Policies, Procedures, and People: The Initial Selection of U.S. Military Officers

摘要

Officer selection and commissioning in the U.S. is notable for the variety of programs, both within and between the Service branches. Although the initial selection process is central to the development of a volunteer, professional cadre of officers, the emphasis is more on 'growing' military officers rather than on the initial selection process itself. Selection and training are continuous processes revolving around an 'up or out' philosophy; in fact, the promotion system, beyond the scope of this paper, is an integral part of the system. As noted earlier, the U.S. approach to officer selection is to identify intelligent men and women of good character who can be trained to provide the leadership and management of the armed forces.