Do you agree? The Pentagon Says 2014 Was the 'Most Complex Year Since 1968'

2015-03-20T12:36:49-04:00

Conceiving of the world through the lens based on the quantity of issues is somewhat similar to conceiving of success on the soccer pitch through “work rate,” which is how much a player contributes by running and defending during a match when they do not have possession of the ball. A high work rate that is measured in terms of kilometers covered is not indicative of worthwhile contribution to the overall success of the team. It quantitatively proves that you put in a lot of effort, but not whether it was the most suitable or essential to achieve the desired objectives.

There is also the question of whether the volume of issues selected by the Joint Staff to work on reflected the needs of the volume of employees. According to the most recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimate, the Joint Staff consists of 2,572 authorized positions—1,455 military and 1,117 civilian. It is impossible to know the size of this Pentagon headquarters organization in 1968—the GAO found that 2005 was “the first year we could obtain reliable data”—but it was markedly smaller, perhaps consisting of 400 to 500 personnel. If the world in 1968 was actually more complex—based upon a metric of total issues—it is remarkable that far fewer people working in the J-sections were able to deal with it.

Read the entire article here:
http://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2015/03/pentagon-says-2014-was-most-complex-year-1968/108024/?oref=d-river

The Pentagon Says 2014 Was the 'Most Complex Year Since 1968'

It's not just the nature of the issues that its working with - it's the volume.

Response by ENS Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 22 at 2016 3:32 AM

2016-08-22T03:32:19-04:00

That is hard to say - even with hindsight. The past few years have definitely been very complex. However, yes, 2014 was definitely one for the record books.