"Military Style Planning"

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As we wait to move into our new home we've been in a Residence Inn, and I've watched more than my fair share of shows on the Food Network. Anyway this host was doing a documentary on the banquet they have after the Grammys, and she was trying to express the enormity of the task. "300 lbs. of tuna, 6,000 tomatoes, etc. etc." She talked about how many chefs would be involved and so forth, and then said, "...getting ready for a task that will require military-style planning."

Can someone please explain to me why the military has a reputation for being excellent planners? Don't, say, experimental scientists have to really think things through before starting a project? Don't oil companies engage in long-range planning?

Comments

  1. Wabulon5:28 PM

    Oil companies (inter alia) commit great patience and resources to genuine long-range planning, resulting in triumphal announcements of record profits (again).

    The military's accomplishment is just as excellent: managing to hold on by their fingernails and somehow to maintain under the aspect of utter and unremitting chaos.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous4:39 AM

    I think, perhaps, it is the size of something like D-Day that impresses people. An oil company will rarely land a million employees at once in, say, Saudi Arabia.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Margaret7:29 PM

    Maybe it has something to do with the manner in which they will slaughter the innocent tomatoes.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous9:21 AM

    Great article! Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous3:05 PM

    Thanks for interesting article.

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