Should Staff Officers Be Able To Read, Think And Write?

Do you think that a staff officer should be able to read, think and write? Why?

The English statesman and philosopher Francis Bacon once said that knowledge is power. To be a successful leader, who owns this power and wins fights against en-emy in a constantly changing battlefield and excessive information flow in one’s of-fice every staff officer should be able to read, think and write. These vital skills ena-ble officers to make adequate decisions, express themselves, overthink the enemy, and through this survive in today’s very sophisticated, stressful and quick changing world.

To begin with, reading is the best method gaining additional knowledge. By reading officers gain and supplement their intellectual capital that is the rock upon

Probably the most important reason why officers should write is that they must be able to make themselves understandable through written manuals, regulations and operation orders. In today’s society every good military leader must be an expert of communication (Stavridis, 2008 p. 19). Performing this internal and external communication, writing about different topics gives officers an opportunity to teach and develop their subordinates and comrades; to show their professional image. In this circumstance writing feeds someone else’s thoughts enabling to get feedback on what is read or thought. At times, officers may acquire additional fame by writing. The English novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton has said that the pen has more power than the sword. Therefore, a writing officer can be more powerful than a soldier with any kind of weapon. However, according to Stavridis, it is sometimes al-leged that publishing thoughts is perceived as a ‘career risk’ (2008 p. 17). This es-pecially applies if officers have misinterpreted something or have a disability to ex-press themselves correctly and fluently. That is the reason why it is essential at first to be sure that officer has gained necessary knowledge by reading and