ILE student MAJ Richard Lake introduces guest speaker LTC Paul Yingling, participating from Iraq on April 2.
It’s an even more rare moment when that LtCol uses the opportunity to call the establishment out onto the rug.
I was less certain about his methods of leader development, so I asked about the company commander’s preparations for deployment. For example, prior to deployment, who had the authority to cancel PT in the event of an electrical storm? He answered, ‘the brigade commander had that authority.’ I then asked him, who had the authority to change the PT uniform, if for example it was warmer than expected? That decision was at the battalion level. This company commander, who only a few months ago lacked the authority to tell his troops to come in out of the rain or take off their hats, was now expected to pursue the enemy unto death.
Officers conditioned to conformity in peacetime cannot be expected to behave boldly and flexibly in combat.
Definitely an article worth all of your time to read.
I wish I could find out how the Q&A session went afterwords.
(H/T RC/CA)
A real good exercise would be to dig up WWII CNO
Kings msg to all hands post Pearl Harbor when he essentially said (in so many words) the day of the garrison soldier was over and that “standing by on orders awaiting orders” was no longer an acceptable SOP and that a new world had dawned. It’s an eye-opener to read and IMO is an iconic classic of it’s kind that should be required reading for all officers of every branch.