Thought experiment:
You're an instructor at the FRS. One of your students is struggling in the syllabus. You do an HFB, PRB, etc and based on the available information, decide to not recommend a FNAEB to the CO. This student goes on to complete the course and goes to the fleet.
Five years later, this former student of yours, through what is determined to be gross pilot error, crashes his jet and kills his crew. You are now a DH. What is your degree of culpability given your decision to allow him to continue in the FRS? Should you be demoted, reprimanded or fired from your DH tour? Should you make a public apology to the families of the crew he killed?
Not a perfect analogy, but I hope it illustrates just how complicated an undertaking you're proposing. Accountability should always be the goal, but we work in an immensely complicated bureaucratic organization and sometimes that just isn't possible, practical or fair.
It's a decent thought experiment and one that a few of us have had over beers, only from a slightly different angle: How about a CO who gives his long #1 EP to a guy who (at the time) appears to be solid, respected/admired by CPOs, JOPA, and Sailors, but comes unhinged once in the front office and drives a squadron into the ground. Should the CO who made this guy a CO be held accountable? Yes. No. Maybe. It's tough question. It's as imperfect of a question as Brett's, but it does get you thinking about where the line is drawn, or if it is ever drawn.
In my estimation, there were/are several senior leaders with rose colored glasses permanently affixed to their heads. They failed to listen closely enough, or ask the really tough questions based on the information they had/have. At the same time, they were/are admittedly limited in the number of levers they have to pull, knowing an action today has significantly more reactions and consequences 2,4,10 years down the line.
So what's a guy to do? And these are general musings, not directed to, or in response to any particular post here: Tip O'Neil once said, "all politics is local." I'd offer that all leadership is local. Focus on what you can control within your sphere of influence. Go all in trying to get your Sailors the classes, tools, and training they need. When shitty deals come down from Pers or local manning dudes, push back and ask why? Push your JO's hard to focus on their tactical development while screening as much BS as you can for them. Try to do what you can to make "work" fun, and pick your battles wisely. Get creative in looking for and creating training opportunities where they don't seem to exist now. Don't sugar coat things for your guys, Sailors or JO's, they're all way too smart to buy BS lines from their own squadron leaders, and you'll instantly lose credibility with them. A recognition on your part that things aren't awesome, but that you're willing to do what you can from your current station in life to affect positive outcomes will go a long way.
There's a pretty solid trend of US military leadership ossifying until major conflicts happen, then loads of stars are fired and young turks promoted quickly.
Sure, but.... be careful in who you anoint as a "young turk." Not every LT who's read the John Boyd cliff notes is the revolutionary #
innovator they fancy themselves to be. There's one you and I have recently PM'd about that comes to mind.