Nelson continued to receive command despite operational losses and a complicated private life. A zero-error ideal instead teaches officers that one decision outside the usual rulebook could end their careers. Fear of dismissal rewards literal compliance even when circumstances demand judgment. Nelson's career exposes the contradiction between celebrating initiative and punishing every unsuccessful exercise of it.
Chapter · 29:28-31:44
The cost of a zero-error command culture
Nelson's acknowledged failures challenge a modern command climate in which one unconventional decision can end an otherwise promising career.