Interesting Guy Watch: Major General Gerald Grosvenor
By Unfortunately also behind the Defense News subscription wall is an excellent interview with Major General Gerald Grosvenor, leader of the United Kingdom’s Reserve Forces. General Grosvenor makes the case that the British Army and the US Army approach the use of force, especially in a counter-insurgency setting, in fundamentally different manners. His main argument is that British soldiers are trained to be more flexible in situations that call for the moderation of force.
Where the British soldier has an edge, if one is to put it that way, is that our servicemen have a very well rounded training in terms of the being able to understand the nuances and complications of peace-keeping operations. The British soldier also has more experience entering into and understanding different cultural environments. Understanding and working with different cultures is embedded in our military history and in our experience since World War II throughout the world.
. . .
Somehow, it’s terribly natural for the British soldier to transition from a fighter to playing football with the locals while Basra is going up in flames. Whether that’s traning or our culture, I’m not sure- probably a combination.
In terms of training, I refer to the ability of the British soldier to be able to change like a chameleon, from one role to another- from one day having a beret on his head, walking the beat as a policeman, and the next day the threat increasing, and having a helment on his head. And recognizing the moment when to take the helment and body armor off and project yourself in a more caring role.
Reasonable enough.
General Grosvenor is an interesting guy, however, because in addition to being the leader of the UK’s Reserve Force, he is also the Sixth Duke of Westminster, a multi-billionaire, and the third wealthiest person in the United Kingdom. I leave you to draw any applicable conclusions from his story.