Military officer quality in the all-volunteer force →

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New report from Brookings by Matthew F. Cancian and Michael W. Klein:

In this paper, we show that the quality of officers in the Marines, as measured by scores on the General Classification Test (GCT), a test that all officers take, has steadily and significantly declined since 1980.

I would like to know if the result is robust across all branches of service.

This paper analyzed the quality of the officers of one branch of the military, the Marine Corps, and found a relevant and steady decline in intelligence, as measured by GCT scores, since 1980. This decline was closely associated with an expansion of the pool of young college graduates during the same time period, which potentially diminished the overall intellectual quality of that pool.

Russ Roberts' interview with Leonard Wong →

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I enjoy listening to EconTalk. This week, the host, Russ Roberts, spoke with Leonard Wong about honesty in the military.

Leonard Wong of the Strategic Studies Institute at the U.S. Army War College talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about honesty in the military. Based on a recent co-authored paper, Wong argues that the paperwork and training burden on U.S. military officers requires dishonesty--it is simply impossible to comply with all the requirements. This creates a tension for an institution that prides itself on honesty, trust, and integrity. The conversation closes with suggestions for how the military might reform the compliance and requirement process.

This discussion stemmed from Wong's recent paper:

"Lying to Ourselves: Dishonesty in the Army Profession," by Leonard Wong and Stephen J. Gerras. Strategic Studies Institute, February 2015. PDF file.