As I post this the Wing is on the
I don’t want things returned to “When I was a rook…” I want it to be better, because today’s officers have to be much more qualified than officers of my era. We were training to fight in a totally different geopolitical sphere. Our battlespace had a big red line on one side of the map and a blue one opposing it. Today, there’s a spectrum of lines that vary from geography to geography. So the training paradigm may need tweaking. Or it may need wholesale renovation. I’ll leave the details of the specifics to the CF to address. I’m interested in the culture of the College.
Many times as a Cadet, whenever some new policy was instituted, I remember thinking, "oh... wait 'till the Ex-Cadets hear about this!", particularly when my peers and I disagreed with it. Now clearly, as OCdts, we didn’t have the most global views. Nor did we necessarily have the experience or exposure to different styles and methods. But as a leadership laboratory [that’s one of the ways I describe RMC to outsiders] we also had the flexibility to try different things and see what worked. So, in hindsight, a little non-sequitur from time to time might make for a good exercise. If you think Mackenzie is squirrelly, wait until you’re a Senior Officer and have to deal with Parliament. Or a civilian boss.
Accountants 1 Esprit de Corps 0
I would encourage the collective College leadership to welcome our oversight. If you really want to see what a lack of external oversight can do to an institution, just Google for ‘scandal’ and ‘West Point USMA”, “Annapolis USNA” or “Colorado Springs USFA” and see what you get. Careful your jaw doesn’t hit the keyboard.
How can Ex-Cadets get involved? You’re reading this blog, so I’m assuming you have some level of interest in the subject. One idea is to connect with your classmates [phone, email, Facebook via the Ex-Cadets group] and talk about your experiences, both what worked and what didn’t. Mentor a Cadet. Subscribe to e-Veritas. Get a lifetime membership to the RMC Club, if you haven’t already. If you're genuinely interested, get involved in the ongoing experiment that is RMC.
2 comments:
We were training to fight in a totally different geopolitical sphere. Our battlespace had a big red line on one side of the map and a blue one opposing it. Today, there’s a spectrum of lines that vary from geography to geography.
Interesting perspective Peter. I'd submit, as an NCM that spent all too many year observing Cadets unfold into senior officers that the geopolitical sphere, and it's commensurate blue and red pigments, you were fighting lay inside our own borders and not necessarily outside at all.
This is an interesting view on RMC but I think it's overly positive (but still on the right track). The difference with the American academies is that the ex-cadets/ midshipmen really mean something to the Academies. At RMC we (the Wing) hardly feel the support of the alumnis (if it's not for those varsity teams). The alumnis at the Academies do manage to buy in their influence if I can say. Credits to them for caring (caring too much?)
The protection of traditions at the Academies by the alumnis provides for the sense of pride generally absent at RMC. But the burden that is the lack of pride at RMC can be shared with the ideology of many to not recognize achievements outside varsity sports. RMC Culture is dying and from what I see it's not going to be the RMC alumnis who will save it.
The positive aspect of this is that RMC is in fact a field of experiment for the true development of future officers. The lack of character development at the Academies makes RMC shine in its mission.
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