Throughout the history of warfare, it has been common knowledge that leadership can have crucial effects on battlefield success. During pre-industrial-era warfare, the measure of a leader’s ability was directly tied to the results of his key battles. The Spartan-led Greeks at Thermopylae are an example of the impact of a successful leader (King Leonidas) on a battle that changed the fate of entire civilizations. This direct form of assessment changed during the rise of the industrial era, during which the concepts of assembly lines and mass production dominated the organizational patterns of entire nations. Correspondingly, new political perspectives viewed war as an organized, national event that was conducted in a mechanical fashion rather than purely the realm of a few elite in the military caste.

http://www.armedforcesjournal.com/2008/06/3486514

A focus on efficiency over tradition in the military is long overdue. We still suffer some from a draftee mentality where commanders viewed labor hours as free relative to equipment (thus, for example, soldiers would pick-up leaves by hand rather than be provided with rakes).

One idea I would like to see pursued is to have West Point's traditional focus on engineering changed to economics. This would allow its graduates to not only better manage their resources but also understand nation-building better.

A fatigued soldier is a sign of:

a) Too many operational changes brought about by too many changers.

b) An ever growing tribe of Chiefs but too few Indians.

c) et cetera.

I think this a wonderful idea. A focus on economics would push the idea of balancing unlimited demand against limited resources, which in turn would drive prioritization. This would expand the cognitive capabilities of future leaders to truly grasp the concept of managing resources.

This would also prove highly beneficial to leaders who are performing nation building tasks as frequently as combat tasks. Enabling them to help build better societies. Security leads to stability, stability leads to economic growth, economic growth leads to more stakeholders, a majority of stakeholders leads to a self sustaining system.

Thanks you for your interest in my article.
-MAJ Bigelow