"This is very good and will be of great help to the army."
Putting down the plan in his hand, Carlo praised General Simeone in front of him.
Carlo's words made the Chief of General Staff finally let go.
After all, this is his first move after taking office as Chief of General Staff. Wouldn't it be a huge loss of face if it ended before it started? Although this possibility is very low, it is not 100% sure.
It is inevitable to have some worries.
"Then His Majesty also agrees with this plan?"
Facing Simeone's question, Carlo nodded and answered. "This plan has been done very well, why should I oppose it."
To say that Carlo did not care about the Army would be an injustice to him. Even when the Army was dominated by several military leaders, Carlo never stopped paying attention to the Army. Although the Italian Army performed well before, as long as you look carefully
If you go through its opponents, you will know that the Italian Army is not as powerful as it appears. To defeat the relatively primitive Ethiopian army, it is necessary to attack with heavy troops. As for fighting the sick man of the Near East, it will be difficult if you don't involve the little Prussia in the Balkans.
It can be said that it is the victories that cover up the various problems of the army. It also causes outsiders to have certain deviations in their estimation of Italy's strength.
Now that the new number one and two figures in the military are initiating reforms to address the Army's problems, how could Carlo refuse?
Besides, although Simeone's non-commissioned officer reform seemed a bit crude and could not be compared with the later German army of 100,000, it was still ahead of its time. Of course, as the king, Carlo still wanted to know what was happening in front of him.
The Chief of the General Staff's plan for non-commissioned officers.
"Simone, what do you think of the development of non-commissioned officers?"
Faced with Carlo's inquiry, Simone pondered for a while and then said. "With the development of the non-commissioned officer class, I think that with the advancement of science and technology, the requirements for military technical personnel are getting higher and higher, and the non-commissioned officer class will definitely become popular.
As for now, noncommissioned officers play more of a role as assistants to officers, but their role cannot be underestimated."
Having said this, Simone decided to talk about some of the stubborn diseases in the army. "Your Majesty must also know that the current sources of officers in the army mainly come from military academies, and graduates of military academies are generally awarded the rank of lieutenant. They go through three to six months of training in the army.
After the internship, you will become the chief and deputy chief of a company."
Carlo also knew what Simeone was talking about, and he didn't feel there was anything wrong with it. "I know this situation. This is basically the case for armies of all countries. Is there a problem?"
"That's not a problem, but the number of graduating military cadets is a problem."
Hearing this, Carlo frowned. "What's going on?"
"It's like this. Although there are more than 400 military academy graduates every year, only about 300 enter the military..."
In Simone's narration, Carlo finally learned some secrets that were unknown to outsiders. Every year, 15%-25% of the graduates of the military academy will not enter the army at all. These graduates who do not enter the army will be awarded
Reserve the rank of lieutenant and then be placed in the reserves.
On the surface, this doesn't seem like much. It exists in every country, but Italy is a little higher. But the situation in Italy is different.
These reserve officers are basically nobles. After retaining their status as reserve officers, they continue to be busy with the affairs of their respective families. The ranks of their reserve officers will also continue to be promoted over time. More importantly, these reserve officers are
Reserve officers are promoted very quickly, basically advancing to the next level at a rate of three to four years.
Moreover, after being promoted to school-level officers, many noble officers will be recruited by the army and rejoin the army to become division-level officers.
You see, while other officers who graduated from school were struggling in the army, the aristocratic officer who found a new way completed his promotion at a very fast speed while drinking coffee and chatting at home.
Hearing this, Carlo didn't look good. No wonder the army has always been ineffective in combat. He always thought that this was due to the army's chaotic material management, serious corruption, obvious equipment gaps, etc. It turned out that there was still such a situation of taking the fast track.
This will also dampen the enthusiasm of those officers who work hard to fight as civilians in the military. After all, this kind of thing is very confidence-inspiring.
But even though he already knew it, the solution couldn't be solved in just one sentence. The nobles had their own base, and although this base had begun to deteriorate, they couldn't abandon it because of this.
Thinking of this, Carlo said, "I know about this, please don't make it public for now, and I will solve this problem when I am ready."
Carlo's words made Simone sigh inwardly. In fact, he regretted it as soon as he said it. He knew that there must be a large group of nobles with vested interests behind this kind of thing. He raised this issue himself. This was not to embarrass the king.
What?
Carlo's answer showed that he was an enlightened monarch and would not let go of such harm to the army.
"So are there any problems in the army?"
After hearing about such shortcuts in the Army, Carlo wanted to get more information from Simeone.
"That's all I know. Other situations can be handled."
To be able to ask one question like this is already considered very courageous for Simeone. If he asked a few more questions, where would Simeone's courage come from?
After seeing that Simone stopped talking, Carlo did not force him.
"In this case, you should implement the sergeant's plan first. I am very optimistic about your plan. It will definitely become the key to the army's combat effectiveness."
After sending Simeone away, Carlo sat in the office and pondered.
Carlo also knew that this situation was caused by the low level of restraint of the nobility. As for the root cause, it was that the unification of Italy was too smooth and the kingdoms were not cleaned up at all. The remaining poison has been affecting the development of Italy.
However, knowing the reason does not mean that a solution will be available immediately. Dealing with the aristocratic problem will test Carlo's political skills.
To use a common saying, this is like tofu falling into the ashes, unable to be beaten or blown.
But even so, Carlo wanted to give it a try. After all, these nobles had a huge impact on the development of the country.
Thinking of this, Carlo picked up the phone.
"Call the captain of the guard, I have something to talk to him about."
After putting down the phone, Carlo naturally thought that since the Army had this situation, would the Navy also have it?
But after some thinking, Carlo put this worry behind him.
The navy is a technical branch. In this era of rapid technological advancement, if we don't work hard, we will fall behind. There will be no loopholes for reserve officers like this. The navy does not have a big problem in this regard.
