a. The Army White Paper seeks define ourselves as a Profession of Arms and as Professional Soldiers in the era of constant conflict that we now live in. The paper is a thoughtful look into the past, present and future of our profession. It will have top leaders thinking about the direction of our profession and ways to keep the American Soldier a professional in his field. b. The beginning of the paper talks about the Army as a profession of arms by posing the question, “what does it mean to be a professional?”.
Returning to the 4th Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) to assume command as the brigade commander brings me much joy to be reunited with great Non-Commission Officers and Officers that I have previously served with. Unfortunately, this brigade is no longer the brigade I remember when I commanded a battalion within the 4th ABCT not so long ago. In the last 30 days, I have had the opportunity to observe the ABCT and review a multitude of historical documents to assess the state of the brigade. During my observation, I believe the critical leadership problem in the 4th ABCT’s is the lack of vision for the brigade. Therefore, this critical problem has led to other challenging issues within the brigade.
This paper investigates The Command Sergeant Major of the Army’s (SMA) hot topics for the military throughout his appointment of command to present date. Throughout this research document, one will conversely find several burning questions that SMA Daniel A. Dailey’s debates for the United States Army (US Army). These topics would include balancing Soldier readiness, removing Soldiers from non-deployable status, and general Soldier’s needs, is some of the hot topics that SMA Dailey discusses. Furthermore, SMA Dailey deliberates that Soldier readiness has become an important issue that every command has faced over the last few years.
The Army Profession is professional organization built on 239 years of traditions and belief that service to the nation and its people is greater than one’s self. The Army has evolved and changed over the course of its history. Through lessons learned from past conflicts, the Army as adapted and implemented changes to its doctrines to develop professional soldiers, educate, train soldiers as we fight and collectively prepare the Army for any future conflicts. This essay, from a soldier point of view, glances at the Army culture and the pillars which make up the foundation of the Army Profession; it explores the ethical codes and the five essential characteristics of the Army Profession: Military Expertise, Honorable Service, Trust, Esprit de Corps and Stewardship (ADRP1, 2013). Living by these specific sets of values and principles is what makes the Army Profession unique and set it apart from any other Professions.
The Echo of Battle is a must read for all professional Army officers to better contemplate the overarching doctrinal development of the United States Army. The book is in itself a history of the Army, the development of the Army’s tactical doctrine and how the doctrine of the Army has changed over time. The main argument of the book is that the central concepts of the Army were not formed in war but in the long periods of peace in between actual combat. Brian Linn, the author, further argues that the military intellectual elite have over the years created the ‘American Way of War’ instead of the great leaders of the military such as Patton or Eisenhower.
As Sergeants in the United States Army, it is crucial to focus on developing fundamental skills among our soldiers. Sergeants play a critical role in mastering fundamental skills by leading by example, fostering open communication, and being adaptable to the new modern age of soldiers and war. With a new generation of soldiers joining the Army, I believe it has caused some distress, and going back to the basics will support our soldiers. The purpose of this essay is to dive deep into the fundamental skills by leading by example, fostering open communication, and being adaptable to the new modern age of soldiers and war. Sergeants must lead their soldiers by setting an example of the army's expectations.
Among these five characteristics; military expertise, honorable service, trust, esprit de corps, and stewardship of the profession, I believe that military expertise and stewardship of the profession are the two characteristics that make a leader excel in the presence of their peers. ADRP 1 defines military expertise as, “Military expertise is the design, generation, support, and ethical application of land power, primarily in unified land operations, and all supporting capabilities essential to accomplish the mission in defense of the American people”. In order to gain trust from your subordinates for them to follow your guidance, a leader must have military expertise. Without being an expert in your field, subordinates will not trust your guidance provided unto them. ADRP 1 defines Stewardship of the Profession as, “Stewardship is the responsibility of Army professionals to ensure the profession maintains its five essential characteristics now and into the future”.
Now for the first time after over a decade of deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan we are seeing the number of deployments dwindle. As we transition back to a Garrison Army: skills such as drill and ceremony, which were labeled as not important during a time of deployments, are now relevant again. As leaders in today military we need to re-emphasize these skills to all Soldiers. Drill and ceremonies, customs and courtesies, and our military history are all task the set us apart as a profession. As leaders it’s up to us to train, educated, and instill this knowledge and skill in our future leaders as our leaders did for us, while ensuring we are maintaining tactical proficiency in our skills thus balancing our
LEADERSHIP QUALITIES 26. The dictionary meaning of Leadership is the action of leading a group of people or an organization, or the ability to do this. According to Dwight D. Eisenhower “Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it. To become an effective Military Leader, one need to have some significant leadership qualities”.
An Army leader is anyone who by virtue of assumed role or assigned responsibility inspires and influences people to accomplish organizational goals. Being an Army leader is the most far-reaching and strenuous jobs in the Army. But how does one prepare themselves for such a strenuous role? It all begins with reflections on yourself. It’s not always about what you know and how well trained you are but, the things you are willing to change about who you are to become a better a leader.
Carrying out leadership skills that uphold the standards is also being a good advocate. Finally, leadership is a full-time responsibility in which we must continue to Listen, Learn, and Lead. 2. The Chiefs I have served with are the names of shipmates I find
Leadership in the Army is the fundamental foundation of the organization. Leaders like Officers and Non- Commission Officers implement and set the standard of leader to soldiers. These leaders ensure the Army soldiers are trained and prepare for any hardships they face. The term Leadership can be defined differently based on the organization in which the term is applied to. In the Army Leadership can be described as a "characterized by a complex mix of organizational, situational, and mission demands on a leader who applies personal qualities, abilities, and experiences to exert influence on the organization, its people, the situation, and the unfolding mission" (ADP 6-22).
He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent" (McCarther 2015). A leader should lead from the front and also have the ability to think quickly on their feet and take care of their Soldiers. Have faith and trust that the leadership is doing their best to keep everything in
I choose to take a different outlook, I believe that true leadership is taking what the military gives you and making better people out of them. Resulting in better sailors and finally, the outcome is an elite fighting force that works as a team and can accomplish any task, including the ones that they themselves do not believe they can do. CMDCM Ronald Clark one of my mentors instilled this philosophy in me from my start of being a Chief Petty Officer. He always told me “I do not care if I am successful, so long as when I am done, I have made a crew of better people when they leave my command.” That has always resonated with me in a way that has molded me into the Chief that I am today.
In order to learn more about military mind we can take a look at the United States Army; Warrior Ethos which are: i. I will always place the mission first. ii. I will never accept defeat. iii. I will never quit.
