Military Review English Edition March-April 2014 | Page 41

JUNIOR OFFICER DEVELOPMENT
incident at My Lai, Vietnam in March, 1968, known
as the Peers Report, cites the inexperience of the
platoon leaders who participated as a major factor
in the mass murder of roughly 400 noncombatants.
The 1970 report states these junior officers chose to
follow rather than question orders from their company commander concerning the use of lethal force
on unarmed villagers who were mostly women,
children, and old men. The Peers Report noted the
“extraordinary degree of influence” wielded by the
company commander, a career officer known as
a strict disciplinarian, over these still-developing
platoon leaders. The report concluded that inexperience contributed to the poor judgment exercised by
platoon-level leaders—both officers and NCOs—at
My Lai.21
Our leadership doctrine summarizes this point:
“Good judgment on a consistent basis is important
for successful A ɵ䁱