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Our articles are written by leaders from all walks of life on topics applicable to the development and success of junior officers in the Army.

Nine Tips to Guide Company & Troop Fire Support Officers

Steve Krawczyk

If you are reading this as a new Fire Support Officer (FSO), congratulations. You don’t know it yet, but you have won the lottery.

We need fewer LEADERS and more leaders

Eric Evans

To all junior officers and future commissioned Army officers out there, I have a question: Do you want to be a LEADER, or a leader?

A Junior Officer’s Reflection on The Branch Detail Program

David Beaumont

Every year throughout the Army, junior leaders from The United States Military Academy at West Point, The Reserve Officer Training Corps, and Officer Candidate School …

What an Injury Taught Me About Leadership

Kristi Reed

5 leadership lessons the author learned after being injured.

Book Review of 2034: A Novel of the Next World War

Andrew Webster

Elliot Ackerman and Admiral Stavridis depart from most military fiction novels with their recently released novel titled 2034: A Novel of the Next World War. Instead of telling a story …

Company Command: Leading Change in the First 90 days

Jordan Terry

While a gradual approach may be prudent in many situations, some situations (like the one I experienced), require a new commander to act immediately and boldly to make necessary change …

Keep Calm and OCT On: The Hidden Benefits of OCT Taskings

Anna Rapp

The inevitable tasking comes down – your unit is required to send Observer/Coach/Trainer (OCT) augmentees to support the rotation of the sister unit. However, OCT …

Becoming a Basic Training Platoon Leader

Marshay Harris

When my branch manager told me she had some Platoon Leader requisitions opening at Fort Jackson, I initially though she misspoke and meant Executive Officer. I mean why on earth …

Together We Rise, Divided We Fall: The Importance of DEI in the US Army

Katherine Hathaway

We need to talk about the Army values and our character as Soldiers in our sacred profession. I believe that out of our seven Army values, we are most deficient …

West Point Lieutenants Lack Self-Awareness

Jordon Swain and James Watson

If you’re a West Point graduate, maybe you bristled at the headline. If you received your commission from another source, maybe you nodded and smiled. Why did we choose this …

Why Good Leaders Challenge the Stigmatization of Menstruation

Joy Schaeffer

We are in a profession training to use lethal force. An unwillingness to discuss menstruation in the military is not about a lack of intestinal fortitude to discuss a little …

Thoughts from a COVID Commander

Allyson I. Hauptman

Within a few weeks in the early Spring of 2020, COVID 19 caused an unprecedented level of confusion surrounding many aspects of military life, including …

Creating Strong Partnerships

Laura Keenan

The Army of today operates in a joint environment alongside civilians, contractors and interagency staff. It is not a question of “if” you will work …

Why Ranger-Qualified 2LTs and SPCs are Hated

Ryan Rogers

The mentality that is the by-product of surviving the army’s toughest school...

A Junior Officer’s Guide to Leading Creativity in the Army

Jordon Swain & James Armstrong

Junior officers in the United States Army lack creativity - this is what a survey of Army leadership reveals. Why does this matter and what you can do about it?

Why Relationships Matter for Effective Negotiation

Travis Cyphers

The greatest predictor of success in these situations is not how right you are or what justification you can provide to compel the other side to act – the greatest …

“I Believe You.” How to Support Soldiers Who Have Experienced Sexual Trauma

Hope Hack

It would be naïve and ignorant for an Army leader to assume that they neither have a survivor of sexual assault in their ranks nor will they ever meet a …

Servant Leadership in Basic Combat Training Part 2

Wendy Almengor

Soldiers learn to be good leaders from good leaders.

