“...how to get a job done using their own initiative.”
I forget which war it was. I almost want to say something involving Russian troops, but not sure what that would have been. (Perhaps it was just acting out war games?) But, the military guy was saying that our troops can take the initiative on making decisions on a much smaller level and close to the action. Down to the individual soldier. So we can react to the changing situation right then.
The Russians(?) would need to call back to the VERY higher ups to make any changes.
Well, yeah. If you screw up, life could be very bad for you. Here, they kick you out of the military, and you go your own way. There, you screw up, there is government sponsored payback coming your way.
That is one of the most impressive things about the military in my mind. Sure, there is always incompetence, ass kissing, stupidity and ego, hand in hand with inefficiency and waste. (Happens everywhere else, just on different scales)
But contrast those things what we see from our military on the positive side: They can be extremely professional and disciplined. Competent. Thoughtful. Not to mention tenacious, tough, aggressive, brave, and even gallant.
(’Gallant’ is a word that has fallen out of favor. You don’t hear it anymore. Like ‘chivalry’...)
The point is, we still let them be those good things, even in this sickeningly PC military. When we need them to be, they still display the best qualities that we as Americans have always valued.
And it all boils down to that historically characteristic that has defined America both to itself and to the rest of the world: Individualism.
We value individuals, as a culture. Europeans and Asians are often aghast at that and hurl “individualism” at us as an insult. Like calling Americans “Cowboys”.
They mean it as an insult. We take it as a compliment, even knowing full well how they are using it. (Sometimes, even BECAUSE that is how they are using it...:)
It all boils down to our Constitution: An amazing document written by intelligent and thoughtful men who valued individuality, a document made to preserve individual rights. And the essence of what that document means, and how it was produced, is the key to why the American military has, to this point, enjoyed such success.
And it is why small units of Americans have prevailed individually, bringing small successful groups into play as part of a larger group, all driven with a higher degree of individual freedom in the decision making process when compared to many other militaries. A great example of this was the campaign around the Chosin Reservoir. We had no business coming out of that, outnumbered by up to ten to one, but the ability of individuals being able to operate on their own initiative showed that value against Chinese who were far more hobbled by the lack of individual authority. As a result, our retreating Marines absolutely destroyed the attacking Communists who had them dead to rights.
Even with the PC impositions and the purges (yes, I believe it now) in the military, at the individual and small unit levels, they can still display all those good qualities.
(Heh, sorry for the long reply...got carried away)