The same idea has been repeated for years. about generation Z: who lives glued to a screen, who has less capacity for sacrifice and who is less prepared to face great challenges. However, the commander of the United States Marine Corps maintains just the opposite. In his opinion, the biggest change is not in the young people, but in the war.
The big mistake. Few generations have accumulated so many stereotypes like Z. They are accused of depending on cell phones, social networks or video games and, by extension, of being less resilient than their parents and grandparents.
Eric M. SmithCommander of the United States Marine Corps, counted in Military who believes that this reading is based on a wrong premise: different life experiences are being confused with a supposed lack of character. After almost four decades of service and thousands of recruits seen passing through training centers, his conclusion is blunt: “their surnames have changed, but their character and commitment have not.”
Like in WW2. “They are made of the same wood as the Marines of World War II,” explains. The comparison is not accidental. Smith equates today’s young people with those who fought in historical scenarios such as Iwo Jima, the Chosin Reservoir or, more recently, Fallujah.
He also rejects the idea that the Corps has lowered its standards to attract volunteers. “We have not lowered standards. We never will,” affirms. Their argument is simple: the Marines continue to demand that the applicants adapt to the institution and not the other way around, maintaining a training process that continues to be the longest in the US armed forces.
Eric M. Smith
It’s not the character, it’s the tools. Where Smith does see a break with previous generations is in the relationship with technology. He himself remembers that he was already a captain when he had his first mobile phone, while the new recruits have grown up surrounded by mobile phones, video games and the Internet.
What for years has been interpreted as a distraction can be, according to the generala strategic advantage. “They’re damn smart,” summarizedbefore adding a sentence that explains his reasoning: just give them a device and five minutes for them to discover on their own how to use a drone, while officers from previous generations would need specific training.
Skills that barely counted before. The Smith’s statements They come at a time when the battlefield is undergoing accelerated transformation. The war in Ukraine has become protagonists to FPV drones, artificial intelligencesensors, electronic warfare and connected systems, displacing part of the traditional prominence of the large armored or artillery.
In this context, understanding digital interfaces, quickly adapting to new tools or intuitively learning how complex systems work begins to be as important as physical resistance or aim.
Each military revolution has changed the profile. History shows that armies have always had to adapt to the technologies of their time. There was a time when know how to ride a horse made the difference, then came radio, radar, cryptography or the guided missilesforcing the incorporation of increasingly more technical profiles.
The digitalization of combat represents another similar jump. The skills that many identify with a generation raised on screens can now become a first-rate military asset.
The real advantage. He Smith’s message transcends the debate about generation Z. It does not maintain that young people are better than their predecessors, but rather that they have a natural familiarity with technology that fits the needs of the modern army.
For him, the core values remain exactly the same as 250 years ago (honor, courage and commitment), but the tools have changed. And in a war where a drone operator can influence so much As an infantry unit, the ability to quickly master a new system may become one of the most valuable qualities of the soldier of the future.
Image | CEPA, ACMCphotousmc
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