[bell-cot]

France ditched most of its senior naval officers late in the 18th century, for the "crime" of being loyal to the prior regime: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Revolution

[zardo]

The French army purged old loyalists and replaced them with young officers, but wound up more capable, not less.

[mncharity]

Copilot contrasts the army's extensive battlefield promotions, broad and rapid, versus the navy's leadership funnel narrowed and slowed by specialized skills and more limited opportunities to develop and demonstrate them.