School Isn’t Out…

Tom Ricks, the Washington Post’s special military correspondent, wrote a controversial article in Sunday’s Post proposing that the three military academies — West Point, Annapolis and the Air Force Academy — be closed. Ricks’ suggestion raises the age-old question: Can leadership really be taught? This question is explored in On Leadership, The Washington Post’s special section on leadership, vision and motivation.

Want to trim the federal budget and improve the military at the same time? Shut down West Point, Annapolis and the Air Force Academy, and use some of the savings to expand ROTC scholarships.

After covering the U.S. military for nearly two decades, I’ve concluded that graduates of the service academies don’t stand out compared to other officers. Yet producing them is more than twice as expensive as taking in graduates of civilian schools ($300,000 per West Point product vs. $130,000 for ROTC student). On top of the economic advantage, I’ve been told by some commanders that they prefer officers who come out of ROTC programs, because they tend to be better educated and less cynical about the military…

On Leadership panelists weight in:

Ed Ruggero, author of a definitive book on the training of leaders at West Point, says Ricks missed the mark.

A retired Army General says perhaps leadership can’t be taught, but there is something to be said about West Point, which is the only institution of higher education devoted exclusively to creating leaders of character for our Army and the nation.

A retired Navy Captain and former Annapolis professor asks why the question needs to be asked in the first place.