This monograph examined the relationship between junior and senior U.S. Army officers. In 2000, Thomas, E. Ricks, a reporter for the Washington Post, wrote an article contending that there was a rift between the junior and senior leaders in the U.S. Army officer corps. The reporter shared the details of some of the more shocking remarks made by these students attending the Command and General Staff College, about their senior leaders, that did not cast them in a positive light. The overriding theme was that there is no trust in the senior leadership. After this news release, many in the officer corps began to openly ask if there was a tension between junior and senior officers in the military. These events sparked internal reflection by the Army and its leadership in 2000 by senior members of the officer corps. The United States Army War College Strategic Studies Institute even listed "Improving Junior Officer Confidence in Senior Officer Leadership" as a critical potential research topic for officers. This is a very relational topic that required exploration into the dimensions of fostering trust. Trust directly leads to confidence. Distrust destroys confidence. The key to improving confidence between these different levels of leaders is predicated on the functionality of the relationships between them. Functional relationships have distinctive characteristics, which are critical to the establishment of trust among members of a community. A functional command climate is one, which 1) exhibits an attitude of service, 2) fosters trust through effective communication, 3) exhibits senior leaders who teach and train, 4) exhibits senior leaders who are caring leaders, and 5) junior leaders who honor and obey senior leaders. These are the criteria the author used to answer the research question "are the relationships between junior and senior leaders in the U.S. Army officer corps dysfunctional?" The author explored the environment of the junior and senior leaders and assessed if these characteristics were present. This monograph began with an historical examination of relational trends found in the U.S. Army officer corps from 1970 to 2000 in order to determine if the problems identified in surveys in 2000 were new problems or part of a continuing trend. The monograph discussed the characteristics of functional relationships and techniques leaders can use to create functional environments. These concepts were applied to an analysis of the present climate between junior and senior leaders based on input from survey comments made by junior officers in 2000. The monograph assessed general trends and found overall, relationships between junior and senior leaders were dysfunctional. There are senior leaders out in the U.S. Army who demonstrated functional characteristics. These leaders appeared to be the exception as opposed to the norm. This research paper ended with conclusions and recommendations for the future. Only strong, healthy and functional command climates can help steer the Army officer corps through the uncertain future that stands before this nation. In order to create an environment where functional relationships are possible between junior and senior leaders the U.S. Army must make significant changes to the present personnel management systems, including reexamining the officer evaluation system and the present up or out promotion policy. Other recommendations include sensitizing senior leaders to the interpersonal skills necessary to achieve functional relationships. Senior leaders must commit to reversing the present thirty-year trend by eliminating systems, which encourage dysfunctional behavior, reward behavior in leaders that fosters functional characteristics and consciously exhibit functional characteristics at their level of influence. If senior leaders intentionally strive to reverse the present paradigms in the U.S. Army, the relationships between officers will improve and the U.S. Army will reap the benefit of greater creativity and commitment across the officer corps.

ADA 394870 Approved for public release; Distribution is unlimited. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the student-authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College or any other governmental agency. (References to these studies should include the foregoing statement.)