[Travis McGee]

"which probably explains why he was passed up for promotion from colonel to brigadier three times in a row, thus pretty much ending his military career"

Joining ranks with honorable truth-tellers like Billy Mitchell, as opposed to corrupt sycophants like our current Sec Def.

[ought-six]

Oh, I have nothing but contempt for Lloyd Austin.

But I disagree with your comparison of MacGregor with Billy Mitchell. Mitchell was a true war hero, and he was very forward-thinking. He ruffled the feathers of his superiors because they were cemented in the past (and their careers depended on remaining in the past); and Mitchell committed the ultimate sin against egos with his insubordination (hence, his court-martial and demotion back to colonel).

Anyway, as anyone who served in the military knows, it is common knowledge that true advancements in military strategic thinking generally only come after a cataclysmic wake-up call. As was the case with Mitchell, and air superiority, and carriers, and a place called Pearl Harbor. Air power changed war more dramatically than anything in history, far more than the long bow or artillery in their times, both of which were revolutionary (though artillery is still a potent weapon if used to its full advantage).