It is a cold and icy morning in DC and as I slipped and skidded my way to work I clutched the latest copy of Atlantic Monthly. There are two must reads in the issue for those really interested in national security and terrorism, but for me they read as two parts of the same story.
The first is a survey finding that the best officers in the Army continue to leave after reaching company grade ranks:
“An exclusive survey of West Point graduates shows that it’s not just money. Increasingly, the military is creating a command structure that rewards conformism and ignores merit.”
The January/February 2011 issue of the Atlantic Monthly.
The best and the brightest are serving but they are also leaving. The civilian sector is filled with great leaders who have served at all ranks of the military and sadly the military’s loss is society’s gain. But it is an important bellwether when great young people are driven out, and they leave not necessarily because they are lured by better offers, or because of fatigue with multiple deployments, but as a sign of their confidence in the system and who the system chooses to promote.
There are cycles in the life of all institutions and when an organization hits a trough, it often reflects poor leadership at the top, cynicism, and a sense of being part of what General Edward Meyer once called “a hollow army”.
The second piece is another ode to fate of General Ricardo Sanchez. (Truth in advertising – General Sanchez has backed a truth commission which Amnesty International also supports, and he has at times shared a stage with Amnesty supporters.)