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The Military primarily selects for Obedience. And there is a big upside and downside to that trait depending on the problem a team is given. As Afghanistan and

by asn2 5y ago

The Military primarily selects for Obedience. And there is a big upside and downside to that trait depending on the problem a team is given. As Afghanistan and Iraq show blind obedience can result in a multi decade fiasco.

Seanambers 5y ago
Bit easy to blame the military when the politicians actually decide and wage the wars. The taxpayer pays for them. The military just fights them as they should.
- drunkpotato 5y ago
  There's no reason we can't blame both.
  - tata71 5y ago
    Military-industrial-congressional complex. All wings are responsible. Especially the citizen.
  - jjk166 5y ago
    And there's no reason you can't blame the Amish for global warming, but that doesn't change that the blame is misplaced.
darkmarmot 5y ago
I think obedience will end up being a huge negative in future wars if rapid tactical iteration driven by autonomous planes, robots and drones becomes common. The age of obsequious human meat shields is approaching its literal terminus.
indymike 5y ago
> The Military primarily selects for Obedience. The people pick the wars (well, their elected leaders do), the soldiers and sailors fight them. And believe me, you don't want blind obedience at any level in the military. Blind obedience is a very, very bad thing and it will lose wars. You want loyalty, which sometimes requires disobedience (e.g. tell the captain no when he wants to turn into an undersea mountain) to work.