Week 6 West Point Basic Officer Leadership Course

Week 6 20th century US: the RedBook What is the U.S. Military Academy West Point Basic Leadership Course?What is its RedBook?

Why talk about it in a course on old and new wars?

The United States Military Academy at West Point is a co-educational teaching institution that trains officers for the American army; it overlooksthe Hudson River, 80 km. north of NYC . the academic program culminates in a bachelor of science degree; students also study .. basic military leadership .. athletics while agreeing .. not to lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do (this is the cadet moral code) West Point

West Point cadets

In 2002 West Point was 200 years old and for most of its history its courses have been taught in a way that makes students responsible for their own learning (this is called the Thayer system), i.e., . they study in small classes . they complete daily homework assignments before coming to class . they discuss their assignments together in class, i.e., once they get thereThis method is research-led and highly participative This method is research-led and highly participative

What do West Point cadets study? The list of theacademic majors they can choose from is extensive;the options include, e.g., Civil Engineering and Foreign Languages but there are 36 others on offer, e.g., Defense and Strategic Studies, Environmental Science, Nuclear Engineering, Physics, Psychology,Sociology, Arts-Philosophy-and-Literature, History and even International Relations . these are all detailed in the West Point RedBook . the question for us is does this curriculum teach about old wars or new ones?

The RedBook itself can be found at:www.usma.edu/curriculum/SiteAssets/SitePages/Course%20Catalog/RedBook_GY2016_20131216.pdf . like Mao Zedongs Little Red Book it is named for the color of its cover . unlike Mao Zedongs Little Red Book, however, the West Points one is not little (it is nearly 500 pages long) Mao Zedongs Little Red Book [plus two other famous red books]

What does West Point try to do? Basically to create cadets able to assume the intellectual and ethical responsibilities of officer-ship; it assumes that the world is changing and that graduate cadets willbe able to meet the challenges this presents, i.e., they will be able to . communicate in foreign languages . apply the scientific method . engage in & reflect on cross-cultural experiences . recognize [the] limits of any discipline the world is changing

More specifically, the Academy tries to createcadets with the most advanced knowledge possible . e.g., the program on Defense and Strategic Studies takes an interdisciplinary approach to the nature of war and the role of the military as an instrument of national power. Building on military history, political science and economics [it highlights the] events of the twentieth century and the political and social trends that influence contemporary military affairs (Old war? New war? Both? Neither?)

the trends that influence contemporary military affairs

The works above are published annually by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (this was founded in London in 1958); they are the result of research that makes Clausewitz seem very old-fashioned . see also the Stockholm International Peace Research Institutes SIPRI Yearbook, and . IHS Janes Fighting ShipsSIPRI Yearbook and IHS Janes Fighting Ships

C.f. the Foreign Languages course; this offers: . Arabic . Chinese . French . German . Portuguese . Russian . Persian, and . Spanish . [Whats missing from this list? Why?}[You guessed it: Japanese, Hindi, Urdu, Swahili, etc. Why?]

The Foreign Area Studies course also provides interdisciplinary accounts of: . East Asia . Latin America . Eurasia . Europe . Africa and . the Middle East . [Whats missing from this list? Why?][Thats right: Canada, the Arctic, the Caribbean, the Pacific, South and Southeast Asia, etc. Why?]

The History course says that broad historicalknowledge is central to developing informed citizens and soldiers. It helps cadets place theirservice as future Army officers in the context of U.S., Western, and world history. Additionally, itprovides the [kind of] literacy necessary for officers to serve effectively wherever they may find themselves. This is particularly true in the caseof counterinsurgency warfare, where victory depends on achieving legitimacy in the eyes of the indigenous population. to serve effectively

Meanwhile, cadets who major in International Relations (IR) are given issues of conflict and cooperation in the international system to study;this, in turn, means learning (it says) about . the domestic influences on state behavior . the foreign relations of states, and . the key characteristics of the international system, including the variety of actors there . [n.b. we are not told what these characteristics or actors might be; what is missing here?] [To help answer this question, see the Introduction to:]

The Military Academy at West Point also highlights, as issues of central concern to IR: . power . strategy . war . international cooperation . trade . economic development, and . understanding issues from different perspectives [What is also missing here?] The list of electives suggests some of the ways cadets can fill gaps in the curriculum, e.g., there are courses available in: . environmental science . history . information technology . law . military science . terrorism and . U.S. foreign policy cadets can also study: . conflict and negotiation . international political economy . winning the peace (this is an inter- disciplinary program) . particular global regions, e.g., see the area studies list, plus here South Korea and Japan . democratization . anthropology, and . U.S. politics winning the peace

democratization

N.b. all IR majors have to take West Points National Security Seminar as a capstone; this is meant to be an integrative experience, i.e., one that provides an . overview of Americas national security policy in terms of .. its military, political, economic, and technological determinants, and .. the way international national interests are translated into national security strategy and the countrys force structureIn this seminar, theoretical readings are combined with specific case studies of past and current U.S. strategic choices, e.g.

