Intel Insights: Sad Time as U.S. Lacks Strategic Leaders

The roles and mission of U.S. forces in Afghanistan continue to be the subject of intense debates in political and defense circles. This week the Marine Corps University at Quantico hosted a two-day symposium entitled “Shaping for Successful Transition in Afghanistan.” The symposium drew some of the key players in this effort from around the world to our area.

Among the distinguished academics and government officials in attendance was the first day’s conference keynote speaker, Marine General James Mattis, who, as Commander of U.S. Central Command, exercises command over U.S. forces in the Middle East and Southwest Asia. In his address, General Mattis stated that the timeline for the U.S. and NATO to turn over responsibility for Afghan security to that country’s forces by 2014 could be met.

I would not have expected the General to say anything different, since he is charged with carrying out that policy and making it work. What was more interesting was what the General said during the Q&A session following his speech. He bluntly told the audience that we “face a strategic deficit” in the U.S., meaning that this country no longer possesses leaders who are capable of thinking in strategic terms.

“Strategy is not a bumper sticker or a three-letter acronym,” said Mattis. Instead, strategy is the linking of ends, ways and means…what do you want to achieve and how do you want to get there.

The ability to think strategically has always been important for a nation with a powerful military, but it will become even more critical for us as we enter an era of tighter budgets and increased fiscal constraints. Now those who procure our weapons systems will rigorously have to assess whether or not they can effectively counter the threats we expect to face in the next 20 to 30 years.

The same is true for military operations. Those who contemplate committing our forces must do so only when vital interests are at stake. We also need a force that is capable of carrying out its assigned missions, for while we will do less, we will not be doing it less well, to paraphrase the General.

Mattis himself is no stranger to strategic thought. Some would say he possesses one of the best strategic minds in the US military today. That makes it even more disconcerting when he says that he does not consult with any current active duty U.S. military personnel on strategic issues. Instead, he seeks advice from academics at Oxford and Reading universities in Great Britain. That is a sad commentary on the state of independent thought, not just in our military, but in our nation as a whole.

Mid-career military schools like the Marine Corps University and the National War College will do their best to inculcate strategic thinking in their students, but the real problems lie in service-based promotion systems that do not always reward original thinkers and in the educational foundations of future officers. These educational foundations are not laid at the service academies, in ROTC programs, or in other officer training venues. They are laid much earlier in the elementary, junior high, and high schools of our nation. Making these schools centers of excellence in education and thought would go a long way to providing this nation with the strategic thinkers it needs to ensure our national interests and security are kept safe.

Cedric Leighton lives in Lorton and is the Founder and President of Cedric Leighton Associates, a Washington area strategic risk and management consultancy.