West butes humor me for the purposes of this event. We are really, really glad you could be here. We started here last may and we are very, very pleased to be here with our friends. Its a monday night in new york, a beautiful spring day in the late winter. And we know that even on a monday night in new york there are 10000 other places you could be. Nobody involved with puttingng this together or is in it takes for granted that you chose to be here. Thank you very much in the presence you get at the end of your efforts is in meeting with that wonderful author. And of course that is tim. We are also joined by cspan book tv they are taking good care of us. If you look at the page turners twitter or facebook page, i will postce when this is actually going to air. We are not live, which is probably a good thing. It should air sometime i would think in the early actual spring. Im going to tell you a little bit about the series, talk about the book and then bring tim out. We are going to talk a little bit and then we will have a q a. We want you to be part of the conversation. Our only request is that you shape your thoughts in the form of a question. If you cannot do that, i will politely move onto the next person who has done so and then give you the opportunity to form your thoughts into the shape of a question. Everyone involved with the events, they would appreciate you doing that. The book came out last tuesday, i believe this is the first new york city event and you will give you the chance to purchase multiple copies. The book is 30, allinclusive, and remember and new york city bar is a two book minimum. [laughter] ten will be happy if you ask in over close to knisley to sign the book for you. I very much want to thank you for bringing this book to our attention. Do take this moment to take yourself phone off in silence, that will be much appreciated. Take care of your bartender who has been in here, please feel free to go tofe the understudy. Coming up, the next event we have booked is two weeks from tonight on march 9 with alvarez, the author of spirit, the 6000mile marathon through stolen land. Its an incredible debut memoir mexican immigrant who federalize labor and fruit packing plants to run in the native american marathon from canada to guatemala. Challenging himself to reimagine north america and his place in it. Thats to ask him tonight. If you want to hear about more of our events i will not bother you too much one event a month you are looking about two emails for me a month that i hope that is not too many. So once again, thank you very, very much for being here now onto our author. It says that Social Security is the third rail of americant politics. But with even the mildest criticism from the military, the cries from all sides of the political spectrum that they support our troops. Suggest a more dangerous third rail. It is deeply researched, finally written and ultimately iconic classic, the cost of loyalty, tim grabs onto that peerless tract with that precision illustrates how military academies are failing values. Ssion and and how theyve establish themselves as utterly separate from the values that Armed Services than democratic nation shouldd serve. He mentions early in the book public polling about the militarys popularity and goes well into the disconnect between reality and perception. Those on the receiving end of tims harsh but fair and deeply evident examination will protest the cost of loyalty is an attack on them. But what it is, is a leadership document, a passionate call for the military to reintegrate for the society it was created to serve and protect. To set Higher Standards for Service Members that they serve better in the role that they have chosen. And should break the decades long cycle of lowering of quality. The cost of loyalty spells out the consequences of not doing so. Please join me in welcoming tim. [applause] guest thank you. Good evening everyone thank you for being here and for arranging this event. What i would like to do to start is to try to illustrate some of the reasons that america has had difficulty winning wars. And then try to draw a line, which i think we can do, with some precision from what has occurred in the military within the United States, to what has occurred in various wars in which the United States has fought since 1945. To do that, i will look at and ask you to consider a couple of things in regard to those wars. Some people would indeed not even call them wars because there is a sense, it is very difficult to concede that america has lost wars, or at a very minimum has failed to win wars. A couple of considerations those warsour of are, number one, that in them the United States engaged in battles that could sometimes involve the killing of innocent civilians. Number two, and all of those instances, the United States military was not forthright and indeed covered up some of those events during those wars. In the korean war, for example, that began in 1950, what became known as the no gunnery killings were u. S. Soldiers going for north korean shoulders infiltrating across the lines into south korea, killed people, who were civilians thinking that they could be soldiers. That of course is a violation of the laws of war. The military must distinguish between soldiers and between civilians. Over 50 years, the military denied that occurred but in 1999, a pulitzer prizewinning expose by the Associated Press showed on the basis of what u. S. Soldiers, who were elderly told them, that did indeed occur. In 1968, the vietnam war, u. S. Soldiers engaged in what became known as the massacre. The army knew what had occurred, and it knew who was the main opponent of the killing. But it would most be described in a safe house based in america until he was found by an enterprising journalist. And we know and those two