Heinlein was
big on this topic. His comments on it in
Starship Troopers are absolutely scathing. In the system he described in that book, all officers had to be selected from the ranks, and the idea of training and commissioning a civilian to be an officer was mocked to scorn.
Heinlein must have served under a Lt. Niedermeyer type at some point...
[ February 12, 2004, 10:58: Message edited by: General Woundwort ]