Podcast# 272 Getting Back on Track: Changes Coming to The United States Army in 2024, Some Things That Should Never Been Changed in the First Place.
Changes to the US Army in 2024: A Historical Perspective
The Evolution of Military Requirements
Hello everyone, it's a brand new week and I'm here to discuss episode 272. We're not just talking about the US Army; there's a broader lesson for all. While it may seem like a military-centric conversation, there's a historical angle that's bound to pique your interest.
The Shift in Service Requirements
By mid-2024, the US military is set to undergo significant changes. Conditions like color blindness and the peculiar "back asword syndrome" will be acceptable. But the most notable change? Reverting to an IQ requirement reminiscent of the 1940s. The aim? Achieving an average IQ rating between 60-65, reflecting the state of the average infantryman during World War II.
The Power of Cohesiveness in Battle
The American military once understood the essence of waging wars. Cohesiveness, especially during intense battles, was paramount. Surprisingly, a cohesive infantry wasn't about intellectual prowess but more about instinctual response. Historical data even suggests that units with similar IQ scores, particularly between 60-65, had higher survival and effectiveness rates.
The Words of General George S Patton
General Patton, a revered figure in American military history, once emphasized the importance of physical agility over mental agility in the army. His insights, however, were overshadowed post-World War II, leading to shifts in military strategies and, arguably, setbacks in Korea and Vietnam.
The Upcoming Changes: A Return to Roots
Leaked documents hint at these transformative changes around mid-2024, focusing on enlisted men. The goal? Enhancing the Army's effectiveness, fostering unit cohesion, and reigniting the pride that comes from autonomy in the battlefield.
Remember, it's not about the words we use, but the actions we take. Until next time, take care.
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Transcript
02:52 stated goal is to get average IQ rating to 60 or 65 something I feel myself as being long overdue since uh you know this was the state of the average infantryman during World War II when America possessed the greatest fighting force the world had ever known so in all fairness before I go any further into not only what is going to be changed and why I think it would be a good idea to explain far how far superior our army once was and how we all got changed and everything got changed for the worse now you see up until the Korean
03:51 War um the American Military it had a pretty good idea of how to well wage Wars no not I didn't say perfect but they were learning from their mistakes and generally speaking we became pretty good at War because after all since founding this country we've had plenty of practice now one of the things that they did learn was that it was very important to have a cohesive infantry now when I say cohesive it means that the men follow a chain of command and uh believe it or not that is something that is not quite so simple to
04:39 accomplish especially during the heat of battle as you might think so you've got to have a cohesive infantry and in order to have that you can't have a great deal of thinking going on now I realize that what I just said may sound bizarre but believe me it's true to tell you the truth about this situation if I were going to be in charge of a small Recon unit and I had had my choice between two groups of guys those that enjoy reading and those that don't you learn very quickly that you should always pick the guys that either
05:30 hate reading or are not even capable of reading okay by giving you another long story short you are always much more likely to be in circled and your unit defeated if your unit consists of thinking guys rather than what I would call feeling guys because when instincts take over the net effect according to many veterans is that as far as those Fighters are concerned they enter into a state of mind that cannot be rationally or intellectually described but often is referred to as becoming kill crazy and apparently it is
06:19 an enemy's worst nightmare so what many American commanders learned in World War II for example everything from Platoon commanders to division commanders you know uh to uh to generals was that there was an odd correlation taking place and this is where it gets interesting what they found out was that as a percentage the larger number of guys who had pretty close to the same IQ scores tended to do better and have a higher survival rate than those who didn't and in addition to that apparently there was a correlation of
07:12 the IQ level and those somewhere between 60 and 65 okay okay and they tended not only to have the best Effectiveness as far as the kill ratio but also as far as survivability and nonserious injury ratios which I think is pretty [ __ ] incredible so to put this in other way what most American World War II generals unofficially discovered from their always diligent Bean counters was an incredible correlation that the sweet spot for IQ scores was somewhere between 60 to 65 anytime you begin to go above or below those numbers both combat
08:07 Effectiveness and survival rates correspondingly went down not up which would explain the reason why this very famous quote became uh well became you know really well known in military circles at that time and it's States right now the average IQ of an infantryman is around 60 and thank God for that the Army needs to do every damn thing in its power to keep it that way the Army does not need or require men of great mental agility just Physical Agility that'll do just fine and who said that famous line
say is absolutely true in the: :10:38 a thinking field commander you um that was um well the kind of Commander that was much more comfortable making calculations comfortably behind the lines with a slide rule and completely unwilling to engage the enemy even when it was clearly and by clearly I mean to the courageous and impassioned soldiers below them advantageous to do so and if there is one man one man I hold more accountable than any other for the horrific Quagmire of having the US ending up in a costly stalemate in both Korea and Vietnam it was the guy who went by the
entation somewhere around mid: l take effect on or about mid:13:05 females in their current positions will have the opportunity to join the reactivated wax divisions for females as well as any new potential recruits this will fall under our new if it has tits it doesn't take hits policy and if you are an individual which cannot even objectively determine uh to be male or female the United States military is not a place for you in conclusion these recruitment policy changes are being implemented to not only improve the Army's Effectiveness and unit cohesion but to return a sense
13:54 of Pride that a soldier can feel only when commanding offic officers give those they command adequate leeway self Authority and a breathing room to get on with the job they were sent to do and to do so without ideological shackles or restraint unquote wow damn that actually has teeth that that actually means something anyway as I said earlier it's ultimately all about having the men that hit the IQ Sweet Spot between 60 to 65 when the full Fury of the US Army can be Unleashed it's when men like this are put into difficult situations when
14:55 groups of men like this are put together and their AC may appear to be utterly chaotic with no orderly plan whatsoever that the things they do the absolute spectacle of witnessing like-minded men Unshackled by the conventions of so-called Modern War truly demonstrate what war really is can be and should be until next time this is reminding you that there are no bad words just bad actions take care
