Time to revamp the Thayer System of Military Education?

[Richard]

Something to ponder.

Richard's $.02

The Thayer System: After two centuries of success, it might be time to make some changes.
John Noonan, Weekly Standard, 1 Aug 2007

For nearly 200 years, cadets at the United States Military Academy have been guided by the "Thayer System," a rigid structure of unyielding regulation, austere discipline, fierce loyalty, and strong emphasis on math, science, and engineering. The method is calculated to produce Army officers of the highest caliber. And the system has worked. West Point graduates constitute some of the most celebrated, highly decorated officers in American history. No doubt if you traveled further back in time, West Pointers would rank amongst some of the finest combat leaders in the history of warfare.

Thayer's system has changed little since it was implemented shortly after the War of 1812. Like war itself, West Point traditions and culture slowly evolved over time to meet and conquer the new challenges that the profession of arms demanded. But today we stand at a point in history where technology, the decentralization of military force, and the abandonment of the established, traditional law of armed conflict is changing warfare in such a swift and profound way that the U.S. Armed Forces will either have to adapt or face a slow creep towards irrelevancy.

Those changes must be initiated in the leadership ranks, and they must be instituted in the infancy phase of officer development. That means that the Thayer system, and similar systems at sister academies, may need to be reshaped in order to better provide cadets with the appropriate tools for combating Islamic terrorism.

The core of the Thayer system--discipline, honor, and ferocious loyalty to the Constitution--must never change. That's precisely why the system has stood as it is for so long; America will always need men and women who live by the stoic creed of duty, honor, country. However, one of the cornerstones of Slyvanus Thayer's system, his dated academic infrastructure, no longer meets the needs of the mission. The same can be said for nearly identical curriculums at Annapolis and Colorado Springs.

West Point and all of the service academies promote math and engineering above all other disciplines. Thayer wanted math savvy artillery officers. The Navy sought officers with a firm grasp of engineering to keep their ships running and navigate the seas under the harshest of combat conditions. And the Air Force desired officers capable of operating the service's cutting-edge technology. It's the perfect academic infrastructure for a young cadet, if we expect him to fight the Cold War.

Unfortunately, we are fighting a new war. Tomorrow's war. This is a war where we fight an enemy who understands that the battlefield lies in the human heart, not in the skies or on the seas. And while the liberal arts curriculum is precisely the school of thought needed to effectively prepare our cadets to fight in the 21st century, not one of the service academies offers a Bachelor of Arts degree.

An Army platoon leader would be better equipped to administer to tribes in Anbar province if he had a degree in International Affairs and a minor in Arabic. A Marine infantry Lieutenant might be more effective unifying warlords in Afghanistan if he spent his four years at Annapolis studying the history of central Asia. U.S. Special Forces have been deployed to over 180 different countries since 9/11, and, to be sure, the military offers them the education needed to meet that goal. But in all that training an academy cadet will only get as much foreign study as he can squeeze into his schedule between orbital mechanics and advanced calculus.

The British perfected this system at the height of their empire. Relying on a strong NCO corps (which America also enjoys), British officers were trained to perform the duties of regional governors while sergeants shouldered much of the responsibility for training and disciplining the men. That freed Lieutenants and Captains to manage tribes, recruit friendly warlords as allies, establish judicial systems and public works projects, and bolster the local economy. And look at the results. India and Pakistan were stable; the Muslim holy lands were quiet, and the Palestinian territories calm.

My alma mater, the Virginia Military Institute, understands that critical social element in officer development. VMI has a strong Arabic studies department, and their history and international studies curriculums are heavy in the military arts, national security studies, foreign language, and world history. VMI places a strong emphasis on study abroad opportunities, even if it means removing a cadet an environment of harsh military discipline for a semester. The methodology is simple: a cadet will benefit more from a semester in Morocco or Egypt than a semester spent shining brass and marching parades.

This is not to say that VMI is somehow superior to her sister schools. Intense inter-school, inter-service rivalry aside, all senior military colleges and service academies do have a core respect for each other. But the service academies could certainly learn from VMI's example in this case.

We owe it to our cadets to fully prepare them for this long war. There will always be a need for engineers and navigators and scientists in the officer corps. But that doesn't mean that we should force feed engineering and chemistry to potential combat leaders who need foreign languages, international relations, and world history before they are sent off to the hinterlands of the Arab world. The service academies' Bachelor of Science programs are amongst the finest in the nation, why can't they do the same with the liberal arts?

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Conten...3/936jvsxm.asp

[mcarey]

Having a daughter at USMA, and having interacted with the Combat Weapons Team. I would say they are doing all that we expect and a lot that most people don't hear about.

Every student takes a language for at least two years. They get regular guest lecturers from every part of the DOD, DOS and relevant agencies. Most cadets do internships or time abroad for at least a month or two (one to two times in their fours years). They now have the Counter Terrorism Center that was started by COL Howard (Former 1st SFG Commander), it houses many visiting and full time instructors / professors from all disciplines relevant to the current fight. They have changed summer training regimes to include all the normal combat skills + convoy protection and planning, IED recognition, Employment of MRAPS, etc... All vital skills that a young LT will need to build upon.