Perspectives on the AIM 2.0 Marketplace – A Peek Behind the Curtain

Mark Gnodle, Michael Brodka, & John Hermida

The AIM 2.0 Marketplace can be daunting even for those who have navigated its changing structure over several movement cycles. We look at the Marketplace from three perspectives: the mover, …

Servant Leadership in Basic Combat Training Part 1: Empathy and Listening

Wendy Almengor

“When I initiated separation on the first Trainee, I learned two things about myself: 1. I needed to work on empathy and 2. I failed to truly embody what I …

Using Existing Doctrine to Understand and Secure the Information Environment

Robert Norwood

Every soldier scrolling through social media on their phone is like an intelligence analyst....

So You Got Selected for the Reserves

Seth Bush

You sit slumped in your chair, dismayed that you will not be joining your peers in the active Army, and your entire career and life path have changed in a …

Army Leadership and Peer Evaluations

Sebastian Coates

We look at how peer evaluations can work within an organization and provide templates for your own program.

Company-Grade to Field-Grade: Introducing “Making the Switch”

Don Gomez

Introducing our new series on "Making the Switch" from Company-Grade to Field-Grade.

Dual Military: How to be Successful

Kate & Nate Conkey

‘If the Army wanted you to have a spouse, they would have issued you one.’ But is that actually true?

Company Command: A People Business

Michael Everett

While it is vital that you take care of your people, company leaders across all services must take ownership and care for all Soldiers, regardless of unit, duty status, or …

Professional Military Education Must Change

Seth Bush

The preferred Army concept of making a third-string quarterback your first-string because they've shown up to practice regularly and been on the bench the longest …

Do We Really Understand?

James McLaughlin

It’s both easy and natural for us as leaders to believe we understand the most serious problems our formations face. Compassion is a central tenet of leadership, so when faced …

The Army’s Onboarding Problem

Jordon Swain and MJ Cantrell

Given the retention and morale issues the Army is currently experiencing, and the need to build/maintain a healthy organizational culture (e.g., a culture that addresses …

The Best Initial Counseling I Ever Received

Daniel Parrish

Is this the best counseling ever?

America’s Counting on the Army: Revisiting Why Black Officers Fail

Kate Campbell

The United States Army has long stood at the center of racial justice in America. However, the Army continues to alternate between the positions of a pioneer and a late …

Leadership Lessons Learned from COVID Command

Cale Queen

A simple phone call challenged everything I knew and believed about leadership. The challenges of commanding the COVID Task Force drew on every one of these ideas and introduced new …

The Importance of Cross-X Mentorship

Lorenzo Llorente II

One of the most important things I have learned recently is the importance of having empathy for others that might not have the same views as you. Cross-X mentorship helps …

On Combatting Extremism in Our Army

Kathryn Eklund PhD, Sean Jordan, Christian Nattiel, Mark Cartagena-McGinnis, Hope Hack, Seth Bush

Extremism in the Army is neither a new development nor a problem of which the Army has been unaware. Individuals who hold and espouse radical or extremist views have been …

How Not to Suck at Gathering Feedback as an Army Leader

Jordon Swain & Chad Plenge

Many might think what follows is “common sense.” But ask yourself, how many feedback initiatives have you been a part of? Have they all been effective? If you’re anything like …

Storytelling & Problem-Solving: Necessary Links for Junior Officers

Melissa Eslinger

The Army has recognized storytelling as a necessary leadership tenet. What does this mean and how does a junior officer employ it?

Why Negotiation Skills Matter for Junior Officers

Travis Cyphers

If this story sounds familiar, you may have seen Tina Fey’s movie Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.

5 Strategies to Boost Junior Officer Confidence

Filipa Goncalves

Do you know these 5 strategies to boost confidence as a leader?

Pardoning Devils: The American Cover Up of Imperial Japanese Unit 731

Ian Schneier

"A complex situation and the necessity for difficult decisions does not morally exonerate U.S. Army leadership and General MacArthur from the simple fact that they covered up some of the …

5 Tips for Your First 90 Days

Jordon Swain & Chad Plenge

You've just taken over a new role role, whether as a new LT or a seasoned CPT. What are you going to do? Here are 5 tips for your first …

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