specific case studies [the Bay of Pigs invasion]

To supplement their classroom experiences many cadets participate in extracurricular activities as well, e.g. . the Model United Nations program, or . a study abroad program the Model United Nations program

study abroad

Cadets are also strongly encouraged to undertake anAcademic Individual Advanced Development(AIAD) activity, e.g., by doing . non-credit work with an NGO in India, Tanzania, Peru, Cambodia, South Africa or Jordan . credit work in an academic program in Europe, Vietnam or the Middle East . a placement in a U.S. embassy or a domestic organization like the Pentagon, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Congressional Research Service, or the Combating Terrorism Center the Combating Terrorism Center

This said: . where are the women? . what about the 300,000 child soldiers in the world? . what about transnational crime and the military significance of .. mercenaries and .. pirates? where are the women? [Army Sergeant Leigh Ann Hester & Goldie Hawn as Private Benjamin]

what about the 300,000 child soldiers in the world [UNICEF]?

mercenaries and

pirates

As well as International Relations, cadets can alsostudy Political Science; this course is defined . in general terms as who gets what, when, and how, and . in particular terms as .. the way authoritative policy decisions are made and implemented, and .. to what extent and by what means citizens participate in politics .. [what is missing here?] who gets what, when, and how [Harold Lasswell (1902-1978)]

citizens particip[ation]

Cadets may also focus on: . American politics (U.S. defense policy and how it is made; the Presidency and Congress; voting and group behavior) . comparative politics (politics in different settings; the effects of different regime types [e.g., democratic or authoritarian] on political effectiveness and economic performance), and . international politics (the foreign relations of states; the influence of non-state actors ) Six goals are highlighted here; they include the ability to: . summarize the origins and development of Americas political traditions . understand U.S. civil-military relations and the models of military leadership that implement those traditions . understand U.S. defense and foreign policy- making from the perspective of grand strategy in general and American grand strategy in particular grand strategy and American grand strategy

As well as training in academic subjects, cadetsare trained in soldiering as well; this involves

being able to: . follow the military chain of command, e.g., commit to the idea of duty that this involves . perform tasks requiring teamwork . train and lead subordinates - in both individual and collective; direct and indirect ways - in a realistic military environment, and . demonstrate unsupervised self-discipline realistic military environment

Can troop leadership be taught? West Point says it can and that it involves: . tactical decision-making . under uncertain and rapidly changing conditionsThe Academys uses scenarios to do so; these: . simulate a range of encounters . present common problems in the process . result in formal, constructive, detailed feedback on each cadets performance . while at the same time providing training in team work and conflict resolution

conflict management

Cadets can also learn international management but they are told to focus on how to lead (?) . this can include keeping a leadership notebook to help define a cadets personal approach and develop his/her leadership philosophy (West Point says it should be detailed and well-grounded) . this is meant, in turn, to result in leadership plans that can be directly applied in the future in the cadets work as an army officer leadership plans

How to lead also involves influencing subordinates indirectly; this is done by creating an . optimal organizational system/set of procedures . appropriate organizational culture, and . appropriate ethical climateas well as by applying psychological knowledgeto enhance performance by . developing self-confidence . developing the ability to set goals . developing aids to concentration, and . helping subordinates cope developing self-confidence

helping subordinates cope

Leadership also applies to sociological knowledge; it transcends the taken-for-granted world viewby connecting public issues to self awareness; at West Point this involves studying: . American families (especially military families) . the life cycle (from birth to old age) . a cadets self-concept and sense of identity . normal and abnormal forms of conduct, . social stratification, and social inequality (including class, race, ethnicity and gender) . social psychology (attitude change; aggression) the life cycle

aggression

It even means asking whether wars are inevitable,a question that depends on what you think about . human nature (whether you think people are bad or opportunistic or good) or . human nurturing practices (whether you think people are what they learn to be in terms of the material/mental/mixed nature of their learning environment) . [Does West Point talk about this?]

whether wars are inevitable

We saw in lecture one that war also depends on: . gender . ecology . post-colonial issues . pre-modernist issues, and/or . developmentalist onesTo say nothing of it as a .. postmodernist .. post-structuralist .. psycho-pathological .. emotivist .. phenomenological, and/or .. sacralist concern [??] . Cadets can learn counselling skills, including crisis intervention; basically, though, they learn 1. current thinking on what effective leadership involves, and 2. leadership in combat at the tactical level and from an interdisciplinary perspective; thus they . read, watch films, and have first-hand discussions with combat veterans . make comparative analyses combat leaders combat veterans

