Officership in the U.S. Army and Royal Netherlands Army: A Comparison for Improvement
Abstract
The Netherlands regards the United States as one of our best allies, and we have worked closely together in a variety of missions to include Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and in the Caribbean. The culture and organizational background of the U.S. Army has many similarities with the Royal Netherlands Army (RNLA). This common background and mutual respect provide the basis to compare leadership development of army officers in these countries. This paper first examines how the concept of officership was developed in the U.S. Army from Vietnam through the Gulf War to today. It then describes how the RNLA developed the concept of officership from the Cold War to Srebrenica and beyond. It then briefly compares officership in both countries in the following four areas: how it differs with leadership in the civilian society; how it is institutionalized in both armies; the skills, competencies and qualities of officership; and how all of this works. The paper recommends that the RNLA can improve its officership by limiting the importance of management, increasing the focus on values to establish and support a war-fighting ethos, and effectively anchoring new officership within the organization.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 07, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA414928
Entities
People
- Mart De Kruif
Organizations
- United States Army War College