Just_A_Mom
10-Year Member
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2006
- Messages
- 4,774
hehe, Tom Ricks is at it again.......
He also wrote "The Gamble".
A coherent logical discussion would be a refreshing change of pace for this forum.
I don't happen to agree with Tom Ricks all the time but he and many others have the right to state his views. He does appear to be misguided on a few points.
Don't blame the Washington Post for his opinions.
What we need to look at is not the subject of closing the SA's but his reasons. Rick's claims that ROTC officers are just as competent as SA grads. Of course all ROTC officer believe this an Academy grads think it's bunk.
IMO - the best reason for keeping the SA's is not the quality of education they provide but the opportunity they provide. They provide an opportunity for qualifed well deserving kids - some of whom would not be in college - a chance to serve in the officer corps. They are America's academies for American young adults. Open and available to all.
He also wrote "The Gamble".
A coherent logical discussion would be a refreshing change of pace for this forum.
I don't happen to agree with Tom Ricks all the time but he and many others have the right to state his views. He does appear to be misguided on a few points.
Don't blame the Washington Post for his opinions.
What we need to look at is not the subject of closing the SA's but his reasons. Rick's claims that ROTC officers are just as competent as SA grads. Of course all ROTC officer believe this an Academy grads think it's bunk.
Is he proposing the Sandhurst model?Why not send young people to more rigorous institutions on full scholarships, and then, upon graduation, give them a military education at a short-term military school?
Another intersesting proposal..... he needs to explain this further. yes Petraeus earned his PhD at Princeton but the vast majority of officers aren't going to Princeton. Petraeus is the cream of the crop. He also apparently forgot that it was Peraeus' education at West Point that made his Princeton PhD possible. You go Tom!We should also consider closing the services' war colleges,
IMO - the best reason for keeping the SA's is not the quality of education they provide but the opportunity they provide. They provide an opportunity for qualifed well deserving kids - some of whom would not be in college - a chance to serve in the officer corps. They are America's academies for American young adults. Open and available to all.
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