The problem is the politics (small 'p' politics, how you promote yourself and are perceived by others) inherent in being promoted as you go further up in the ranks.

The problem is the politics (small 'p' politics, how you promote yourself and are perceived by others) inherent in being promoted as you go further up in the ranks. The highest levels of the military often get there by being risk-averse and making no mistakes.

I had a new CO report (Navy O-5) onboard and I immediately knew he was worthless. His first message to the crew in person was how important "diversity" was. It was a Navy frigate, about 30% of the crew was black and probably 15% Hispanic, and a healthy representation of other ethnicities, including some actual foreign nationals. They didn't need to hear about diversity, they lived it as a natural outcome of being volunteers in the Navy.

This guy essentially showed up, looked around, remembered his brief from CO school, and thought, "I need to get on record that I promote diversity, to make sure I don't get scrutinized." I had to work closely with him an I hated that guy. He was slimy and focused solely on not getting fired from his CO tour. Of course he got promoted to O-6 and then Rear Admiral.

His predecessor was one of the two best COs I have ever known and was a superior human being as well as Naval Officer. He had to retire as an O-6 because he didn't make admiral.