Hendrix's Eccentric Commentary

2/12/2025

There is an old story, well known and beloved by most in the military and by military historians, and almost certainly legendary, that goes like this:

Supposedly, the old Prussian Army, universally judged the most efficient in Europe, used the following method for evaluating their officers and to make sure that the square pegs were fitted into square holes.

Officers were evaluated according to two categories: were they intelligent or stupid and were they active or lazy. Once these determination were made, what is interesting is how  the officers were allocated:

Those judged intelligent and lazy were suited for the highest commands; they would use their intelligence to figure out what to do and their laziness would allow their subordinates to get on with the job and do the actual work.

Those judged intelligent and active would become the staff officers.  They would work hard to do what was necessary and were intelligent enough to do the job right.

Those who were classified as stupid and lazy become the line officer — they would do just enough to keep the wheels turning.

But those who were stupid and active were dangerous, and must be gotten rid of.

Applying this rubric to Trump and Musk it is tempting to assign them to the active and stupid category, and it is certainly true that they qualify as dangerous.  But remember, the scheme above says nothing about goals:  the Prussian Army, in its Wehrmacht guise, intelligently and efficiently did some truly awful things.

I would put Trump in the “intelligent but lazy” commander category. He is ignorant and uncaring about the results of his action, but he has displayed significant intelligence (or at least cunning and ruthlessness) to get where he is today.  Musk is, of course. the intelligent but active staff officer who put his chief’s desires and intention into operation, and on occasion anticipates and expands those intentions.  

And intelligent but lazy commanders are cunning enough to sacrifice the intelligent and active staff officers when their actions blow up in their faces.