British Army lower standards for recruits to the reading age of a 5 year old.
Blaming schools or the education system for the totally unacceptable numbers of illiterates and innumerates it released into socuety is exactly the same as blaming factories and the motor industry for the appaling build quality of BL cars in the '70s and '80s.
Lousy cars are not built by an industry or a factory, they are built by shonky, slovenly workers who take no pride in their job.
The same is true of illiterate schoolkids. They are not educated by a system or a school, they are 'educated' - or not - by teachers.
Lousy cars are not built by an industry or a factory, they are built by shonky, slovenly workers who take no pride in their job.
The same is true of illiterate schoolkids. They are not educated by a system or a school, they are 'educated' - or not - by teachers.
Andy Mcnabb in his book, “Today everything changes” gives a moving account of what a positive force military service can be to disadvantaged youth
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If they can’t read already, what a great opportunity for both the Army and the applicant. I can see benefits. Id rather leave education to the same team that brought us The Goons than Mexican drug cartels.
Being facetious, no sense over educating a grunt
Wasn’t WWI won with actual 5yo’s in the trenches? I’m sure I read that somewhere??
Being facetious, no sense over educating a grunt
Wasn’t WWI won with actual 5yo’s in the trenches? I’m sure I read that somewhere??
There are certainly a number of perspectives:
1. How does low educational attainment help in a world of (apparently increasing) volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity, and where there is increased oversight of activity due to enhanced political sensitivity to inter alia perceivedinappropriate use of force?
2. How does low educational attainment help when our systems (even Infantry weapons, vehicles, comms and ISTAR) are more numerous, capable and frequently more demanding of the operator?
3. The Services, but particularly the Army, have always been a great social mobility mechanism from which individuals leave far more competent and capable than they enter and with far better prospects, very often far more than their school peer equivalents with no military background.
4. The education system seems to fail many young boys/men who go on to achieve impressive things in the Services.
5. In the absence of any significant improvement in the education system, perhaps we should better and more fully acknowledge that we have a duty to ourselves and our people to educate them more? There are potentially multiple benefits, beyond the obvious better educated workforce, including: increased competition for entry; even clearer societal benefits deriving from the Services; increased likelihood of better educated veterans more effectively advocating the case for Defence.
1. How does low educational attainment help in a world of (apparently increasing) volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity, and where there is increased oversight of activity due to enhanced political sensitivity to inter alia perceivedinappropriate use of force?
2. How does low educational attainment help when our systems (even Infantry weapons, vehicles, comms and ISTAR) are more numerous, capable and frequently more demanding of the operator?
3. The Services, but particularly the Army, have always been a great social mobility mechanism from which individuals leave far more competent and capable than they enter and with far better prospects, very often far more than their school peer equivalents with no military background.
4. The education system seems to fail many young boys/men who go on to achieve impressive things in the Services.
5. In the absence of any significant improvement in the education system, perhaps we should better and more fully acknowledge that we have a duty to ourselves and our people to educate them more? There are potentially multiple benefits, beyond the obvious better educated workforce, including: increased competition for entry; even clearer societal benefits deriving from the Services; increased likelihood of better educated veterans more effectively advocating the case for Defence.
Last edited by Rheinstorff; 7th Apr 2020 at 05:45. Reason: Correcting inappropriate use of italics
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Blaming schools or the education system for the totally unacceptable numbers of illiterates and innumerates it released into socuety is exactly the same as blaming factories and the motor industry for the appaling build quality of BL cars in the '70s and '80s.
Lousy cars are not built by an industry or a factory, they are built by shonky, slovenly workers who take no pride in their job.
The same is true of illiterate schoolkids. They are not educated by a system or a school, they are 'educated' - or not - by teachers.
Lousy cars are not built by an industry or a factory, they are built by shonky, slovenly workers who take no pride in their job.
The same is true of illiterate schoolkids. They are not educated by a system or a school, they are 'educated' - or not - by teachers.
like all things, the problem is more complex than a simplified sweeping statement allows. Without knowing the background to the cases we can’t say why the army made the decision they did but one assumes they had to justify it as part of the process.
I think too, that intellectuals and following orders are not mutually exclusive. I acknowledge that in your (probable) pursuit of a pithy point, you have allowed that inference even if it was (probably) not what you intended.
Last edited by Rheinstorff; 7th Apr 2020 at 06:05. Reason: Spelling correction
In both WW's it was commented that the average educational standard of German Infantry was higher than the Brits - and it showed............. The German's were faster to react and less likely to require detailed supervision of all tasks
Conversely, good strategy by the N Vietnamese; fight the war in the living rooms of every US household. Tactical action, not so goo; it's frequently said that the US never lost a tactical battle. Pity its strategy wasn't as good.
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This this really doesn't capture the essence of today's situation. Perhaps once it was true. However, in a world of mission command (well applied or not), great reliance is placed on individuals, frequently down to the lowest level, to apply thought to seize initiative and to create and exploit opportunities. This is not merely to follow orders, but is much more to pursue intent. This requires a considerable degree of understanding, achieved through very rigorous individual training and education, and collective training. All of these, to some extent, compensate for the poor effect of the education system on many of the people the Services employ. Arguably, if the education system worked a little better, we could spend less time and money on the training we have to and more on the training we'd like to.
I think too, that intellectuals and following orders are not mutually exclusive. I acknowledge that in your (probable) pursuit of a pithy point, you have allowed that inference even if it was (probably) not what you intended.
I think too, that intellectuals and following orders are not mutually exclusive. I acknowledge that in your (probable) pursuit of a pithy point, you have allowed that inference even if it was (probably) not what you intended.
ambidextrous
Between 1962 to 1974, "Tommy's" were somewhat better educated, they must have been as they hired me.!
14th. November 1973 . Mark Phillips, known as "Foggie" by Anne's brothers married the lady in question.
P.S.:"Foggie's"commanding officer was heard to say "Lt.Phillips will go far in the Army because he's a Gentleman". Presumably at that period nothing further was required as an Officer!
14th. November 1973 . Mark Phillips, known as "Foggie" by Anne's brothers married the lady in question.
P.S.:"Foggie's"commanding officer was heard to say "Lt.Phillips will go far in the Army because he's a Gentleman". Presumably at that period nothing further was required as an Officer!
Medium size militaries, like Canada and the UK have a growing problem with recruiting. The idea of the "strategic" corporal/leading seaman/leading aircrewman, is not just hyperbole anymore. We are expecting quite junior personnel to make real time decisions in very ambiguous battle spaces. Plus we are trying to leverage every member to the maximum so the luxury of assigning only a very small well defined to task to everyone to make life simpler for the individual, with multiple people required to accomplish the whole task is not realistic anymore. That and ubiquitous technology means that core competencies require the ability to read with understanding.
It is a perfect storm as the average recruit becomes less fit, less healthy, less mechanically competent, less use to having to make their own decisions, and less competent in basic reading and math; yet the demands and expectations placed on him or her only grow. In Canada we are starting to see a lot of pre course preparation training, which in many cases is basically an accelerated high school program minus the fluffy bits, in order to keep course pass rates for military coursing at an acceptable level.
It is a perfect storm as the average recruit becomes less fit, less healthy, less mechanically competent, less use to having to make their own decisions, and less competent in basic reading and math; yet the demands and expectations placed on him or her only grow. In Canada we are starting to see a lot of pre course preparation training, which in many cases is basically an accelerated high school program minus the fluffy bits, in order to keep course pass rates for military coursing at an acceptable level.
Von Clausewitz lost Germany the war!