Originally posted by dakkon_blackblade:
Which is why scholars tend to get promoted faster, so that they can reach the upper echelons before they're forced to retire and get posted to other positions within the government, statutory boards or GLCs. And yes I do believe that promotion should be based on merit rather than any extraordinary status like "scholar". And I was appalled to hear from my unit's COPA that the CO told him frankly that he was in it for the money. Another reason that the SAF is a fighting force on paper only.
I think in every army there are those who serve for less than noble reasons. No institution can compeltely escape the inevitability of political manueverings, personal greed, and stupidity. I knew more than a few people in the U.S. Army who were basically there to simply "milk the system", do the minimum, cheating on PT tests, etc., and one day get out with a sweet retirement package. And although the situation has improved greatly, corruption and politics still exist in the Korean military. If it's any consolation, the SAF is not alone; idiots have a way of penetrating every organization.
Nevertheless, to be honest, I do find it a little strange that the future leaders of the military are selected at such a tender, young age. If the scholars are selected on the basis of their A-Level results, that means....they were picked when they were only 18 years old! Just a highschool kid....(no offense to any highschool kids here; we were all one at one point in time ^^)
There are some advantages to the system, though, I guess:
1) It allows the military to focus on developing an small, elite group for top leadership positions, rather than trying to "develope" everybody, which would be expensive and impractical.
2) There's no need to waste time "searching" for potential leaders among the junior officers, analyzing personnel records, performance reviews, etc. You already KNOW who they are.
3) The select group of "future generals" can learn and make mistakes without fear for his career. If every single officer is a potential future general, then inflation tends to occur on performance reviews, and a "zero-error" mentality sets in. Sometimes people, including scholars, need to make mistakes, even big mistakes, in order to learn and grow. (This would probably be the best argument in favor of the system.)
4) There is less competition between officers. Everybody has their "place". Scholars will rise to certain rank; those below them will only become such-and-such a rank, and so on. If there is too much competition, officers may focus too much on their career paths, personal connections and bribery start to occur, etc. On the other hand, competition may also bring out the best and brightest (think "Darwinian" ), and lack of it may encourage people to be compalcent and have an "entitlement" mentality.
Still, I personally feel that 18 years old is too...young. Maybe its the Korean in me, but to a large extent age and experience are important. Reviewing all officers after about 4~5 years service to select the "chosen few" might be a good idea - the "chosen ones" would enter a seperate career track, while the rest would enter another. But selecting them at 18~19 years of age....hmmm, I dunno.
What do you guys think about my analysis?
I hope I don't appear to be bad-mouthing the SAF!
I actually think the Korean military can learn alot from Singapore, especially where troop welfare and promotion opportunites are concerned.