General McChrystal Gets Squishy
In a piece on The Daily Beast, retired Army General Stanley McChrystal asserts that with Americans' sacred rights come sacred responsibilities - and that, therefor, we need to develop a national consensus that essentially shames and coerces each citizen to commit a year or more of his or her life to "national service".
He's not calling for unpaid servitude, or course. But he is advocating that preferences in hiring and college admissions should go to those who "volunteer" and that, as a society, we should shame those who lack a period of service on their resumes.
McChrystal is enraptured by Americorps and the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act - two typical feel-good programs that demonstrably serve more as slush funds for the welfare state than as effective efforts to improve much of anything.
Demonstrating his lack of understanding of human motivation, he hails the building of the Panama Canal and Hoover Dam as examples of inspirational devotion to national goals. Certainly, those who labored on the canal and the dam were proud of their contributions, but they didn't do it out of a desire for national service. They did it for a pay check.
McChrystal is an example of an entire generation of senior leaders who've come to prominence during the era of a politically-correct military. They've attended all the diversity seminars, gone to Yale or Princeton on the taxpayers' dime and - most importantly for their career advancement - learned to talk the talk required of those who aspire to flag rank.
Unfortunately for soldiers below flag rank, this kind of squishy thinking has adverse consequences. When an officer like McChrystal is more concerned with mollifying tribal leaders in Afghanistan than with ensuring force protection, he imposes rules of engagement that inevitably result in the death of real volunteers who do real service to the nation.
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Nov '10
Re: General McChrystal Gets Squishy
It has long seemed to me that at some point, probably above the rank of colonel, the considerations of officers become more political than military. I suppose that that may be necessary at the top level, where General Marshall and Admiral King operated, but nowadays it seems pervasive throughout the officer corps. Certainly there are exceptions, but they appear fewer and farther between now than ever.
I am going to post separately a letter from a professor at the Naval Academy concerning the sources of officer recruitment, as I think that it bears on this point. I have had recent experience of such an education on a fine young member of my own family, and I am not favorably impressed with the result.
Oct '10
Re: General McChrystal Gets Squishy
This isn't squishy; it's leftist. I resent the implication that us proud, center-right squishys would ever condone this!
Besides, volunteer work has enormous professional benefits, since it gives you a lot of real-world know-how. A more effective strategy is education. Teach young kids in school that volunteering will help them be more successful and ultimately lead to more gainful employment opportunities down the line (the "social capital" effect).
Coercion is hardly required to get people to volunteer.
May '10
Re: General McChrystal Gets Squishy
Did McChrystal set the ROE in Afghanistan or did that come from the civilian command at DOD and the White House?
Jul '10
Re: General McChrystal Gets Squishy
EJHill
Did McChrystal set the ROE in Afghanistan or did that come from the civilian command at DOD and the White House? · Jan 24 at 8:31pm
From all accounts I've seen, it was McChrystal and the American Ambassador.
May '10
Re: General McChrystal Gets Squishy
I'm no fan of the General. But I don't believe that anyone goes into this type of command not understanding what POTUS, SecDef and the Joint Chiefs expect.
The Standing ROE for all US forces begins with the Joint Chiefs.
Unfortunately the military has become as bad as the civilian side. You can hardly give an order without consulting your JAG lawyer first.
Jun '10
Re: General McChrystal Gets Squishy
The General's attitude is, I'm shamed to say, extremely common among servicemembers. I'm continually amazed at how many people I meet in uniform who wish to either reinstate the draft or institute some form of civil service alternative. The reasons vary, but usually involve societal disengagement, "poor kids" fighting the nation's battles, other countries do it, etc. I can sympathize with the arguments, but they still make me sick.
Dec '10
Re: General McChrystal Gets Squishy
EJHill: I'm no fan of the General. But I don't believe that anyone goes into this type of command not understanding what POTUS, SecDef and the Joint Chiefs expect...
Unfortunately the military has become as bad as the civilian side. You can hardly give an order without consulting your JAG lawyer first.
And you should probably check a career consultant and put a finger up to test the PC wind before making a significant decision. PC is as alive and well in the military as anywhere else, maybe even more so.
IIRC, Congress must vote to approve promotions somewhere around the level of General/Admiral. And also considering the US military is easily the largest government bureaucracy, politics will inevitably play a part in doling out promotions, especially at the top.
