And it happened. You were selected to be a company commander in the United States Army. Perhaps you knew it was going to happen. Maybe you didn’t. You may call your loved ones to share the good news or tell your buddies. Maybe you have 30 days until change of command or perhaps it is a year. Everyone’s timing is different but one issue remains constant. How do you prepare for command?

How did I prepare?

I prepared by reading the book Company Command that took me to other resources such as cc.army.mil (now juniorofficer.army.mil). Next, I reached out to a buddy who commanded a similar company (HHC) in another brigade.  He shared lessons learned and provided very useful information.

How would I prepared differently

See my post here: https://juniorofficer.army.mil/hhc-commander-interview/ Also, my transition was short notice, I didn’t get a chance to attend the pre-command course until 6 months in command. I wish I would have asked my fellow commanders for pre-command course handouts and PowerPoints that described garrison specific information.

Questions for discussion.

1. How did you prepare for company command?
2. What would you do different?
3. If you only had 30 days until change of command, how would you prepare/ prioritize?
4. What documents were critical to your preparation?