A perspective on the debate over personnel and compensation policies, documenting the evolution of military officer personnel management policies from Colonial times to the present. Emphasis is placed on the provision of the "required" number of properly trained officers during both war and peace. The historical development of a managerial class in industry is also examined, partially because personnel practices of business firms have been held up as examples of efficiency for the services. This is shown to have little basis in fact. The evolution of the military officer and his counterpart in industry is traced through six historical periods.