People are what they are, especially in a bureaucracy. Don’t expect them to change. When you have an opportunity, but you need a person in a critical position to do something to make it happen, you must take stock of them. Are they the type to go on a limb? Is it the environment for them to do so? You can usually tell right away. A Colonel that is retiring within a year, is no longer trying to make his mark on the institution. He may see great merit in your cause and has a desire to help, but you can see from your first interaction whether he has enough self interest in the project for him to step up to that cause. Typically it’s no, despite his best intentions. Don’t build programs or projects that rely on people to fight their own human nature.