Developing Intelligent Leaders

Over the last two decades, the United States Army has funded boards, panels, and studies that have recommended an emphasis on cognitive development training over technical training. This research reviews the current Reserve Officers Training Corp Program of Instruction and assesses its ability to develop and educate Reserve Officers Training Corps cadets to be intelligent leaders capable of critical thinking upon commissioning. The research will determine whether or not The Reserve Officer Training Corps is following the recommendations of these boards in developing future officers who possess leader intelligence. In order to answer the thesis question, the research analyzed the current Reserve Officer Training Corps Program of Instruction for leader development and compared it to the Army's vision of how it is most likely to fight during future warfare, using the leader intelligent attributes found in the Army Leadership manual. The intent is to provide a critical look at whether or not the Army is educating and training cadets to meet future operational needs. The main findings indicate the current Reserve Officer Training Corps Program of Instruction does not have a balanced approach between the education needed to foster leadership intelligence and the training needed to be a leader on the future battlefield. Instead, there is a heavy concentration of training designed to specifically meet the rigors of Leader Development and Assessment Course, thereby shortchanging the harsh realities of future warfare in 2016-2028 as predicted by Training and Doctrine Command Pamphlet 525-3-0. This monograph recommends the Reserve Officer Training Corps implement the 1999 ROTC Future Lieutenant Study's recommendation that calls for a balanced approach between education and training in its leader development strategy. The Reserve Officer Training Corps Battalions must build ambiguity and uncertainty into all training events to reach the desired outcomes of producing intelligen