of seeking to punish anyone who makes a mistake is that you'll have everyone afraid to make a decision. In wartime, leaders have to make countless decisions and make them in a timely manner. To expect that every decision be correct is both unrealistic and counterproductive. Sure, you try not to make mistakes (and especially irreversible mistakes*), but they're going to happen.

I saw firsthand the effects of "accountability" in the Air Force. It got to the point where generals would go around and claim there was "No fatal mistake" (meaning that someone who made an honest mistake shouldn't be punished for it), except that everyone new of careers that were destroyed by someone making an honest mistake. The result is paralysis. I've joked for years that the unofficial motto for Air Force Space Command is "God forbid anyone make a decision!" Seemingly simple decisions can take months, even years because no one wants to be held accountable if they somehow make an error.

The same has been said about other bureaucracies as well. One very notable example is the Food and Drug Administration. In fear of making an error like other countries did with thalidomide, the FDA will drag out a drug approval for years. All too often, a lot of people will die of conditions that the drug treated but that doesn't matter to the bureaucrats.

*I saw a study last year that claimed that on average, for every two miles someone drives, the driver makes 40 observations, 20 decisions, and 1 mistake. Most of the mistakes are minor. The key is not to make an irreversible mistake - one whose consequences can't be reversed. Examples of irreversible mistakes when driving include reckless driving that causes an accident which could result in criminal prosecution or going so fast in bad weather that you lose control.