Joint Staff Rocks Again

Check out this interesting post by a "Feminist in the Pentagon."  Like me, she was surprised at how welcoming the folks on the Joint Staff were.  And then she enumerates why they are so swell:

1. They work as a team.
2. They encourage professional development.
3. They are smart.
4. They reward good work.
5. They don't bullshit.
6. They hold diverse views.

I pretty much entirely agree.  They welcome diverse views, but they were not that diverse.  At least, not in my one year of experience in the Balkan moshpit. 

But I wholeheartedly agree with this line: "The serious content of our work, juxtaposed with the camaraderie and humor of our office, strikes a great balance."

Of course, this woman is generalizing about the military.  It may be the case that the Joint Staff is the best part of the military--that is what they always told me.  We have examples of other places in the military where team means the boss tells you to just do what he thinks is right, that they are not that bright, and where they do not hold diverse views--CENTCOM under Tommy Franks, for instance.

Still nice to see that my experience was not unique and that today's Joint Staff is not that different from the one I enjoyed ten years ago.