https://johntreed.myshopify.com/blogs/john-t-reed-s-blog-about-military-matters/60879683-the-u-s-military-s-marathon-30-year-single-elimination-suck-up-tournament-or-how-america-selects-its-generalsbeachwear wrote: ↑Dec 23, 2020ANYONE WHO HAS SPENT ANY TIME IN THE ENLISTED GRADE KNOW THERE IS VERY LITTLE HONOR IN THE OFFICES CORP OF ANY OF THE ARMED FORCS OF OUR COUNTRY ARE MADE UP OF POLITICAL AN OTHER POS WHO CAME OUT OF THE "EVERYBODY GET'S A TROPHY GENERATION". THESE ASSHOLES UP AT THE POINT ARE SURE TO BE THE SNOWFLAKE COMMANDER OF THE ARMY. I KNEW A KID DOWN HERE WHO WAS BOOTED OUT OF USNA FIVE YEARS AGO. HE WENT STRAIGHT TO THE RECRUITING OFFICER AND WENT ENLISTED IN THE CROCH. HE'S NOW AN E-5 AND LOVES IT.
The tournament
In fact, America’s active-duty military leaders, our top generals, are chosen via a marathon, 30-year, single-elimination, suck-up tournament. Here’s how it works. First, you get commissioned as a second lieutenant (ensign in the Navy—They have to be different about everything—some sort of stepchild, sibling-rivalry thing). Then you attend some military schools for new officers. My first activity after graduating from West Point was to go to Army Ranger School.
In other words, the basic suck-up problem is one of all large bureaucratic organizations, not just the military. But there can be little doubt that the military is by far the worst suck-up organization because of its monopoly on military careers, the extremely generous golden handcuffs in the form of lavish retirement benefits that discourage military officers from switching to another employer (the tenure trap), the lack of objective performance data like the financial reports in private business, and the unquestioned power given to each and every officer to end the career competitiveness of any of his subordinates with the flick of a pen on the officer’s efficiency report.
