Military Review English Edition November-December 2013 | Page 18

(U.S. Army, Sgt. Tim Ortez)

Retired U.S. Army Gen. Jack Keane, right, walks along the streets with Dr. Frederick Kagan, left, and Dr. Kimberly Kagan,
wearing brown hat, in the Al Jubaylah district of Basra, Iraq, July 10, 2008. All three were members of the American Enterprise Institute’s Iraq Planning Group, which released “Choosing Victory: A Plan for Success in Iraq” in January 2007.

program is focused on producing a future professor
or researcher—not someone who is going to apply
the education practically.
However, despite a university’s focus on academia, there is a practical role for officers with a
Ph.D. When the military found itself struggling
for answers in Iraq and Afghanistan, it reached out
to a number of recognized experts for assistance,
most of whom had a Ph.D. Likewise, many of
those who have held civilian leadership positions
within the Office of the Secretary of Defense have
earned doctorates. In both cases, having a doctorate has been helpful because strategic planning and
policy work demands creating new knowledge.
The attributes and skills required to conduct highlevel research and identify new and unfamiliar
phenomena are prerequisites for solving complex
and unfamiliar problems at the strategic level.
Doctoral coursework provides exposure to a broad
array of viewpoints and methods. The extensive
experience in research and writing creates a natural
skepticism for faulty logic and weak arguments.
A person with a Ph.D. understands how to do
thorough research, develop a coherent narrative,
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and create a new lexicon and language that resonates with others to begin the process of solving
a problem. At the strategic level, all problems are
unique, despite aspects that may be familiar (e.g.,
the insurgencies in Iraq and Vietnam). Planners
must describe new phenomena and identify new
approaches accurately and clearly so that other
agencies, multinational and intergovernmental
partners, and subordinate staffs can address those
problems. To be effective, a military strategic planner must be able to inform strategic debate through
coherent analysis and dialogue with influential
thinkers within and outside government.

Conclusion

In 2005, the Department of the Army conducted
an in-depth study of leader development in response
to a requirement levied by the Secretary of the
Army Transition Team. The review, appropriately
titled “The Review of Education, Training, and
Assignments for Leaders Task Force,” examined
various aspects of officer professional development. One of the key findings identified the need
to “send officers most likely to be successful in the
November-December 2013

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