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2026-09-23 -Land of the Free

Pentagon unveils battlefield test to ensure new generals are warfighters – not Washington bureaucrats

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Posted by Skidmark 2026-09-23 00:22|| E-Mail|| Front Page|| [75 views ] Top

1 Long over due. They kept the old peacetime bureaucratic selection system in place since 9/11. You need people with demonstrated skills not box checkers. Gaming the system and getting sponsors doesn't get you fighters. It was all designed to measure in a peacetime environment when the actual function, war, was not the background to measure. War is not fair. Expecting your selection system to rank 'fair' over demonstrated competence leads to mediocracy at best, if you are lucky.

Posted by Procopius2k 2026-09-23 07:57|| 2026-09-23 07:57|| Front Page Top

2 We always hit this problem with long stretches of peace (like not a declared traditional war, not the GWOT crap we have had for 20 years).

Political and old dog generals clog up the command and modernization chains until a war exposes them and they all get fired.

Posted by DarthVader 2026-09-23 09:44|| 2026-09-23 09:44|| Front Page Top

3 Ukraine's army seeks to give frontline commanders more authority

KYIV, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Ukrainian staff sergeant Vitalii Tomchyshak believes he knows how to beat Russia on the battlefield: empower frontline leaders such as himself to make critical decisions.

Too often, Tomchyshak says, combat commanders are overruled by senior officers who do not understand the specifics of a battlefield situation.

"It doesn't matter who you are — a sergeant, ‌an officer, anyone — you need to be listened to," the 27-year-old former software developer said.

Tomchyshak was among 103 battle-hardened squad commanders pulled from the front line by Ukraine's military and put through an intensive three-month course this summer aimed at increasing their effectiveness as leaders.

As Russia wages its war in Ukraine, the Ukrainian army is trying to transform itself — not just in terms of technological innovation, but also in its culture and leadership.

That means dismantling a Soviet-era culture of rigid, top-down command and encouraging more initiative from battle-tested troops.

Posted by Skidmark 2026-09-23 13:26|| 2026-09-23 13:26|| Front Page Top

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