Here's why Jeff and I are in favor of this particular appointment:
On May 2, 2003, we attended a meeting at the National Defense University chaired by then-Army Chief of Staff, General Eric Shinseki, and attended by, among others, then-Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz. For all we know, it was one of the last meetings of the two men. Shinseki would retire a few weeks later after famously clashing with Wolfowitz's boss over Iraq troop levels. As the whole world knows, Shinseki was right - and his calm presence struck us then as an indicator of the man's thoughtful approach. The meeting was the "after action review" presented to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, following the first Joint Forces-Army Wargame, a week-long simulation that we'd been invited to attend by one of Shinseki's protégés.
Our attendance at the wargame came about as a result of a phone call a few months earlier. An aide to then-Major General Jim Dubik was calling on Dubik's behalf to extend an invitation to "Unified Quest," as the wargame was known. The simulation would take place at the Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, the aide said, and we would be among a select group of outsiders. We were flabbergasted. We met as anti-Vietnam War activists in 1968 while students at Oxford University. We opposed the Iraq War. Why was General Dubik inviting us, we asked? He'd read our then-decade-old book, The Age of the Network, the aide said, and the Army needed to be a lot more networked. We decided to attend.
On May 2, 2003, we attended a meeting at the National Defense University chaired by then-Army Chief of Staff, General Eric Shinseki, and attended by, among others, then-Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz. For all we know, it was one of the last meetings of the two men. Shinseki would retire a few weeks later after famously clashing with Wolfowitz's boss over Iraq troop levels. As the whole world knows, Shinseki was right - and his calm presence struck us then as an indicator of the man's thoughtful approach. The meeting was the "after action review" presented to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, following the first Joint Forces-Army Wargame, a week-long simulation that we'd been invited to attend by one of Shinseki's protégés.
Our attendance at the wargame came about as a result of a phone call a few months earlier. An aide to then-Major General Jim Dubik was calling on Dubik's behalf to extend an invitation to "Unified Quest," as the wargame was known. The simulation would take place at the Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, the aide said, and we would be among a select group of outsiders. We were flabbergasted. We met as anti-Vietnam War activists in 1968 while students at Oxford University. We opposed the Iraq War. Why was General Dubik inviting us, we asked? He'd read our then-decade-old book, The Age of the Network, the aide said, and the Army needed to be a lot more networked. We decided to attend.
Thus began our involvement with Joint Forces and the US Army, where we’ve discovered that many of its ideas, particularly in regard to leadership, are ahead of those in the commercial and non-profit sectors (see for example, this post). General Shinseki came to the wargame on its last day, ironically, the “Mission Accomplished” day.
What we remember most clearly from Shinseki's visit is this: All of those involved with putting on the event - the schleppers, organizers, and senior military officers, including Dubik and then Brigadier General (now Lt General) Mike Vane - stood in a line as Gen Shinseki spoke to them, thanking them. Everyone knew what was happening - indeed, Shinseki's disagreement with the Administration had been broadcast on television - and the sadness seeped across the floor just beneath the blanket of respect that seemed to pour from people's eyes. Shinseki then walked down the line, pressing a medal into the hand of each person who'd worked the event.
We have added Eric Shinseki to our dynamic OrgScope map of the US Government and growing list of nominees. We have also detailed the top-level org chart of the Department of Veteran Affairs to go with this stellar nomination (see our page on the VA's org chart).
(click to enlarge)