instances, there were approximately 800 to 900 People Killed. And the afghanistan war, and the war in a iraq, there were other incidents were u. S. Soldiers engaged in the killing of civilians while they were engaged in war. Now sometimes, this happens, but in the instances we see the most prominent instances, the bridge were people were killed in korea, and vietnam, and in a place in iraq all of those killed things by u. S. Soldiers were committed by soldiers intentionally. They were not accidents. The same held true in afghanistan. We had some questions about why we were in afghanistan over these last 18 and a half years, but the military and civilian leadership kept telling us we were making progress. We did not see the progress necessarily, but that was the perception that we were supposed to believe. But it wasnt until december, just a couple months ago, when the Washington Post reveals whats called the afghanistan papers did we understand that we had been deceived during the afghanistan war. That is to say that every single military leader, and civilian leader, believed that we were not making progress, not in one instance if anyone tells we were not making progress. But over those four wars, since 1950 until today, february 24, 2020, the United States has lost 100,000 u. S. Soldiers in those wars. Where that was undertaken in those four countries, and nonobody really disagrees about this, but nobody really knows the exact number for sure, the range of People Killed is from about 3 million to about 6 million people. But all those places, korea, vietnam, those are communist regimes. One is a Nuclear Weapons conductor at this point. Afghanistan and iraq are more dangerous now than when the United States military invaded. We could say that the politicians are to blame, and some people will say that. Butla in fact, and multiple wars congress met 37 different times in january and it sessions and provided unprecedentedce support to the u. S. Military. Today m about 740 billion a year. It is fruitful to question why we have lost these wars, or why under any realistic objective and reasonable view, the United States has been unsuccessful. It is useful to look at the military and why these generals in korea for example, there was the bombing of cities, which were completely destroyed the koreans and motivated them to develop Nuclear Weapons because they could not trust the United States did not completely and utterly destroy them once again. What is happening, and because of that i would like to take a look at the military generally and specifically at the u. S. Military academies which are the places where, over the last 200 years, especially west point, the Army Military academy, where the top generals and admirals have originated. Where they spend the most formative years of their lives, four years prior to becoming an officer. To do that, i mentioned that there were two considerations in regard to the four wars. One was that in each instance, when there were tragedies, in fact were u. S. Soldiers killed civilians intentionally, there was a coverup. There was a denial that these things even occurred. How can that be . What happened . Is that something new or has not been continuing for these past 75 years . In 2015, i will read a portion from the book at this point. There were two former colonels who were working at the Army War College and continued to work at the Army War College. Leonard and steve who published a steve that is relatively unknown, but is an amazing and his conclusions. But yet, our society, our civilian society and our military society of not coalesce to realize the studycia and to decide whether something should be done. Obviously im urging something should be done. Its basically like this. They believe that the greatest peril of dishonesty is what they describe as the facilitation of hypocrisy in our leaders because they learn to talk of oneworld while living and another. The authors go on toli say that rampant rationalization have allowed leaders to espouse lofty affectional values while slogging through the layer of dishonesty and deceit. These are for me Army Officers talk about current officers in 2015. These habits and disregard for the truth creates a coercive corrosive culture that fewer acknowledge and fewer discussed to work to react and drink correct. The end result the authors say, is a profession whose members often hold and propagate a false sense of integrity, that prevents the profession from addressing or even acknowledging the duplicity and deceit throughout the formation. How does this occur . That is one reason, but where does that come from . Where does deceit come from . I will use the example of admissions at the military academies west point and the wedding colorado springs. To enroll in a military academy, High School Students must receive a nomination from a member of congress. However, those nominations, while necessary sometimes, are relatively meaningless in regards to the actual application. An application, according to the department of education, to which every college in the country musttmus subscribe, is someone who submits a formal application, a file, and then is accepted, rejected, or placed on a waiting list. What the military academies have been doing, now it appears for about 44 years, very few people understand or recognize this because there is a perception that there is a nomination system, and that nomination system somehow affects them fabrication that is occurring. But that has nothing to do with it. What they do, is count students who are in high school, and attend camps, and indicated an interest in the military academy, and on whom they start a file. That is west point term, on whom we start a file. Ace file started is then translated into an applicant. The actual number of applicants each year, at each military academy