By Lt. Col. Ken Segelhorst, USA ret
This paper was completed and submitted in partial fulfillment of the Master Teacher Program, a 2-year faculty professional development program conducted by the Center for Faculty Excellence, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY, 2022.
TRIGGER WARNING
If you were born between the years of 1995 and 2015, you may find the following essay traumatizing. For the sake of your emotional safety and mental wellbeing, we recommend you immediately move to a safe space and take to social media, where you can anonymously villainize the author while bringing attention to your own fragility and victimization.
Introduction
Generation Z (Gen Z), the generational label given to those born from 1995 to 2015, accounts for more than 90% of the United States (U.S.) Army’s junior enlisted ranks, 35% of all junior officers, and 100% of cadets at the United States Military Academy (USMA).1
As Army leaders, it is vital that we understand this younger generation in order to effectively build the strong, cohesive, and antifragile teams the U.S. Army needs to fight and win the nation’s wars.2
While Gen Z is best known for being the first generation to grow up fully “connected,” with readily available access to the internet and social media in the palm of their hands, it is also known for being the most physically safe generation in U.S. history.3
While at first glance these key factors may appear advantageous, and undoubtedly in some ways they are, paradoxically they have also led to Gen Z being the most hypersensitive and mentally fragile generation to date.4
Such characteristics are ill-suited for the harsh realities of modern warfare and present significant challenges to Gen Y (1980-1995, also known as millennials) and Gen X (1965-1980) officers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs) charged with leading formations primarily made up of Gen Z soldiers.5
While academia has largely capitulated to Gen Z’s sensitive nature, the impact simply leaves their graduates ill-prepared for the real world. When military institutions such as USMA bend a knee to Gen Z’s hypersensitive and fragile nature, it becomes a matter of national security.
This essay will examine (1) the factors that shaped Gen Z, (2) safetyism and the rise of victimhood culture, (3) Gen Z’s social tools, and (4) what steps USMA should take to overcome the challenges associated with this generation and ensure it continues to produce leaders of character prepared for the realities of modern warfare.
Continuing reading the 15-page paper: Gen Z Goes to West Point (pdf)
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1 Hanks, Roland. “What Soldiers Want.” NCO Journal. U.S. Army, February 2022. Accessed 26MAR2022.
2 Kuhlman, Kwenton K. “Army Leader Practices for iGen Soldiers.” Carlisle Barracks, PA: U.S. Army War College, 2020. 1
3 Twenge, Jean M. iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy and
Completely Underprepared for Adulthood and What That Means for the Rest of Us. New York, NY: Atria Books, 2017. 312
4 Ibid.
5 Birth years that define generations slightly vary by source.
About the Author:
Ken Segelhorst is a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel with over 20 years of service. As a Green Beret and information operations practitioner, he operated extensively across the Middle East and Africa, leading combat operations and advising U.S. ambassadors and foreign officials. In addition to his operational experience, Ken served as an assistant professor at the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he was the course director for MX400: Officership, the superintendent’s capstone course. His time at West Point provided an unfiltered view of the cultural shortcomings and systemic challenges plaguing both the academy and the broader military, fueling his advocacy for greater accountability, reform, and transparency.
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