Now let me get this straight. Our newly formed Space Force is not seeking the most competent officers with the greatest leadership potential. The airline is not seeking the most competent pilots with the most experience. No, both are seeking “politically reliable” officers who unthinkingly go along with the latest orthodoxy.
I feel better already. Let the Chinese and Russians dominate space, and thereby dominate Earth. Let them have the most competent airline pilots with the best safety records. We Americans can make do with second best. True, when it comes to the military or to air travel, second best can get you killed. But that’s a small price to pay for political reliability.
This isn’t the first time a regime tried to assure conformity. Stalin placed a political officer next to every high-ranking army or navy commanding officer. That person could report the military man for any perceived deviation from communist dogma, and even countermand his orders if necessary.
What is more, in the 1930s Stalin liquidated a large proportion of the officer corps, including Marshal Tukhachevsky, chief of the general staff. As a result, there was a shortage of experienced officers when World War II broke out, and the German invasion almost succeeded. Of course, to know this, one would have to study history – that is, study what happened before we were born, which couldn’t be important, because it didn’t involve us.
So there we go, following the most oppressive, least successful role model we can find. Got to check out those social media posts and publications. Who knows? Somebody might have had an original thought. Somebody might be concerned that the military win conflicts, or that the planes land safely, rather than what’s really important – correct beliefs. That person must be fired! 
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