Over the past decade, the Army has adapted to overcome the challenges of extended conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. These largely successful adaptations were vast and complex. Modularity, doctrine updates, combat system developments, and the increased autonomy of junior leaders are only a small slice of the Army's evolution. Combat leadership versus Garrison Leadership both can be stressful at times, but Combat Leadership is the most stressful in my opinion.
The importance of garrison proficiencies during eras of peace cannot be overstated. Now is a critical time for developing the basics in training, leader development, and readiness.
The Army must revisit the core competencies of our military craft and refocus leaders on the fundamentals of managing human and capital resources. Rejuvenating maintenance programs, optimizing resources and allocations, and developing leadership fundamentals are essential to the Army's success in garrison and our nation's future conflicts.
Before 9/11, unit maintenance programs were the heart of the operational Army and the essential battlefield tenants of shoot, move, and communicate. Training exercises started and ended with a strict maintenance focus. Every maintenance function or process was treated as a training opportunity, and junior leaders in the late 1990s truly understood and prioritized the importance
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Soldiers scrambled around the vehicle, methodically executing each preventive maintenance check as noncommissioned officers barked out the checklist and supervised. Each week consisted of a preplanned maintenance focus and class. If the week's focus was battery boxes, for example, the motor sergeant would ensure command maintenance started with a detailed instruction session that specifically targeted battery installation, cleanliness standards, and key indicators of system
The United States Army is a complex organization made up of several commands and managed by different command levels. The U.S. Army is an organization different from that of a business in many unique ways. Specific examples of these differences include: financial reporting, disciplinary review procedures, and tactical operations. Although different in many ways, the Army shares many similar characteristics of a normal profit business. Army personnel are managed by supervisors arranged in a command structure similar to that of a business hierarchy. The Army will also encounter internal and external factors that could impede or enhance operations. As such, planning, organizing, leading, and controlling must be used by managers appropriately
In this report I will be going over the importance of training and education within the military, and how they both play very important roles to not only leaders, but the service members within our ranks. The military is constantly training and, we train as we fight. However, before soldiers train, they must be well educated in all areas in which they will be training. Proper education is the key to proper training. I will also discuss the importance of becoming better educated while serving in the military, as it will make transitioning back into the
During arduous combat operations coinciding with a high OPTEMPO unit cohesion may flux toward a detriment of mission success. This report will focus on the 56TH Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) in order to address the critical leadership problem. In addition, focus will center on relevant facts and assumptions that led to the critical leadership problem and rectify the issues. Furthermore, a new ABCT vision will be published in order to restructure the organizational culture toward a unified purpose and an increase in esprit de corps. (Verify with lesson for correct purpose)
For the next 10-15 years, leadership development is critical within the military. Training to develop agile leaders will yield a competitive advantage within both private and public organizations. Importantly, leadership training should mirror as if one would fight in the new Era International Security Environment. Such tenacity will confront limited engagements in the next 10 years, plus a great deal of offensive operations in the 15 years. Therefore, trained leaders are flexible to their changing missions, roles, and responsibilities, thus are more adaptive to compelling new conflicts.
Stewardship of the Army Profession is the last of the Five Essential Characteristics of the Army Profession, but in terms of importance, it is just as, if not more important than the other four. The United States Army’s ADRP-1, or Army Doctrinal Reference Publication 1, even defines stewardship as “the responsibility of Army professionals to ensure the profession maintains its five essential characteristics now and into the future”. Such importance is placed on this characteristic because Stewardship of the Army Profession is the one that ensures the other four are maintained. I sought out the definition of stewardship because despite having spent almost three and a half years and West Point, I was not entirely sure what the doctrine behind Stewardship was. In doing this, I felt like I was better prepared for both this paper and ensuring that the corrections I made were stewarding the profession. With this newly acquired knowledge, I set out to make my corrections.
Army leaders must balance the link between the Army’s culture and it’s climate and institutional practices. When there is a proper balance it has a huge impact on the mindset of the Army’s Soldiers. Their actions or inactions impacts the five key attributes of the profession, and the four fields of expertise, and have long term effects on the Army’s culture and climate. These actions influence Soldiers’ perceptions that they are serving professional who have answered the call of service to the republic, it is important that Soldiers understand that their role is a calling and not just a job.
Being a leader is always a challenge, and assuming a new command is challenging. There are a lot of expectations to me as a leader. The organization has selected me to a new position, and they believe I fulfill their standards for their leaders. The organization trust and expect me to lead, develop and achieve. My superiors and subordinates have a lot of expectations. They expect me to lead them in the best way to solve our assigned missions. In my new assignment as commander of 4th Armor Brigade Combat Team (ABCT), the main critical leadership problems are the lack of cohesive teams, ethical and work standards and the level of stress. I will through analyze explain and defend my selection of critical leadership problems and apply a model for solving them, including implementing and measuring my vision as the new brigade commander.
