Report of the RMC Board of Governors By the Withers' Study Group
Balanced Excellence Leading Canada's Armed Forces In The New Millenium
4500-240 (ADM (HR-Mil))
24 September 1998
Cross-reference p. 16 of 63 of official printed copy of report
A vision of what a successful RMC will mean to both cadets and the CF at large guided the Study Group throughout our deliberations. At the heart of this vision lie three key principles which condition all analysis:
Key Principles
- Top Quality Candidates: RMC must be successful in attracting the first tier of candidates for admission. These young men and women must possess the highest possible intellectual ability, as well as clear-cut potential to become outstanding military leaders. The probability of producing superior leaders is dramatically enhanced by starting with the best possible candidates.
- Military Ethos: The program of education and training during a cadet's tenure at RMC will imbue the officer cadet with a thorough understanding and acceptance of Canadian military ethos. This requirement includes a commitment to the progressive development of leadership skills, including the highest ethical standards and a commitment to exemplary physical fitness. The modern CF officer will include the value of education in his/her military ethos.
- Quality Degrees: RMC will continue to grant a variety of first class degrees comparable to the most respected universities in Canada. These degrees will reflect the military context for which they are intended. They must incorporate a suitable core curriculum reflecting a common body of knowledge and thought deemed essential for the profession of arms and which provides the intellectual underpinning for a military life.
On graduation the RMC cadet must be self-consciously aware that he/she possesses the basic body of knowledge, skills, and attitudes which accredit him/her as a member of the profession of arms in the Canadian Armed Forces. These young graduates will have experienced an effective training program in the service and classification of their choice. In the normal case they will have achieved basic MOC qualification and be committed to a meaningful career in the military. Graduates will understand completely that in the Canadian context, bilingualism is an integral part of leadership. The RMC experience of a fully integrated, four pillar education and a commitment to the concept that learning and development is a lifelong principle, will serve the graduate throughout his/her career.
With these principles firmly in mind, we set out to improve the current system, as necessary, in order to optimise the benefits of the RMC experience for the individual and the CF. One disconcerting observation was consistently offered by a wide range of senior officers, operational commanders and Staff College faculty. This was to the effect that currently most could not readily distinguish a RMC graduate from those entering by any other stream, at any point in the graduate's career. This seemed illogical to the Group given the supposed focus on the specific objective of training and educating well-rounded young officers at RMC. What factors militate against young officers from RMC being distinguishable from their compatriots from other sources had to be discovered. These factors had to be modified or eliminated.
A key theme underlying everything the Study Group did was the conviction that RMC must graduate young officers noticeably better prepared for their professional responsibilities, than those officers joining the Armed Forces through other entry plans.
Three Main Ideas
The transformation of RMC must match the transformation in the surrounding environment for which the College is preparing young officers. The changes we have found necessary and which are recommended in our Report will require imagination and boldness plus sustained dedicated effort.
The change imperative is compelling and those responsible must be inspired to proceed decisively.
In our view, the Board is central to this whole process. It must act when its authority allows - indeed demands - and it must actively proselytise when other decision-makers are relevant.
Certainly, as this Report makes clear, many of the authorities necessary to achieve the ultimate objective are not subject to the Board's direction. However, in its work the Study Group found all of these individuals predisposed to constructive change.
Perhaps if there is resistance, it lies primarily in a phenomenon that the great British military theorist Sir Basil Liddell-Hart noted over 50 years ago. In his own efforts to reform the British Army, Liddell-Hart discovered that "the problem with the military mind is not to get a new idea in, but rather to get the old idea out."
Achieving the aim set out by the Board will require a concerted effort of education and purposeful dialogue. In the end, the "old ideas" must be expunged and the new ideas firmly implanted.
The Study Group proposes three large "new ideas" in this Report.
One, reconnect RMC to its raison d'être, the Canadian Forces. The College exists to meet the needs of the Forces and the Forces must understand that the College belongs to them as much as every operational and support unit on the order of battle.
And, in today's jargon, RMC is a purple unit - it embraces all of the ethos of the Canadian Forces. Thus, without putting too fine a point on it, the College belongs to the CDS and his colleagues on the Armed Forces Council.
This is a two way street, a reciprocal commitment. The Forces care for the College and the College cares for the needs of the Forces.
Two, for the mutual benefit of the Forces it serves and the execution of the College mission, the recruiting and selection process must be made fully effective. When that will have been done, the leadership of the Forces and the College must embrace the concept of "facilitating success". The full implementation of the Balanced Excellence Model will create an environment in which candidates are accepted as being capable of achieving all educational and training objectives. They will be led through a demanding professional program by leaders and mentors, both military and civilian, dedicated to their success.
Three, significantly strengthen the military pillar. And while this process will require specific actions related directly to the military pillar, the critical challenge will be to bring about the vital integration of all four pillars to achieve the full synergy available.
The Board will play a critical role in the process of change.