Hey, Ash Carter: What About A 'Less Hierarchical Work Environment' in the Army?

The answer is revealing.

Carter told the cadet it was "a good question," as "we've got to stay competitive."

"And it gets to attracting and recruiting people. And it means we're going to have to keep thinking and keep changing about how we manage people. Let me give you a few examples of things that we're doing now... [to] draw in some of what you're calling exactly right, flatter, more mobile institutions...."

"Just recently, I changed our -- our policies in a number of ways on family programs -- things like maternity and paternity leave."

Yeah, you're doing a heck of a job there.

A flatter, less hierarchical work environment is great for the Special Forces. They've made it work beautifully. It doesn't necessarily translate to the rest of the military. I wonder if our Secretary of Defense can say why, beyond the difficulty of obtaining artillery colonels through the want ads?