4th Abc Leadership

The critical leadership problem facing the 4th ABCT is weak and toxic leadership has created a unit culture tolerance and indifference. While deployed 4th ABCT’s leadership fostered an elitist unit culture, tolerant of sub-standard and inappropriate behavior, and indifferent to individual development and personal needs. The demands of the short notice deployment coupled with the SFAT mission change create a stressful environment and planted seeds of separation within the BCT. The change from offensive operations to security and stability operations negated the METL tasks 4th ABCT completed during their MRE and resulted in 4th ABCT not receiving properly training or manning during their deployment. The leadership then allowed the SFAT mission to compromise the integrity of the

Additionally the physical separation of SFAT battalions combined with solid performance while assigned to a different Brigade (BDE) established a separate unit identity for the “War Harks” and they distanced themselves from 4th ABCT. Although improper training, organizational construct, and manning and equipment challenges were all contributing factor, I believe the catalyst for 4th ABCT’s culture decline was the deaths of the BDE Commander COL Timmons, the BDE command sergeant major (CSM), and one of the battalion commanders’. The catastrophic loss of the 4th ABCT command team took a tremendous toll on the BDE staff and key leaders, especially the DCO, LTC (P) Tagoli. After this event LTC (P) Tagoli and several members of the staff became resentful of the mission and numb to the actions and needs of their Soldier. When COL Lanks took command he left many of the responsibilities for daily operations with the deputy brigade commander,