The description so far of the material the Academy offers gives only a limited idea of whatit teaches; it is, after all, a tertiary institution that . grants students a four-year BSc degree . bases its teachings on a broad range of disciplines, and . assumes the graduates will be Army officers who need to know what is required to efficiently wage war

What else can cadets study? Many, many subjects,for example, Cultural Studies; this . analyzes a culture through its art, philosophy and literature . introduces various definitions of culture and debates in the discipline . focuses on .. Augustinian Rome .. Enlightenment France and .. Meiji Japan [what is missing?]

Cadets can also study British Literature from the Anglo-Saxon period through to the 18th century;in the process cadets analyze . masterworks from the Old English, Medieval, Renaissance and Neoclassical periods . the development of literary forms . the culture of the British Isles and . the English language itself, including narrative and lyric poetry, drama, and the emergence of the English-language novel

Cadets can also study American Literature, from early contact to the Civil War; they read worksby the Puritans, Jefferson, Lincoln, the Transcendentalists, Dickinson, Whitman and Melville, as well as ones by Native Americans, French and Spanish colonizers, and African slaves . of central concern is the question: what is American literature?

Cadets can study World Literature as well, i.e., major global literary texts such as the epics andtragedies of Ancient Greece and Rome, Russiannovels, medieval Islamic literature, Japanese haiku, novels from 19th century Europe, andpostmodern fiction from South America . they do so in the cultural and historical context of each work Japanese haiku

Cadets can even study Film and Film Theory as the main new art form of the twentieth century;they view important films; and they read works on film theory that talk about the cultural influence of the cinema, and in particular: . the Hollywood studio system . the transition to sound . world cinema . screenwriting, and . censorship

The syllabus also lists subjects like the values and principles of the warrior ethos; the Philosophy of Mind (including recent developments in artificial intelligence); war and the human creative imagination; Eastern Thought (including that ofConfucius, the Bhagavadgita, the Tao Te Ching, and the Code of the Samurai); thePhilosophy of Religion, Reality and Knowledge; the Philosophy of Science; and Shakespeare

plus courses about the profession-of-arms in . the Arabic-speaking world . the Chinese-speaking world . the French-speaking world . the German-speaking world . the Portuguese-speaking world . the Russian-speaking world . the Persian-speaking world and . the Spanish-speaking world . [what is missing here and why?]The Geography offerings are equally comprehensive; they include courses on: . the geo-spatial nature of army operations in a combat environment (a security clearance is required for the participants in this program because of the confidential nature of the material used), plus . military geography and . hazardous waste - its storage and disposal

hazardous waste - its storage and disposal

History courses talk about the United States and Western Civilization, plus . Africa, East Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Russia . the story of the military arts . China from ancient to contemporary times . warfare as applied to the revolutions in America, France, agriculture, industry and science . warfare at sea and in the air . the rise of military professionalism . WWII and the Cold War 82. irregular and unconventional warfare . the great theorists of warfare . innovations in technology . race and its cognates like ethnicity and nationalism . genocide and ethnic cleansing . the development of gender relations in historical perspective and . the Holocaust and its legacy the Holocaust and its legacy

84The Law courses are similarly extensive; they include such electives as . international law . the law of armed conflict . environmental law . criminal law . business law . national security law . constitutional/military law, and . comparative legal systemsEqually extensive are the courses on Military Instruction, where cadets can study: . tactics . strategy . military innovation . military communications . counter-insurgency operations . war-fighting itself . platoon operations, and . officer-ship counter-insurgency operations

Close Quarters Combat and Combat Grappling are also offered (beside Basketball, Cycling and Golf);to say nothing of . Homeland Security . Advanced Terrorism . Money and Banking . International Securityand so on and so on

Homeland Security

What is the point of talking in detail about WestPoints curriculum here? It is to demonstrate that: . the study of war has clearly progressed from the time of Thucydides, Lao Tzu, Sun Tzu, as well as Clausewitz . graduates of the American Military Academy are highly educated, and . they know much more than how to use a gun, or how to give (and receive) orders effectively The modern American military is immensely complex; it is the most powerful the world has ever seen; and though it is not the worlds largest, nor is it invincible (n.b. the significance of newwars), it is a formidable force and one led by highly sophisticated officers: . the briefest glance at the Academy curriculum demonstrates this since . the breadth and depth of the subjects available is self-evident - even overwhelming .

This is something the cadets themselves seem to appreciate

and I hope to see you next week