system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Why were the jedi put in charge of the clone army?

With the low number of jedis, wouldn't they have been more useful as special forces or spies? Would a jedi know anything about large-scale military strategy or logistics?
gpt
Ah! This is an interesting topic that comes up a lot when studying the fall of the Old Republic.

In theory, the Jedi are a "peacekeeping" force for the Republic, tasked with negotiating, maintaining order through nonviolent means, and acting as mediators. Given this legacy of pacifism, why were they called upon as warriors as soon as the Clone Wars broke out?

Well in truth, the Jedi have a long and extensive history of militarization. During the (many, many) years of Sith-Jedi wars, the Jedi were often called to combat as some of the only units capable of taking on another force adept without massive losses or massive overcompensation. After so many years of being trained as front-line soldiers, bits and pieces of tradition still held on, even during the thousand years after the Ruusan reformation where there were no full scale Jedi-Sith conflicts.

Force-influenced charismatic leadership qualities, an ability to discern their enemy's intentions, and "battle meditation" a well documented and *very* effective ability where powerful force users can inspire their troops to work with greater unity, efficiency, and coordination, all lead to Jedi being incredibly effective leaders, especially when on the front lines. Ironically, it is these exact qualities that make them such effective mediators and negotiators.

In short, the Jedi were charismatic leaders, trained in combat, and even without their more unique abilities would likely make notably effective front line leaders. *With* these abilities, given the sheer scale and unexpected rapidity when the Clone Wars began (remember that both the Clone and Droid armies were entirely unexpected by both the Jedi *and* the Republic!), it's no surprise that the Jedi were called upon as warriors to defend the Republic with such little deliberation or negotiation.