16 July 1979 guidance letter to the Commander of USAF Officer Training School from General Bennie L. Davis, Commander, Headquarters Air Training Command. Click to enlarge:
(Text of letter; sentence spacing to make it easier to read)
Colonel Thomas J. Magner
Commander
Officer Training School, USAF
Lackland AFB, Texas 78236
Dear Tom
After nearly seven years of Personnel Management Teams and personal discussion with a few hundred of our junior officers, I have a disquieting feeling that perhaps our officer training programs have not met our needs in terms of what an officer is all about.
We have drifted too far toward management. We tend to look at our profession of arms in terms of IBM, General Motors, or other corporate organizations.
The young officers really don’t seem to grasp that a military organization is uniquely different from any other institution in this country.
In my view, they really don’t grasp the essentials of leadership and war; nor does there seem to be a real concern about readiness or our ability to go to war tomorrow and win.
This takes smart, tough, hard-core officers imbued with the spirit of self-sacrifice and leadership.
A common finding among our young officers is that they have never heard that their purpose in serving, given a failure of deterrence, is to lead forces on or over the battlefield or support those who do.
I know it sounds corny, but I truly believe we are neglecting some of the basics of our profession.
I think we are teaching some of the basics, but I am not sure we’re devoting the time that’s necessary.
I don’t think that represents a major change—just an adjustment. In my view, we should review our officer training curriculum to insure it meets our basic officer needs—leadership, military history, how our ground and sea forces are employed, as well as the meaning of a commission and officership.
As we drift toward the job concept and away from a military rank system with its responsibility and privilege, it’s no wonder our young officers keep comparing “options” in the private sector—the only difference some of them see is a change of clothes.
Tom, I know you’ve been working the problem hard and that these things take time to get a handle on. Please accept this note in the spirit in which it’s intended.
I’m sending similar notes to General Tallman so that he can take a look at the USAFA curriculum and to General Umstead for a look-see at SOS and ACSC:
Thanks for listening.
Sincerely
B. L. DAVIS
General, USAF
Commander
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