| This dissertation examines the US Army's ability to provide appropriately educated field-grade officers to support the combating WMD mission using the participant observation method. Do we have enough technically qualified officers? Data collection (phase one) begins with a policy and historical review to evaluate the threat and need for this investigation. Included is an accumulation of education data on field-grade officers, whose job descriptions relate to combating WMD. Phase two consists of unstructured interviews with senior leaders. The interviews revealed senior leader perceptions of officer capabilities, and their reactions to the data gathered in phase one. Finally, the author identifies trends and recommendations. In the process of researching and writing this dissertation, the author conducted a literature search and review of US Government documents, professional journals and other open source material. This dissertation will be provided to the Army as a reference and resource to support its transformation. |
