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on an operational, i.e., a wartime footing. If the rest of the nation was similarly engaged in the maintenance of Canada’s national security, the demand upon resources seen in almost every facet of the Canadian Forces’ day-to-day existence might not be so significant, but that is not the case. As a result, the profession of arms finds itself called upon to make fundamental choices about how it conducts its business, and upon how it makes use of its scarce resources. These choices are as apparent in the area of Professional Military Education (PME) as in all other functions. At the Canadian Forces College, for example, there have been chronic shortfalls among military faculty over the last decade, and, more recently, there is a definite pressure from user organizations to reduce the time spent on professional development. Paradoxically, there are warnings from many of the most senior officers that the military cannot put all its energies and resources into the current campaign in Afghanistan. There will be other issues that will need our attention, and other operational demands that will strain our resources. How can the PME system, asked both to limit the extent of programs, and, implicitly at least, to provide a suite of learning programs that will ensure ability by the institution to respond to the demands of the future, make good on those conflicting demands? This opinion piece will argue that if we must focus upon providing the essence of professional excellence to meets today’s needs, as well as those of the future, then this essence must take the form of cognitive competency – that necessary set of thinking skills that will allow leaders to deal with complexity, ambiguity, and uncertainty.
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