Also, though the right-of-center is overrepresented in the military, there are plenty of Dems, liberals, independents, middlers, and moderates and many know how to play the promotion game as well as anyone else.
Besides that, almost every right-of-center individual has some left-of-center tendencies and positions on some issues.
So it unsurprising to find a general who has some squishy tendencies.
Dec '10
Re: General McChrystal Gets Squishy
Doing a bit of research on this, if Wiki is accurate...
A promotion to the lowest level general or admiral, and any promotion to a higher level, requires a nomination by the President and a majority approval vote in the Senate.
Also, by law the number of generals and admirals in the various services is capped.
- 216 admirals in the Navy
- 302 generals for the Army
- 279 generals for the Air Force
- 80 generals for the Marine Corps
Edited on Jan 25, 2011 at 10:39amJun '10
Re: General McChrystal Gets Squishy
Congressional approval is needed for promotions to O-5 and above, so it starts early.
Dec '10
Re: General McChrystal Gets Squishy
My grandad was a concrete foreman on the Hoover Dam, but first he had to leave Texas, drive Grandmom and the boys all the way to Virginia to leave them with relatives, then drive all the way back out west to get to the job. At a time when they had next to nothing, my grandparents invested what little they had to be able to take that job. They were great volunteers, my grandparents.
Jun '10
Re: General McChrystal Gets Squishy
Anyone remember Joe Sestak? Former admiral and as lefty as they come. I have great respect for officers in the military (see, e.g, Congressman Chris Gibson and Congressman Allen West, who both served multiple missions), but when PC becomes national policy, it can't help but seep into the officer corps.
Americans volunteer more than any people on earth, mostly through the "small platoons" that Burke spoke of (the local church, food bank, etc. etc.). I would argue that those volunteer hours are immensely more helpful to recipients that some statist, top-down national program will ever be.
You can't make people be virtuous: you have to create a culture where free people choose to be virtuous. The McCrystal approach could not be more wrong.
Jun '10
Re: General McChrystal Gets Squishy
A few more thoughts on squishy high-ranking officers like McCrystal and Sestak.
Joe Sestak also held a Master's and Phd in Public Administration from Harvard. I'll bet that gave him the opportunity to spend a lot of time talking about military tactics with his fellow students and professors, all of whom were fully supportive of a "kick a**" military. Just what we need in the military: guys with doctorates in Public Administration (Washington, Grant, Sherman, Eisenhower, Patton and Ridgway must be rolling in their graves).
McCrystal has a much better resume as a real soldier, but he too had his brush with Harvard academia, having served for a year as a senior service college fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.
Can someone explain why we need to turn our Generals and Admirals into professors? I want them to know how to blow the enemy up, efficiently and permanently.
Jul '10
Re: General McChrystal Gets Squishy
tabula rasa: A few more thoughts on squishy high-ranking officers like McCrystal and Sestak.
Just what we need in the military: guys with doctorates in Public Administration (Washington, Grant, Sherman, Eisenhower, Patton and Ridgway must be rolling in their graves).
I'm trying to picture George Patton sitting in a classroom at the Kennedy School of Government.
Or Curtis LeMay enduring a seminar on jus in bello at Princeton.
Jun '10
Re: General McChrystal Gets Squishy
Kenneth
tabula rasa: A few more thoughts on squishy high-ranking officers like McCrystal and Sestak.
Just what we need in the military: guys with doctorates in Public Administration (Washington, Grant, Sherman, Eisenhower, Patton and Ridgway must be rolling in their graves).
I'm trying to picture George Patton sitting in a classroom at the Kennedy School of Government.
Or Curtis LeMay enduring a seminar on jus in bello at Princeton. · Jan 25 at 2:23pm
I think LeMay would have one answer to all questions on the exam: "My solution to the problem would be to tell the [fill in name of enemy] frankly that they've got to draw in their horns and stop their aggression or we're going to bomb them into the stone age."
Edited on Jan 25, 2011 at 2:33pmJun '10
Re: General McChrystal Gets Squishy
I'm amazed that I'm the guy who gets to name drop this one:
Wesley Clark.
Jun '10
Re: General McChrystal Gets Squishy
Casey Taylor: I'm amazed that I'm the guy who gets to name drop this one:
Wesley Clark. · Jan 25 at 2:40pm
How could I have missed him? I'm ashamed.
