The following is a discussion between Army Spc. Travis Bales, an 11B infantryman with 3 combat deployments, who will present the point. The rebuttal is offered by Maj. Jack Rogers, a 2006 USMA graduate.

POINT: West Point has long upheld itself as the standard bearer for the U.S. Army officer corps. However, in the 21st century our nation faces a diverse array of threats and situations that require outside-the-box thinking, varying life skills, and other extraordinary factors that can’t be obtained through a core curriculum of military study that aims to generate an entire class of officers trained to think alike.

COUNTERPOINT: Excuse me, Lieutenant? There seems to be an enlisted man speaking in my presence. Is it yours? Please keep a better eye on him. This is a professional space. You know better.

POINT: ROTC should be standardized as the commissioning source for the military. Unique backgrounds, schools of thought, and regional differences can all be used to create a mentally agile and academically diverse pool of officers prepared to take on the threats of the modern battlefield