might be about 2000 at west point last year about 2200, or 1200 students. Students,ieve 1200 the academies have to offer admissions to more than 1200 students. In reality, the admissions rates at every Academy Every year is over 50 . From 20,822,018, into year increments, every two years, the acceptance rates was 56 to 70 . Today, and then, the military academy will claim an acceptance rate of 9 for the Naval Academy and 11 for the air force academy, and 11 for west point. Where does this lead us . These statistics are not my statistics, i did not protas the statistics, i became aware of the statistics by thinking about why we, as a country, have not succeeded in the wars in which we have engaged. But let me consider one other thing, as to what this produces. This again, is not my consideration. Three social scientists at west point in 2017, conducted a nether study. This study, like the study from 2015 was published by the Army War College. The Army War College is supposed to be the old standard of military research. It is not as though this information is hidden. Their study showed the following. Again i will read an excerpt from the book. In the 1960s, west point, this was according to the three social scientists at west point, two of whom are former or present military officers had to lower its academic standards to secure enough studentsnt unquote. In the early 1970s and had to accept virtually every qualified candidate in order to make its a roman quota unquote. From the 70s to the 90s west point continued its qualitative decline unquote. Intellectual capacity at west point hit bottom and it rains there today some cadets according to information some of the connects produced test score so low they would not qualify or barely qualify them to enlist at the lower ranks. The worst year for the academy in this regard with 2006 when about 25 of this testtakers, and army test, fell below the minimum officer candidate school market. Officer candidate school is another method, another way to enter the army. West point accepted students, who scored in the category for range which enlisted recruiting is the lowest allowable qualifying score. America has been losing wars without understanding why. The author of the study says this trend of deteriorating standard strangely enough should generally escape the notice of social scientists the military academies have another issue outside of their mischaracterization of the admis e standards and the sexual issue an assault became so Prominent Congress passed a separate law to requirm them to produce studies that show what the Sexual Assault rates were from male and female at the academy. You will hear the military say, regrettably that we cannot wmpare apples and oranges that civilian is different than Military Colleges. In that the Sexual Assault rate at the civilian college in the Military College is on par with the Sexual Assault rate everywhere else. That is not an accurate statement byat the military and the multizone study and the department of justice study, the most study from 2013 shows otherwise, the department of justice study is evaluating all College Students in america, community college, fouryear Research Schools as well they found a Sexual Assault rate of 6. 1 women students at civilian colleges per 1000 women students, 6. 1. If you make a fuller analysis and compare that with the pentagon studies, required by congress, the Sexual Assault rate of women at the academy is over 30 per year. 30 women per year per 100,000. 6. 100 versus 30. It is about five times greater the likelihood of Sexual Assault for a woman who accounts for the military academies. Theres any number of other reasons why we have difficulty winningg wars and a lot of them still from the academy and ends with description of what happens inside the military academy once the students are admitted. At the academies, as has been the case for over 200 years with regard to west point, the majority of the instructors are militaryit officers who receivea masters degree after one or two year end no matter how smart they are and how good they are as people in every respect and most of them are, they are nonetheless vastly less experienced than anybody else who teaches similar colleges in the United States. They do not have a professional doctorate or doctorate in their disciplines. They do not have experience or scholarly work behind them. They rotate to the military academy when they teach the cadet. The majority. A no one stole me when i was arguing with him that these soldier teachers who have rotated in, they rotated every two or three years and then theyre gone, 60 is gone after two or three years. That they should have professional Development Experience infhe this kernel who was second in command and one of the engineering departments, 50 of the academy are focused on engineering. That is not their responsibility, i bring them here so they can go to the blackboard and write with the same color of chalk, the same top principles in the same thing at the same time on the same day in the same classes. That is something that is continued to the present. I mentioned briefly the engineering curriculum in the academy, engineering was important to the military in the 1800s because soldiers built railroads, the not building railroads today, their hiring contractors to do it, the most important thing is Critical Thinking and creativity and engineering would be the last discipline despite the many brilliant people in it that you would utilize to bring our soldiers into afghanistan and iraq and asked them to be the mayors of towns in most cities, engineering is extremely important but is not currently in the job that officers are required to do today. Finally, it is almost not possible to understand how this has happened except when there is a culture within the military tha