Tough Requirements and Discipline...Ricks on Professional Military Education

Posted By Thomas E. RicksFriday, October 11, 2013 - 10:09 AM

Recently, in a note to a reader, I summarized my views of how to reform professional military education. It occurred to me that I might share them here:

• Make admission competitive.

• Make the education as academically rigorous as it was during the interwar period. (And don't train them. Educate them to think critically.)

• Make everybody write a lot and get graded on their work. As Orwell said, if you aren't writing clearly, you probably aren't thinking clearly.

• Post class rankings weekly.

• Fail at least 5 percent of the class, and dismiss from the service anyone caught plagiarizing or otherwise cheating.

• Upon graduation, publicly list graduates in order, and give the top 10 or 25 percent preference in subsequent posts.