Jack,
You are lucky to be unaware of the mentality and cultures of the east block military establishments that still lingers on despite the elapsed 20 years. I'm sure anyone who served in the RAF, USAF or any other airforce based on the western concepts of power, authority and accountability will find the quoted statement offensive.
However in the USSR and satelite countries like Poland or my own, the attitude was very different. Rank gave power, unquestioned authority and full immunity to any accountability towards any of the lower ranks. Human life was considered expendable, I know from first hand accounts that in the Mig 21 training school in Krasnodar (where all Warsaw Pact airforce cadets did their initial and type training) a 2% loss of cadets through the three year programme was considered acceptable. The whole system was built on authority and the unquestioned acceptance of orders, no matter how ridiculous. For someone who came from this background, it is very difficult to transition to an environment where individual assessment of risks, personal iniative and a critical attitude is the norm.
Last edited by andrasz; 11th Apr 2010 at 12:37.