Officers should be judged by the competence of their decisions and reactions, not by an impossible standard of never making mistakes. Hesitation gives an enemy time to act and can be equally dangerous in a crisis. Properly trained watchkeeping officers need both authority and confidence to act on the information in front of them rather than waiting reflexively for a senior decision.
Notable Point · 1:56:40-2:03:02
Why command culture must allow decisions
Officers who fear career-ending blame may hesitate when an emergency demands action.