Meanwhile, Israel is showing the Pentagon pansies, with Lloyd Austin the Pansy-in-Chief, how to wage war.
3 thoughts on “West Point”
All the service academies need to be retired. West Point, and the Naval Academy, served a purpose that is no longer extant: Higher education in military specific areas.
Now, we have universities and colleges for higher education (including the engineering that both specialized in) and the academies no longer emphasize military topics. The US Air Force Academy equally serves no useful purpose, nor likely the US Coast Guard Academy or even the Merchant Marine academy.
Likewise, the institution of ROTC needs to be rethought and eliminated: It provides no additional value in terms of military education: Newly minted officers are able to more or less salute and wear the uniform, and not much else – they have to attend further courses to learn how to actually be useful. Nowhere is this more prevalent than in the US Air Force, and in Naval Aviation.
Commissioning accession should be through OTS type programs only – and for combat arms positions, after a successful enlistment as an enlisted man. This of course is not a guarantee of success (cf Spenser Rapone) but the alternative has been shown in many more cases to be worthless.
If more officers and cadets had – within the boundaries of the law, of course – questioned the orders of President Johnson, the USA and Southeast Asia would be in a better condition today.
All the service academies need to be retired. West Point, and the Naval Academy, served a purpose that is no longer extant: Higher education in military specific areas.
Now, we have universities and colleges for higher education (including the engineering that both specialized in) and the academies no longer emphasize military topics. The US Air Force Academy equally serves no useful purpose, nor likely the US Coast Guard Academy or even the Merchant Marine academy.
Likewise, the institution of ROTC needs to be rethought and eliminated: It provides no additional value in terms of military education: Newly minted officers are able to more or less salute and wear the uniform, and not much else – they have to attend further courses to learn how to actually be useful. Nowhere is this more prevalent than in the US Air Force, and in Naval Aviation.
Commissioning accession should be through OTS type programs only – and for combat arms positions, after a successful enlistment as an enlisted man. This of course is not a guarantee of success (cf Spenser Rapone) but the alternative has been shown in many more cases to be worthless.
If more officers and cadets had – within the boundaries of the law, of course – questioned the orders of President Johnson, the USA and Southeast Asia would be in a better condition today.
We need more Television Generals.