3 Deployments Before Captain: Reflections From Down Range

Deployments, both scheduled and rapid activations, are as exciting as they are challenging. As a platoon leader, executive officer, or officer in charge (OIC) of a section, you understand duty expectations – know your job, provide a trained team ready to execute mission essential tasks, and be effective at your wartime mission. However, it is generally not your primary “job” that wears you down on a deployment. Rather, the multitude of unexpected trials and situations that vie for your attention can thrust you outside of your comfort zone, causing you to deprioritize the most basic of wellness practices or lose focus on other critical areas. Below is a list of five lessons and best practices, consolidated after my third deployment, with two deployments to U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) and one to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM), to help the next set of warriors on mission.

Be Prepared to Take on Roles Outside of Your Normal Duties

As a logistician, my training consisted of understanding the large problem set and complexities of sustainment, the breadth of specialties and sections within the sustainment branches, and how to leverage them to sustain the fight. As an officer, however, I am more than a logistician. When I first crossed over from enlisted to officer, I would hear the phrase “you are paid to think now”. It is certain that your impact as an officer will be measured by your ability to problem solve, rapidly assess, develop courses of action, mitigate risk, and plan missions. I had many unexpected jobs on my deployments and in almost every situation, I was effective in my tasks because what the team needed most from me was to be a planner, problem solver, communicator, course-of-action developer, and thinker. On my first deployment to USCENTCOM, some of those jobs, managed simultaneously while serving as a company executive officer, included: displacing as a battalion staff liaison to a Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF) in another combatant command (COCOM), moving parts and equipment with local air assets in an area of operation, advising adjacent supporting units, working as a battle captain, serving as platoon leader for a supply support activity (SSA), and being assigned as the OIC for a mission. Some problem sets require specialists, and that’s when you can reach across your team for that subject matter expert to add depth and breadth to your understanding. In most cases, your ability to think, analyze, problem solve, and plan will make you effective and an asset in any job. Remain open to learning quickly and embrace new roles as welcomed challenges and opportunities to grow.

Develop and (try to) Protect a Personal Battle Rhythm

Days during a deployment can unexpectedly oscillate between humdrum and hectic. For this reason, I struggled to find the appropriate times to be separated from my soldiers in certain operating environments, especially while deployed to Iraq. There are times and situations more obvious than others, often driven by operations and intelligence. But what about the unexpected siren, the unplanned mission, or the emergency? To guarantee you are prepared to respond, you must take care of yourself as well. I had a few non-negotiables on deployments, unless mission dictated otherwise, that I consistently maintained as a part of my daily and weekly rhythm. Make no mistake, I did not get this list right all the time, and trial-and-error showed me how important it was to find a way to support the things that kept me healthy, cognitively sharp, and emotionally prepared for the unexpected. This list included physical exercise, eating (preferably not while multi-tasking with work), quality sleep, and chapel services. Other additions, while not always rhythmic, included calls with my family, reading, writing and touch points with mentors and friends. My pragmatic assessment: it is unrealistic to execute these wellness practices the same time every day or every week. What is most important is to make the time at some point and be consistent. You cannot be ready to respond effectively when the team needs you most if you are not operating at your best. This also means that as a leader you should be pushing your Soldiers to do these things as well. Invest in the preventative maintenance so you are ready to push the throttle when the mission inevitably gets tough.

Don’t Assume Someone is Thinking About the Problems You Are

Multiple events, simultaneously occurring, leaves leaders in need of engaged teams at all levels. However, it can be a costly assumption to think that someone else is seeing the problems you are and will subsequently action them. Blind spots form when leaders are managing various priorities. The slogan “if you see something, say something” can be as real as meaning life or death while deployed. From force protection to service member safety, I found many occasions on deployments when addressing or solving a problem paid dividends. Changing out my platoon sergeant for my team in Iraq seemed like a simple solution, but it drastically changed how we functioned and shifted the culture. Whether it is a systemic issue, a malfunctioning process, a slip in standards that could lead to unsafe actions, or group dynamics/relational issues causing unrest in the team, do not be afraid to take direct and kinetic action. A leader is a leader. Assess the situation, handle what you can at your level, or elevate to the right echelon for action. Do not waste time hoping the problem will resolve itself or that someone else will handle it. Take disciplined initiative, be kinetic and follow through.  

Assess Your Team, Don’t Be Afraid to Course Correct

In ideal conditions, you deploy with a team that you conducted all prerequisite training with to be combat ready and deployable. In some cases, the force provider, Forces Command (FORSCOM), augments shortages by military occupational specialty (MOS) prior to a deployment, potentially leaving you as a leader with little time to know the service members. In other cases, you are displaced within the theater to take on a leadership role for a team you never worked with before. Assess your team in relation to the operating environment, understand the shortcomings, and immediately direct training or course correct current actions. During my second deployment, I linked up with a team already three months on mission in Iraq after I had been working missions in Jordan and Djibouti. I quickly had concerns about their comfortability and proficiency in weapons handling and safety following a few incidents. To rectify, I sought local resources from an adjacent engineer unit and directed internal training to guarantee safety and mitigate risk. In another case, I pulled in our attached medics for instructional classes on applicable combat casualty care relative to current and changing operational hazards. As a leader, you have the ability and responsibility to assess and reassess your team. As conditions and missions evolve, evaluate the tasks your team is expected to execute, and the environment in which you are operating. Plan the necessary training with your noncommissioned officers and reassess often.

Maintain Your Moral Compass Among Uncertainty

General Douglas MacArthur once said, “A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others”. Time away from support systems, preestablished routines, and the addition of cultural influences of combined/joint environments with coalition forces, can manifest into a breeding ground for questionable behavior. The stress and urgency of your mission may cajole you into shortcuts and unethical, illegal, or immoral behavior. Confined to the servicemembers around you, the character and behavior of others may even start to influence your own. Do not let the environment change who you are for the worst. It is critical as a leader to spend time in self-reflection and self-assessment to understand who you are at your core. Make time prior to a deployment to list out your values and priorities in life, both personally and professionally. Lean on this list when faced with hard decisions. I also maintained contact with peers and mentors. They proved invaluable for discussions on moral, ethical, and difficult decisions, especially as they were not operationally engaged and could offer clear advice. When the time comes to exercise moral courage, you will be ready.

Conclusion

Long days on foreign soil offers opportunities for growth, development, and life-long memories with teams. Use the time to refine your leadership skills and sharpen your professional tools. Remember that being prepared for the unexpected, caring for yourself, and continually assessing your team while staying true to your moral compass will put you in the best position to lead as a junior officer. Your team is counting on you to make cogent, sound, and sometimes hard decisions. Keep these principles in mind as you prepare for your next deployment.