The Army prefers its officers to have a balance of breadth and depth throughout their development. David Epstein’s Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World illustrates concepts that are advantageous to an Army officer’s development. He insists that breadth can be just as valuable as depth in a complex environment. The purpose of this essay is to highlight Epstein’s concepts of broad integration, the ability to adapt to change, and learning slowly to the Army officer’s military career, personal development, and future assignments.
Book Concepts and the Officer Military Career
Epstein emphasizes the concepts of broad integration, the ability to adapt to change, and learning slowly in his book Range. These concepts align with
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26).
The officer military career benefits from the concept of broad integration because the career map for officers requires them to function as generalists more so than a specialist. Officers fill a variety of positions such as Platoon Leader, Company Commander, branch-specific Key
Developmental positions, and other broadening positions through the duration of their military career. In doing so, officers learn different knowledge or skills. Thus, the concept of broad integration enables officers to fill their tool belts with the necessary tools for success. The concept of adapting to change is also instrumental to the officer's military career.
Epstein writes, "Exposure to the modern world has made us better adapted for complexity, and that has manifested as flexibility, with profound implications for the breadth of our intellectual world" (2019, p. 60). The ability to adapt allows officers to be flexible. As mentioned before, officers fill a variety of positions, some of which may not fall under their respective branch career map. However, they must remain flexible and adapt to their new environment.
Moreover, the concept of learning slowly aids the officer's military career progression