Want some background? Rhodes Scholarhips to Oxford, where he obtained a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (bet Milton Friedman was never mentioned). Currently: Clark currently serves as the co-chairman of Growth Energy, an ethanol lobbying group (or so Wikipedia tells us).
May '10
Re: General McChrystal Gets Squishy
Kenneth
tabula rasa: A few more thoughts on squishy high-ranking officers like McCrystal and Sestak.
Just what we need in the military: guys with doctorates in Public Administration (Washington, Grant, Sherman, Eisenhower, Patton and Ridgway must be rolling in their graves).
I'm trying to picture George Patton sitting in a classroom at the Kennedy School of Government.
Or Curtis LeMay enduring a seminar on jus in bello at Princeton. · Jan 25 at 2:23pm
Colin Powell has a postgraduate degree in Business Administration. Thad Allen has a MPA. Petraeus has numerous distinguished post-grad degrees. I think advanced education has served these men rather well. It's actually pretty common and expected that military officers enhance their skills through continuing education - like any other profession. Are people really that unfamiliar with today's Armed Forces?! I have a friend who was a battalion commander in Iraq, received a purple heart, and he's got about 3 post graduate degrees. They aren't being trained to be professors, they are going back to school to become better leaders and managers.
Jul '10
Re: General McChrystal Gets Squishy
Karen
Kenneth
tabula rasa: A few more thoughts on squishy high-ranking officers like McCrystal and Sestak.
Just what we need in the military: guys with doctorates in Public Administration (Washington, Grant, Sherman, Eisenhower, Patton and Ridgway must be rolling in their graves).
I'm trying to picture George Patton sitting in a classroom at the Kennedy School of Government.
Or Curtis LeMay enduring a seminar on jus in bello at Princeton. · Jan 25 at 2:23pm
Colin Powell has a postgraduate degree in Business Administration. Thad Allen has a MPA. Petraeus has numerous distinguished post-grad degrees. I think advanced education has served these men rather well. It's actually pretty common and expected that military officers enhance their skills through continuing education - like any other profession. Are people really that unfamiliar with today's Armed Forces?! I have a friend who was a battalion commander in Iraq, received a purple heart, and he's got about 3 post graduate degrees. They aren't being trained to be professors, they are going back to school to become better leaders and managers. · Jan 25 at 3:07pm
Um...Colin Powell? Really?
Jul '10
Re: General McChrystal Gets Squishy
Karen
Kenneth
tabula rasa:
I'm trying to picture George Patton sitting in a classroom at the Kennedy School of Government.
Or Curtis LeMay enduring a seminar on jus in bello at Princeton. · Jan 25 at 2:23pm
. They aren't being trained to be professors, they are going back to school to become better leaders and managers. · Jan 25 at 3:07pm
Douglas MacArthur, Dwight Eisenhower and George Patton, just to name a few, had no education beyond the military academies before assuming flag rank, and they seemed to do a pretty good job of leading and managing.
I maintain that the emphasis these days upon advanced education for military officers is little more than elitist credentialism. Unfortunately, since that education often exposes them to the emanations of the leftist academy, they pick up some very noxious attitudes that have more to do with political correctness than with defending the nation.
Jun '10
Re: General McChrystal Gets Squishy
Kenneth
Karen
Kenneth
I'm trying to picture George Patton sitting in a classroom at the Kennedy School of Government.
Or Curtis LeMay enduring a seminar on jus in bello at Princeton. ·
. They aren't being trained to be professors, they are going back to school to become better leaders and managers. ·
Douglas MacArthur, Dwight Eisenhower and George Patton, just to name a few, had no education beyond the military academies before assuming flag rank, and they seemed to do a pretty good job of leading and managing.
I maintain that the emphasis these days upon advanced education for military officers is little more than elitist credentialism. Unfortunately, since that education often exposes them to the emanations of the leftist academy, they pick up some very noxious attitudes that have more to do with political correctness than with defending the nation. ·
Having spent a career in a large corporation, watching trained "leaders and managers" at work, I have to agree with Kenneth.
Can some additional education help a military officer? Depends on what it is. But a doctorate in Public Administration. Heaven help the military if that's how our officer corps is trained.
Edited on Jan 25, 2011 at 3:35pm