enigma947:
Many of the Army Officers (to include Officers of other services) are "chosen". By this i mean they are selected through a very tough process.
The word chosen is bordering on comedy! Be serious please. Yes, the armed forces have a pretty stringent selection process. It used to be very fair too (used to be!). Basically the intake is about average, or a little above.
PMA, and the various schools (Artillery, Armor etc) impart pretty tough and stringent programs. The emphasis is discipline, obedience and motor functions. The syllabi however are so archaic that someone from 20th PMA Long course will hardly have any surprise if he rejoins the PMA now!!.
To be fair, till the rank of Colonel, there is a great degree of dedication; life of a king on frugal salary.
The rot starts when one attains the rank of Colonel. This is when the next rank (Brigadier) is in sight, along with the Plots and Perks worth about $ 200K-300K. After gaining one star, the emphasis shifts towards more plots, more lucrative assignments and more juicy deals.
A complex give-and-take web governs most promotions to MG and above (barring a few true geniuses, who dont last very long anyways). Some lucky souls end up in the procurement and evaluation chain, and can stay forever if they respect the complex system of distribution.
After having risen to select club of Lt Gen or Corp Commanders most follow the dictum of Lt Gen Zarrar Azeem, or worse the club of MG Rashid Quershi!!. All the slavish semi-literate Generals (the majority lacking self confidence) need an early retirement. They try to cover their inadequacies with an exaggerated elitism. In its worst format they substitute the goal of National Defense with phony war on terror against Pakistanis. They conquer their own soil with zeal as if they are capturing Zoji-la pass. Then they talk of New Strategies and New Doctrines learnt at a Party-school Staff college.
The forces are badly in need of professional reforms. It should begin with replacing the trashy two-year BA degree at PMA with an accredited 4-year BS in Science, Engineering, Computers, or Physics. Better education is the key.
Many of the Army Officers (to include Officers of other services) are "chosen". By this i mean they are selected through a very tough process.
The word chosen is bordering on comedy! Be serious please. Yes, the armed forces have a pretty stringent selection process. It used to be very fair too (used to be!). Basically the intake is about average, or a little above.
PMA, and the various schools (Artillery, Armor etc) impart pretty tough and stringent programs. The emphasis is discipline, obedience and motor functions. The syllabi however are so archaic that someone from 20th PMA Long course will hardly have any surprise if he rejoins the PMA now!!.
To be fair, till the rank of Colonel, there is a great degree of dedication; life of a king on frugal salary.
The rot starts when one attains the rank of Colonel. This is when the next rank (Brigadier) is in sight, along with the Plots and Perks worth about $ 200K-300K. After gaining one star, the emphasis shifts towards more plots, more lucrative assignments and more juicy deals.
A complex give-and-take web governs most promotions to MG and above (barring a few true geniuses, who dont last very long anyways). Some lucky souls end up in the procurement and evaluation chain, and can stay forever if they respect the complex system of distribution.
After having risen to select club of Lt Gen or Corp Commanders most follow the dictum of Lt Gen Zarrar Azeem, or worse the club of MG Rashid Quershi!!. All the slavish semi-literate Generals (the majority lacking self confidence) need an early retirement. They try to cover their inadequacies with an exaggerated elitism. In its worst format they substitute the goal of National Defense with phony war on terror against Pakistanis. They conquer their own soil with zeal as if they are capturing Zoji-la pass. Then they talk of New Strategies and New Doctrines learnt at a Party-school Staff college.
The forces are badly in need of professional reforms. It should begin with replacing the trashy two-year BA degree at PMA with an accredited 4-year BS in Science, Engineering, Computers, or Physics. Better education is the key.