In 2012, General Dempsey states “Mission Command is fundamentally a learned behavior to be imprinted into the DNA of a profession of arms.” The way Mission Command has evolved through the past years is indicative to the US Military adjusting to a new threat. The concept of Mission Command is not new, what is important is how General Dempsey states “Education in the fundamental principles of mission command must begin at the start of service and be progressively more challenging..” The General emphasizes the need for education at the start of the individual’s service. Additionally, this highlights the United States Army’s doctrinal adjustment to the new threat. During the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the US faced an enemy whose creativity and adaptability are two of its greatest assets. The fast-paced situation changes in both of those AOs required tactical level leadership maintain the autonomy to “exercise disciplined initiative.” This type of initiative historically leads to mission success, specifically in fast-paced situations where a key to success is forcing the enemy to react.
The situation in today 's Army is clearly much different from what existed years ago. Many changes have occurred, moving the Army 's EO program from a strictly educational and training initiative to a multifaceted management program with clear goals and objectives. These goals and objectives are also an integral part of human relations and are nurtured and developed through a professional military education system.
Force management, or what is really otherwise known as planned comprehensive change, is in reality a complex and interwoven process. Though it was designed within the confines of a systemic approach referred to as the DOTMLPF (Doctrine, Organization, Training, Materiel, Leadership & Education, Personnel and Facilities), in reality it is meant to enable both dutiful and well-thought out change as well as faster, more urgent adjustments in accordance with the evolving nature of war and information gathering tactics. The Army, as one branch involved in this initiative, focuses most of its attention in this regard on the organizational sector because of the way it facilitates an adequate and democratic step-by-step system of review (Student Reader, F102:2). But the fact is that even this initiative remains multi-faceted and appears to be rather bureaucratic in nature (it has five phases, which seems antithetical to an urgent change process), which might not be surprising since implementing the type of changes that are demanded can have major implications of all sorts. Still, it does appear that this concentration is being well received and that it will eventually serve its goal even if it does not appear that way when detailed on a point by point basis.
Several functions are required within the organization that ensures a high level of combat readiness, technical directives being one of them. The unit commanders’ mission is the continuous training of Marines in basic ground combat fighting, piloting, and aircraft maintenance. Chang and Wang (2010) state that if senior civil aviation leadership focus on factors related to aircraft maintenance, they can drastically reduce human errors and cost (Chang & Wang, 2010, pp. 56-62). Helicopter Marine Light Attack squadron 469 maintenance department is comprised of 293 personnel on average with different skill sets responsible for the day to day operations and requires intimate involvement by senior leadership to succeed.
As stewards of our profession, commanders ensure that military expertise continues to develop and be passed on to aspiring professionals through operational development. It is during this developmental phase that Professional Soldiers put their knowledge and skills to the test. Operational Army units certify and recertify their Professional Soldiers through repetitive and realistic training events including the Combat Life Saver Course, platoon live fires, and exercises at the National Training Center. In the course of these challenging and realistic experiences, the Army’s operational units develop Soldiers and leaders prepared to maintain high standards, discipline, and operational readiness. Operational development and adaptability will continue to drive changes in Army doctrine, organization, leadership, and education as we enter the post-war era. Without this kind of development, the Army could not maintain a well-disciplined professional fighting force.
The task of maintaining the Army’s equipment can be daunting at times and implementing such principles as TQM and TPM can seem impossible. The military is involved in a constant tug of war between elements within the organizational leadership level, and between organizational and strategic levels as well. While the Army has one priority, to fight and win this nation’s battles, the method of getting there can be clouded or skewed between the levels of leadership. These competing priorities, in many cases, place emphasis on one thing and then quickly switch to another, thus causing confusion and more importantly contempt at the lower levels.
Enforced hand receipt procedures that decreased lost, damaged, and destroyed equipment. Exceeded standards during the Command Maintenance Evaluation, Awarded the Army Commendation Medal. Earned Army Achievement Medal for Meritorious achievement as Battalion Logistics Coordinator. Efficient approach to planning resulted in company consistently receiving superior ratings. Responsible for setting minimum standards and providing technical guidance and support for design, installation, operation and maintenance of mechanical systems used. Supervised operation and organizational maintenance of weapons systems and specialized equipment. Coordinated with on-site managers, liaison officers and other agencies regarding safety and preventive maintenance. Inspected squad vehicle and weapons daily and arranged for routine and special maintenance. Coordinated preventative maintenance on existing and new production equipment, including routine calibration. Organized, prioritized and managed maintenance projects to keep facilities safe, efficient and
External environmental factors / reasons why the Army must change, and actions its leaders taking