Interesting question.
I really don't like a tactics skill because it seems to dictate how a player problem solves. It might work when a less competent player needs to address a tactical issue, but it doesn't work very well the other way around.
I think screening players might be the best solution to the problem of player-PC competence. If you have a person with little to no military knowledge/experience who wants to play a combat officer, then a rethink is in order. Recommend he/she play an enlisted person (or draftee, even), or non-combat officer thrust by circumstance into commanding a combat unit. Or dictate- whatever creates a better fit for the type of campaign you are playing.
I think that player maturity and RP'ing ability also have a large role to play in this. A mature player knows better than to create a PC that is not going to be a good fit, or that he/she can't play well due to a lack of conceptual background. A mature player can also turn an in-game tactical mistake into a good RP'ing opportunity.
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