Thoughts on Professional Military Education

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Colonel Jay Adair

Professional Military Education (PME) means many things to many people, depending on where they stand. Regardless of one’s position, there should be a common golden thread – military education should prepare the mind and spirits of those in the Canadian Army to fight and win.  Effective military education is a strategic, operational and tactical weapon that must constantly be emphasized, honed and adapted to encompass timeless realities and radical changes endemic in our profession.     

As a student of history I believe vehemently that battles are fundamentally won before they are fought; what we focus on now will determine our success in the first battle of the next war. While this is an all-encompassing endeavour, my experience tells me that our focus is disproportionately weighted on procuring ‘hardware’ rather than educating to achieve intellectual overmatch and dominance.  Do not get me wrong, our potential foes would make short work of an army that is ‘intellectually dominant’ but ill-equipped.  But that adversary would also give a long, hard day to a well-equipped but intellectually and spiritually fragile army.

So what? While we live and operate amidst persistent and complex competition, we presently do not find ourselves actively fighting.  This could change at any moment, but this interlude presents an opportunity. During this ‘interwar period,’ we must train and condition our individual and collective minds for the anticipated ‘worst-case.’ In this vein, I believe that our first challenge is to anchor PME on reality.  While the ‘abstract’ is sometimes interesting and thought-provoking, reality is the actualtough opponent and one upon which we must focus.  

Therefore, our ‘best’ officers must occupy key teaching positions. The curriculums in our schools must be creative and rooted in imbuing curiosity and providing students with the tools (judgment, critical thinking skills, empathy) to think, fight and win. The study of history and gaming should be used as tools to consider problems and hone thinking skills. Outside of our schools, I think that unit-level professional development must be prescriptive and mandated, focusing on three areas:  understanding the operational environment; honing requisite decision-making and communication skills and understanding the human aspects of combat and operations.  Finally, I think we should incentivize self-development.  Our leaders need to read, study, contemplate and reflect. Together, all of these recommendations lead to generating the intellectual ‘sets and reps’ (vicarious experience) and to producing more intellectually agile and ethically grounded leaders at all levels.  The bottom line is that our PME should create déjà vu amongst those who will fight in the future, a moment that will come when we least expect it. 

In the present age, many commentators argued that we have never been so ignorant of the past and uncertain about the future. I agree! Thinking and thinking quickly has never been more important.  PME is vital ground in ensuring we create and nurture curious, thoughtful and confident leaders who strive to improve their performance and those of their teams every day and who are capable of fighting and winning in the first battle of the next war.  In the end, fortune favours the competent, but one cannot lead without character.  We need to reinvigorate PME to focus on both.