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Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

A wake-up call for the British army

Patrick Little, a former British infantry officer, blasts the British military for not adjusting in recent years as the U.S. Army has. This is a bit ironic, given that one of the most influential American military books in recent years, John Nagl’s Eating Soup with a Knife, was built on the notion that the British ...

By , a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy.
583621_090714_britishasleep2.jpg
583621_090714_britishasleep2.jpg
KANDAHAR- AFGHANISTAN- JUNE 17: British Soldier 2 Lt Maarten Magee, 23-years-old from Harrogate, North Yorkshire of the 7 Para Royal Horse Artillery wait at the Kandahar Air Field (KAF) to be deployed by helicopter into the Kandahar football stadium on June 17, 2008 in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan on June 17, 2008. British Paratroopers conducted operation "Daor Bukhou" by flying in hundreds of paratroopers from 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment into the football stadium of Kandahar City for the first time since 2001 to provide a presence in the city to support the Afghan National Security Forces in their battle against the Taliban. (Photo by Marco Di Lauro/Getty Images)

Patrick Little, a former British infantry officer, blasts the British military for not adjusting in recent years as the U.S. Army has. This is a bit ironic, given that one of the most influential American military books in recent years, John Nagl’s Eating Soup with a Knife, was built on the notion that the British army of the 1950s was a “learning institution,” while the American Army of the 1960s was not.

Writing in the RUSI Journal, Little charges that there are “serious systemic shortcomings” that aren’t being addressed, most notably a command climate in which “bad news is routinely camouflaged.”

The current climate, with themes of deteriorating communication, intolerance of dissent, tolerance of toxicity, poorly designed processes and perceived tolerance of inadequate senior officer performance, is a real obstacles to learning and adapting.”

Where, he wonders, are. Nagls and Yinglings of the British military — or a General Petraeus willing to listen to them and protect them?

He recommends several major reforms, including:

  • Seeking foreign perspectives on British strategy, tactics and doctrine, especially from those who have fought alongside the British military.
  • “Re-invigorating” professional writing.
  • Creating and using “red teams” to critique concepts and policy.
  • Educating officers more in sociology, anthropology and international development, with more emphasis on languages
  • Introducing 360-degree appraisals

This all makes sense to me. I think he tends to think the U.S. military has changed more than it has, but he is correct in crediting our military has moved in the right direction.

(HT to JB)

Marco Di Lauro/Getty Images

Thomas E. Ricks is a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy. Twitter: @tomricks1

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