ARmy Rumour SErvice

Further to Goldbricker's post, adoption of an RMAS for the US Amy would be a radical development: at present there are several military colleges that provide the fledgling subbie - The Citadel in Georgia comes to mind and there are others. Concentrating cadets in one location, with one standard and a common syllabus would be revolutionary, but making it a military academy rather than an academy where military subjects occupy part of the curriculum would be a possible quantum leap in US military leadership development.
As to the other main theme in this thread, that of the US' ability to learn, to adapt and improve, I don't think you could have found a better example than the way they matured during the Iraq campaign. perhaps by NOT being shackled to Palestine, Malaya, Aden, Kenya, NI and a dozen other past conflicts they had the freedom to look at the process in a liberated manner - and then throw shed loads of resources at developing the solution before applying it with Draconian diktat to their own troops.
I'm not an apologist for the Cousins, nor am I a US groupie: some of what they do and the way in which they do it makes me stare (sometimes), raise an eyebrow or sometimes retch (having officers "qualified" as Martin Luther King speakers if you really want to know), but the overriding thing is they have the will and the resources to do what needs to be done. this last point perhaps the great difference between our two armies at present; we don't appear to have a coherent and applied policy and we sure as hell don't have the resources to apply one - even ignoring the total absence of political direction on what the army is actually for.

Originally Posted by Andy71

Isn't OCS their existing equivilent of Sandhurst - ie takes someone with a suitable acadmenic background & the "right-stuff" and then teaches them officering?

I have an understanding that OCS takes the enlisted soldier and converts them into officers - a sort of LE factory.

Originally Posted by jimmys_best_mate

MND(SE) had a British commander. We still lost Basra.

Supreme Commander in World War 2 was a Yank and we won that.

We did not lose in Basra, Broon and Co pulled the rug from under us.

The closest US equivalent to Sandhurst would probably be USMC Officer Candidate School (10 weeks?) plus The Basic School (6 months), which all USMC officers must complete.

Originally Posted by Goldbricker

On the Topic, having been nothing more then filthy enlisted swine I'm not up on all the pluses of officer education. I know West Point isnt really a teaching intstitution of platoon leaders, neither is ROTC or OCS. It produces an Intelligent 2nd Lt. vanilla flavor one each. When those butterbars go to Benning school for boys BOLC they start craft training and then go to their branch specialty schools to finish up. most of the points "Military" training is in the summer months and adds up to the same amount of training a SPC would have had by then- Basic/AIT. A standard joke is whats the difference between a PFC and a 2Lt? PFC has been promoted twice. Ricks is a civilian with no time in a Uniform so I take his self proclaimed military expertise as that of a never served haranging.

One thing that I both admire and am nervous of is the current US thinking that it is now almost mandatory for US officers to have a Masters of some kind in order to progress beyond Col. It both stimulates intellectualism and excludes those who are excellent soldiers but not academically gifted.

I agree with Glad_its_all_over, so long as the US keep learning the lessons from Ops, turn it into doctrine and ensure its continued teaching through whatever officer programmes they intend on running then they will not have spilt so much blood and treasure in total vain.

Originally Posted by rickshaw

I have an understanding that OCS takes the enlisted soldier and converts them into officers - a sort of LE factory.

Negative, OCS is not like the LE process as it takes young soldiers, sometimes straight from training, and teaches them officership.

Originally Posted by rickshaw

The Citadel in Georgia comes to mind and there are others..

The Citadel in South Carolina - to be pedantic. A place I had the genuine pleasure in visiting a few years ago. An extraordinary place. It has a culture all it's own. The nearest Brit description would be a red brick university with compulsory OTC - with about the same ratio that actually end up in the military that do from an OTC.

Their aim is to provide "principled leaders" for any walk of life and go a long way to achiewing it - but a factory for turning out battle ready YOs, it ain't.

Originally Posted by Jungelism

One thing that I both admire and am nervous of is the current US thinking that it is now almost mandatory for US officers to have a Masters of some kind in order to progress beyond Col. It both stimulates intellectualism and excludes those who are excellent soldiers but not academically gifted.

But a US Masters is about the same as a UK first degree, at least a first degree from a decent University.

Originally Posted by TangoFowerAlpha

The Citadel in South Carolina - to be pedantic. A place I had the genuine pleasure in visiting a few years ago. An extraordinary place. It has a culture all it's own. The nearest Brit description would be a red brick university with compulsory OTC - with about the same ratio that actually end up in the military that do from an OTC.

All a bit The Lords Of Discipline, isn't it.