The Life of an Army Staff Officer in Operations Research & Analysis: A Journey from Captain to Lieutenant Colonel
The life of an Army staff officer is often defined by long hours, endless PowerPoint slides, and the constant demand for data-driven decisions. For those in Functional Area 49 (Operations Research & Systems Analysis, or ORSA), this reality is amplified. We were expected to be the Army’s decision scientists, using data and analytical rigor to guide strategy, resource allocation, and operational planning. However, somewhere along the way—from 1997 to 2017—the Army lost its way, shifting from genuine analysis-driven decision-making to an environment where analysis became a justification tool for pre-determined conclusions.