from fighting alongside the Allied powers in World War I , and he urged Eisenhower to learn all he could about fighting wars with alliances . 32
Conclusion
With more soldiers reading , thinking , and writing on its challenges and future , the Army could witness breakthroughs in military thinking and innovation just as the German army ( Reichswehr ) did a century ago . During the period between World Wars I and II , the German Army was able to reform itself and develop combined arms doctrine in large part because its chief of staff , Hans Von Seeckt , dedicated ten percent of the Officer Corps to studying and writing about World War I . According to Williamson Murray , Hans Von Seeckt tasked over four hundred officers with combat experience ( roughly 10 percent of Germany ’ s downsized Officer Corps of four thousand , who were organized into different committees ) to study and write about World War I doctrine and tactics , as well as future war ; “ the result was the extraordinary Army Regulation 487 ‘ Leadership and Battle with Combined Arms .’” 33 This regulation ( published from 1921-1923 ) changed the focus of German doctrine from defensive to offensive maneuver , and it emphasized decentralization and initiative — key tenets of mission command . 34 In his insightful article titled “ Read , Think , Write , and Publish ,” Adm . Jim Stavridis argues that the U . S . military will benefit similarly if more service members study , write , and publish on the myriad of contemporary challenges facing their institutions and the joint force . 35
The U . S . Army will continue to prioritize and invest in soldier education and training . As the institution seeks and implements innovative ways to educate soldiers , it should also continue to look for ways it can maximize returns on the investments it has made . Emphasizing that soldiers write more and better in their daily operations , as well as professionally , is a way for the Army to maximize returns — in the form of increased soldier competence , innovation , and critical thinking — on its investments in education .
Notes
Epigraph . Jim Stavridis , “ Read , Think , Write , and Publish ,” Proceedings 134 , no . 8 / 1,266 ( August 2008 ), accessed 25 October 2016 , http :// www . usni . org / magazines / proceedings / 2008-08 / read-think-write-and-publish .
1 . Daniel A . Dailey , Raymond T . Odierno , and John M . McHugh , “ The Army University Proclamation ” ( July 2015 ), accessed 31 October 2016 , http :// armyu . army . mil / sites / default / files / documents / ArmyU % 20Proclamation . pdf .
2 . U . S . Army Training and Doctrine Command ( TRADOC ) Pamphlet ( TP ) 525-3-1 , The U . S . Army Operating Concept : Win in a Complex World ( Fort Eustis , VA : TRADOC , 31 October , 2014 ), accessed 25 October 2016 , http :// www . tradoc . army . mil / tpubs / pams / TP525-3-1 . pdf .
3 . Army Regulation 25-50 , Preparing and Managing Correspondence ( Washington , DC : U . S . Government Publishing Office [ GPO ], 17 May 2015 ), 6 , accessed 25 October 2016 , http :// www . apd . army . mil / Search / ePubsSearch / ePubsSearch- DownloadPage . aspx ? docID = 0902c85180010e59 .
4 . Department of the Army Pamphlet 600-67 , Effective Writing for Army Leaders ( Washington , DC : U . S . GPO , 2 June 1986 ) [ obsolete since January 2013 ], foreword .
5 . Trent J . Lythgoe , “ Flight Simulation for the Brain : Why Army Officers Must Write ,” Military Review 91 , no . 6 ( November-December 2011 ): 49 , accessed 31 October 2016 , http :// usacac . army . mil / CAC2 / MilitaryReview / Archives / English / MilitaryReview _ 20111231 _ art011 . pdf .
6 . Henriette Anne Klauser , Writing on Both Sides of the Brain : Breakthrough Techniques for People Who Write ( New York : HarperCollins , 1987 ).
7 . William Zinsser , On Writing Well : The Classic Guide to Writing Non-Fiction ( New York : HarperCollins , 2001 ).
8 . James J . Kilpatrick , The Writer ’ s Art ( Kansas City , MO : Andrews McMeel Publishing , 1984 ).
9 . Naveed Saleh , The Complete Guide to Article Writing : How to Write Successful Articles for Online and Print Markets ( Burbank , CA : Writer ’ s Digest Books , 2013 ). 10 . Ibid ., 86 . 11 . Kate L . Turabian , A Manual for Writers of Research Papers , Theses , and Dissertations , 8th ed . ( Chicago : The University of Chicago Press , 2013 ), 5 .
12 . Dwight D . Eisenhower , At Ease : Stories I Tell to Friends
( New York : Doubleday , 1967 ), 198 . 13 . Ibid ., 199 . 14 . Elizabeth L . Eisenstein , “ The Advent of Printing and the Problem of the Renaissance ,” Past & Present 45 ( November 1969 ): 19 , accessed 25 October 2016 , http :// www . jstor . org / stable / 650048 .
15 . Edward Cox , “ Grey Eminence : Fox Conner and the Art of Mentorship ,” Association of the U . S . Army , Institute of Land Warfare , The Land Warfare Papers no . 78W ( September 2010 ), 37 , accessed 25 October 2016 , http :// www1 . ausa . org / publications / ilw / ilw _ pubs / Documents / LWP % 2078W % 20Fox % 20 Conner . pdf .
16 . Eisenhower , At Ease , 172 .
120 January-February 2017
MILITARY REVIEW