There is a little quote from S. L. A. Marshall in his book, Men Against Fire: The Problem of Battle Command in Future War, that kept coming to mind over the weekend as I was thinking of what to look forward to seeing unfold in 2019.
As regulars here would understand, I consider the selection of the platform for FFG(X) to be a harbinger of how much of a learning institution we have become following the mistakes of the Transformationalists at the end of the 20th Century and the first decade of the 21st Century. It will inform us about the direction we will head with the upcoming Large Surface Combatant, replacement for the Super Hornet, and others.
Though focused on combat leadership, I think the point has a wider use.
The will does not operate in a vacuum. It cannot be imposed successfully if it runs counter to reason. Things are not done in war primarily because a man wills it; they are done because they are do-able. The limits for the commander in battle are defined by the general circumstances. What he asks of his men must be consistent with the possibilities of the situation.
Have we learned the hard lesson of technology risk that hobbled LCS, still-birthed ZUMWALT, and deployed a gilded sea-anchor aft of FORD?
Will we return to an embrace of effectiveness in the face of the green eye-shade cult of efficiency? Will we be humble enough to design white space for future developments, or will be box ourselves in to an exquisite void?
We need fewer leaders who have faith in their own self-evaluated power, vision, and wisdom with hands on levers of power, and more leaders with a sober view of the possible, reasonable, and viable.
You’ll get fewer invites to TED-Talks, but you’ll help build a better future fleet.
