“I would love to see my son or daughter be led by the most inexperienced officer, especially in combat,” said no one ever. So then why does the army select Captains (CPT) and sometimes even First Lieutenants (LT) to be company commanders!? What if instead, we went with leaders who were more senior with more experience? Sound like a novel idea? It’s not really. The current Army system expects 2LTs, normally in their early 20s, to graduate their officer basic training and then lead about 40 individuals at the most dangerous level, the platoon level. This is the level that actual fighting occurs!
What if instead that new 2LT platoon leader was replaced by a CPT with at least 4 years in service, who had learned at the platoon level on how to be a platoon leader before taking over that platoon? What if we then took a Major who has been in anywhere from 10 to 15 years and made them a company commander? This progression would even lead nicely into that major then becoming a battalion commander as a Lieutenant Colonel.
Under the current army structure, the Major commands no one (expect in rare cases like Special Forces units and medical commands). In fact, it’s even worse. The Major will not have a command or lead real troops (staffs don’t count) until they become a battalion commander. This gap from company commander to battalion commander is a minimum 4 years, normally 8-10 years, and can be as much as 15 years! That’s ridiculous! Given that vast amount of time between leadership roles and not serving at the tactical level for an extended period of time, creates leaders who are out of touch with what is happening at the company level. This is critical as it is the Companies that execute the actual missions of the Army.
My new proposed structure would be as follows:
- 2LT/1LT: Assistant Platoon Leader (learns how to lead a platoon and aids the platoon leader and platoon sergeant in platoon operations)
- CPT: Platoon Leader, Company Executive Officer (XO), BN Staff
- MAJ: Company Commander, BN S3, BN XO, BDE Staff
- LTC: BN Commander, BDE XO, BDE S3
This new structure puts those with the most experience in leadership positions. It makes it more competitive to be a battalion commander, increasing the odds of leadership selecting more talented Majors to become Lieutenant Colonels. In the end it gives us what we all want, BETTER LEADERS.
Love this article? Great! Let me know and I’ll produce more. Hate this article? Well, it’s probably ‘cause you’re too stubborn to try new things. Why don’t you go ahead, respond, and let me know why I am wrong.
*This article was written by FUBAR 6. All opinions expressed in this article are that of the author. This article is not endorsed by the Department of Defense, the United States Army, or any other state or government agency. Comments to the author can be submitted below.