The U.S. Army’s Command and General Staff College (CGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas is one of the most important institutions of higher learning for Army officers, and has been for well over 100 years. Here, mid-career officers obtain the knowledge and tools to assume higher levels of responsibility, culminating in senior Army leadership roles. Since its inception, guest speakers have regularly addressed this important body of officers.
Fort Leavenworth’s Combined Arms Research Library (CARL) Archives has a collection of over 500 guest speaker tapes going back to the late 1940s, including remarks by senior military and civilian leadership. The tapes represent an amazing time capsule of original source material containing the views of these leaders on important events impacting the military. As they are in the restricted archives and recorded on outdated formats (mostly reel, cassette, and VHS tape), they have, for the most part, been untouched since their recording. This curated collection focuses on remarks delivered between 1949 and 2001 by those who held important positions such as Army Chiefs of Staff, Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs, Secretaries of Defense and of the Army, as well as individuals of historical significance, congressmen and even one Commander in Chief (Harry S. Truman).
The table of contents is provided to show prospective readers the content and coverage of the book
Table of Contents
Introduction - 3
Prologue - 5
1. The Army - 11
The Army’s Mission (11), An Officer’s Duty (23), Army History (26), Army Life and the Profession of Arms (28), Training (36), The Command and General Staff College (38)
2. Leadership and Values - 45
Leadership Traits (46), Leadership in Execution (51), Requirements of Leaders (56), Sage Advice (67), Values (70)
3. The Army in Action - 77
World War I and II (77), Korean War (81), Cold War (91), Vietnam War (92), Post-Vietnam (106), Post-Cold War and Operations Other than War (114)
4. The Buck Stops at Fort Leavenworth: Harry S. Truman Addresses the Command and General Staff College - 129
Graduation Addresses (129), the Back Story (131), The Korea Decision (132)
5. Photos - 137
6. Civil-Military Relations - 141
Civilian Control (141), Candor, Dissent, and Loyalty (144), Relationship with Congress (152), Credibility (157), Society and the Press (162)
7. Politicians - 167
8. Jokes and Oddities - 193
Did You Hear the One About… (193), They Said What? (200)
9. Events of the Day - 203
The Cold War; NATO (203), Integration; Gays in the Military (211), All-Volunteer Force (214), Readiness (224), Information Overload; Complexity; the Rate of Change (230), Operations Tempo (237), Current Events; Scandals (242), Terrorism (256)
10. Budgets and Drawdowns - 259
Economy (259), Drawdown (261), Budget (268)
11. Predictions of the Future - 285
Future Warfare (285), Future Army (295), Future Weapons (305), Future Predictions (317)
Epilogue - 321
End Notes - 327
Appendix A: Guest Speaker Listing - 337
Appendix B: Speakers as Students: Who They Heard - 339
Appendix C: Speaker Biographies - 341
Works Cited - 351
Index – 355
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Photos below courtesy the Combined Arms Research Library, Fort Leavenworth, KS
