Naval officers need technical knowledge to operate the ships and aircraft entrusted to them. Armstrong recalls understanding his helicopter's gas turbines and the Hellfire missile's laser guidance because of his Naval Academy engineering courses. The compulsory technical curriculum gave him a Bachelor of Science degree despite his history major. Those requirements sit alongside the humanities and social sciences because officers also lead people whose motivations and responses differ. Technical competence alone cannot explain why a leadership approach succeeds with one group and fails with another.
Notable Point · 1:50:35-1:52:58
Why naval officers study engineering and the humanities
A helicopter pilot's experience explains the combination of technical education and study of human behaviour in naval officer training.