We've become risk averse to the point where we're losing combat effectiveness. Lets look at the Battle of Ganjgal, for example. According to the MOH recipient CPT William Swenson he was denied fire support ten separate times. If we can't trust the judgment of Infantry Captain enough to call for fire (a 10 level task) why even have artillery support? A better question may be this: Would some of the men who died that day still be alive had they received support immediately?

The officers on the other end of the radio were more worried about their careers than the troops in contact. That in itself is a huge problem.

"Training prepares for the known. (How to operate a .50 caliber machine gun.) Education prepares for the unknown. (How to assess a complex situation and discern the facts of the matter, and then develop a response"

BUUUUZZZZSZZ!! Wrong answer!!!
Any good unit is going to incorporate training that requires critical thinking and problem solving.

Other than that its a decent article. IMHO the best training has always been " hip-pocket classes" One of the goals of our formal schools should be teaching Officers and SNCOs to be able to further learn valuable info and teach subordinates whenever the chance arose.

Thank you 1SG for the article, I printed off a copy for further study, and possible use.