Major Jonathan Bratton

And this is my new move for general officer originalism, if you will.

I think as a soldier, you have to answer it as, are they looking out for me?

Do they have my interests in mind as well as the mission?

I think from the nation's perspective, you're asking something similar, but with a little bit more focus on, is this person going to get the job done?

So many of those people that we talk about as quote unquote great generals are

are really very much personality based.

Some of our best and most accomplished generals, we actually hear very, very little about simply because they kept their mouth shut and they did a great job.

They were generally liked by their soldiers.

Usually when we talk about a great general,

They are a personality.

People talked about them.

They generated spots in the newspaper.

They were part of the national dialogue.

People are aware of them.

Those patents come to mind, MacArthur's, et cetera.

But they've got problems innate to them.

So if you're a national leader, you're going to say, hey, is this general going to accomplish the mission while also not getting us in trouble more than, you know, assuming more risk than they need to?

Whereas for a soldier, I think they're going to say, all right, do you give me victory, but also do you feed me, clothe me, pay me, and allow me a sense of pride in myself?

So yes and no.

I mean, in today, remember, a general officer in the U.S.