On Fat Generals and Admirals [Diogenes]

About a month ago the Secretary of War (I just love that!) laid down the law about being overweight and out of shape. No more fat generals and admirals. “It's completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon and leading Commands around the country and the world. It is not who we are.”

He is absolutely right.

Some thoughts:

First and foremost, fat soldiers do not survive on the battlefield. Multiple studies were done back in the late 80’s about the success of Units going through a “Training Rotation” at the National Training Center at Ft Irwin CA. A Rotation was a 30 day exercise at Ft Irwin doing a variety of battlefield tasks (attack, defend, movement to contact, etc.) This was, and remains, the single best test of a Unit’s warfighting capability. Using lasers and computers, it is as realistic as it can be. Tactics are tested and the Units fight against a real Opposing Force (OPFOR) unit that is stationed there full time. The Rotations are hard, and they are meant to be. The studies measured the ability of a Unit to “win” (survive and defeat the OPFOR) against the Unit’s overall scores on the Physical Training Test (PT Test…push-ups, sit-ups and a 2 mile run). The results showed a direct correlation. The better the score, the more likely they were to defeat the OPFOR. This study covered dozens of Battalion-sized units over several years.

The bottom line: fit soldiers and leaders did better. They could operate longer without sleep; leaders made better and faster decisions; they could read the battlefield better and outmaneuver the OPFOR to defeat them. And I saw this in fact during Desert Storm.

The Army leadership noticed. The emphasis on PT has always been there, but standards were examined and changed.

The Secretary’s point about standards is correct. Not male or female per se, but a single set of standards. If you can meet the standard for a particular job, then you can enlist for that job. Artillery shells can weigh up to 100 pounds. In combat the loaders on an artillery piece may have to lift hundreds of shells over a period of hours. On tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, it is common to see one “throw” a track. It is up to the crew to repair it and track pads weigh between 45-60 pounds each. The whole set can run over 5 tons. Not an easy job and no standing around. Get it done!

It is the same for the rest of the Army. If attacked, can you fight back? Can you carry boxes of ammo to a fighting position? Or carry a buddy back to an aide station? We are all in it. Army…Marines…Air Force…Coasties. We fight as a Team.

I could go on.

The point of Secretary Hegseth’s talk was to set a standard for the Leadership. If the troops must be fit, they needed to be fit as well. I think everyone recognizes that a man or woman at 52 years of age isn’t the same as when they were 32. But they can still be fit and meet a standard.

Lastly, and this is important. The Secretary’s speech was not aimed at just the Pentagon. It was a message to the American people, our Allies, and our future adversaries. America’s military will be fit to fight.

posted by Open Blogger at 11:00 AM

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