From Left to Right: General Billy Mitchell, General Douglas MacArthur, General George Patton and Admiral "Bull" Halsey
Let's face it, the current military system of advancement to higher ranks is far more based on being able to navigate bureaucracy and promote woke than it should be. Could a George Patton, a "Bull" Halsey, a Billy Mitchell or even a certifiable genius like Douglas McCarthy make it to the top ranks in today's military?
Considering General James "the Warrior Monk" Mattis's history of counter-woke statements would he have been able to progress up the ranks?
Bold, bright, creative and aggressive types, i.e. elite Warrior leaders, don't function well in heavily bureaucratized systems. Neither does it seem likely they will survive a system were advancement is far more contingent on being sensitive than being a competent, creative, bold leader.
Over 10 years ago Captain John Lehman, USN retired, and former Secretary of the Navy rocked the political and military establishment with an Op Ed warning about how political correctness is destroying our country's military.
Former Reagan Secretary of the Navy John Lehman Observations on how political correctness is destroying our military.
“Those attributes of naval aviators — willingness to take intelligent calculated risk, self-confidence, even a certain swagger — that are invaluable in wartime are the very ones that make them particularly vulnerable in today’s zero-tolerance Navy... The political correctness thought police, like Inspector Javert in ‘Les Miserables,’ are out to get them and are relentless.” - John Lehman
Sadly, what Lehman observed over 10 years ago is even more true today. Hence, it seems likely that the brightest, the best and the boldest of our past military leaders would not make it to the top in today's military. Instead, it is likely their careers would be destroyed by a careless remark that offended someone or they would just just leave the military over frustration with wokeness and bureaucracy.
For Thoughtful Further Discussion on What We Should Be Looking for in a Military Leader
For a thoughtful discussion on "Producing Military Geniuses" read this piece in Authentic Americans. https://www.authenticamericans.com/post/producing-military-genius-a-letter-to-the-next-president
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