All that said, I also know that many that teach at our academies and some of the students that have chosen to attend the academy are not of the "warrior" mindset. I beleive that both ROTC and the service academies would be wise to spend a few dollars checking the intent of those requesting admission. Psych Evals and a selection process possibly?

My .02.

[Razor]

As a mechanical engineering major, I was required to take:

• English composition
• Advanced English composition
• English literature
• 2 semesters of US history
• 2 semesters of military history
• 2 semesters of a foreign language
• Philosophy
• General psychology
• American politics
• General economics
• International relations
• Constitutional and military law
• 6 semesters of phys ed
• 15 semesters of military development

This is in addition to the math, science and engineering-specific classes for my major. I certainly would have liked a few more semesters of foreign language, but there are only so many hours in a day, and I recall most of them being rather full.

The Thayer method, IIRC, refers not so much to the curriculum, but rather to the method of instruction, in which the student is expected to read and practice the course material prior to arriving at class, while classroom instruction focuses on review of the material and demonstrations of proficiency. I continue to support this method of instruction for post-secondary education, as it puts the primary responsibility for learning on the student, rather than rely on the 'lecture model' whereby a student attends class to be 'fed' the material by the instructor. A downside of the Thayer model is that it relies on small class sizes to ensure every student is actively engaged in discussing the class material. At USMA, with most classes running between 12-20 students, this isn't an issue. At large public universities, the system may not be viable.

Edited to add: Did some after-posting searches and found this off the USMA Bicentennial website:

To stimulate a sense of duty and habits of preparation, Thayer demanded that every cadet be responsible for his own learning. Classes proceeded by participation rather than lecture. The "Thayer method" required that every cadet be prepared to answer questions or solve problems in every class every day. He encouraged cadets to channel their competitive energies through a merit system in which cadets were ranked weekly in each course. These rankings determined the specific section--then, as today, a small group of 10 to 15 cadets--that cadets would attend in each course, and the rankings were posted publicly to stimulate competition and learning.

[Scimitar]

15 semesters of military development

LOL, that's a very long degree Razor.

[greenberetTFS]

Originally Posted by Razor

As a mechanical engineering major, I was required to take:

• English composition
• Advanced English composition
• English literature
• 2 semesters of US history
• 2 semesters of military history
• 2 semesters of a foreign language
• Philosophy
• General psychology
• American politics
• General economics
• International relations
• Constitutional and military law
• 6 semesters of phys ed
• 15 semesters of military development

This is in addition to the math, science and engineering-specific classes for my major. I certainly would have liked a few more semesters of foreign language, but there are only so many hours in a day, and I recall most of them being rather full.

The Thayer method, IIRC, refers not so much to the curriculum, but rather to the method of instruction, in which the student is expected to read and practice the course material prior to arriving at class, while classroom instruction focuses on review of the material and demonstrations of proficiency. I continue to support this method of instruction for post-secondary education, as it puts the primary responsibility for learning on the student, rather than rely on the 'lecture model' whereby a student attends class to be 'fed' the material by the instructor. A downside of the Thayer model is that it relies on small class sizes to ensure every student is actively engaged in discussing the class material. At USMA, with most classes running between 12-20 students, this isn't an issue. At large public universities, the system may not be viable.

Edited to add: Did some after-posting searches and found this off the USMA Bicentennial website:

To stimulate a sense of duty and habits of preparation, Thayer demanded that every cadet be responsible for his own learning. Classes proceeded by participation rather than lecture. The "Thayer method" required that every cadet be prepared to answer questions or solve problems in every class every day. He encouraged cadets to channel their competitive energies through a merit system in which cadets were ranked weekly in each course. These rankings determined the specific section--then, as today, a small group of 10 to 15 cadets--that cadets would attend in each course, and the rankings were posted publicly to stimulate competition and learning.

Razor,

I have a MEBS from Chicago Technical College and we had nothing like what you had in addition to your math,physics,etc...... Incredible.......

GB TFS

[Razor]

Originally Posted by Scimitar

LOL, that's a very long degree Razor.

No, that's 15 semester equivalents--in other words, taking two mil development classes per semester for most semesters. Most MSE (math/science/engineering) cadets average a 20 credit hour workload each semester, in addition to 1.5 hours of mandatory intramural athletics or drill (marching practice) Monday through Friday after classes. All cadets take core courses for the first two years (the only elective is choosing which foreign language to take), and carry a 20 credit hour average as well.

On top of the Phys Ed classes, all cadets take a semi-annual APFT, as well as several iterations of the Indoor Obstacle Course Test, and the scores are translated into letter grades that are added to their PE grade. Similar to the Thayer system for academics, preparing for the APFT/IOCT is the responsibility of the individual cadet; there is no organized PT during the academic year outside of PE class or intramurals. A cadet can be as industrious or as lazy during the school year as he or she desires, but grades will reflect.