Army Officers Learn From The Military Decision Making Process

C171 Argumentative Essay Army officers learn from the onset of their careers the important role they play as problem solvers. The various military institutions tasked with providing education to the officer corps spend vast amounts of time teaching and reinforcing the Army Problem Solving Process. With that being said, Army officers at all ranks would be better served if they were able to incorporate the eight elements of thought as defined by Drs. Paul Elder into the military decision-making process. Although encompassed within the Army problem solving process, officers often fail to identify and incorporate the tenets of thought when making decisions resulting in potentially adverse consequences. The following examples will highlight†¦show more content†¦When Army leaders identified the headgear as a problem, they failed to articulate their reasoning and ultimate objectives behind the transition, thereby, creating confusion amongst the troops. The failures to take into account other points of vie w, especially from units to which the beret was an exclusive item, made the public relations campaign a nightmare. Army leaders improperly assumed the beret switch would be minimally disruptive and generally accepted. To the contrary, displeased Soldiers from units like the Army Rangers marched from Fort Benning, Georgia to the U.S. Capital to voice their displeasure over the issue. From a practical standpoint, many Soldiers found the beret switch ill conceived. In order to don the beret, it generally required the Soldier to have their hands free so that they could properly place and shape the beret onto their head. It also provided no protection from the elements like the patrol cap offered and cost millions of extra dollars to field. The implications of this decision would have been obvious had they been considered during the Problem Solving Process. In response to a scathing survey commissioned years later by Sergeant Major of the Army, Raymond Chandler, the Army reversed course and reverted back to the patrol cap. Had the proper questions been considered from the beginning and all relevant facts been presented during the