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Our articles are written by authors from all walks of life with the intent of developing and inspiring the Army’s Junior Leaders

Going Off Script, But Staying on Track: A Career Guide for Junior Leaders

COL Chaveso "Chevy" Cook - Published 10 July 2025

Intro I walked into LTC Tomi King’s office as a new 2LT in his formation. We discussed all the normal talking points in that initial counseling – family, where I …

Fighting as an Enabler Leader

LTC Michael Carvelli - 30 June 2025

(U.S. Army Photo by Cpl. Tomarius Roberts, courtesy of DVIDS)Enablers provide capabilities to commanders that they either do not have on their own or do not have in sufficient quantity …

Defeating the Drone – From JMRC’s “Skynet Platoon”

CPT Joshua Cox, SSG Samuel Gordon, and SSG Eric Navarro - Published 17 June 2025

If you can be seen, you can be killed—and a $7 drone might be all it takes. JMRC's Skynet Platoon discuss their TTPs to defeat the drone.

3 Deployments Before Captain: Reflections From Down Range

1LT Melissa Czarnogursky - Published 05 June 25

Deployments challenge junior officers beyond their primary duties, often demanding adaptability, wellness management, proactive leadership, and moral integrity maintenance.

Check the Box or Check Your Compass

MSG Albert Keever - Published 22 May 25

MSG Albert Keever explains how ethical fading erodes integrity and offers tools for junior leaders to strengthen ethical decision-making.

Leadership at Zero Meters: Combatives for Building Lethal Teams

CPT Dylan Van Sickell - Published 15 May 25

U.S forces close with and destroy the enemy. But how close? One kilometer, 300 meters, hand grenade range? How about close enough to hear your enemy’s last words?

Stop the Reading Lists: Why Leaders Need More Than Just Books

MAJ Sara Roger - Published 9 May 25

Junior Officers need more than reading lists. Reading is a tool, but not the only one—leaders grow through thinking, reflecting, experiencing, and engaging with others in meaningful ways.

Alone and Unafraid: Mission Command in INDOPACOM – CSA Article of May 2025

1LT Reilly Rudolph - Published Feb 25, 2025

An Engineer Platoon Leader recounts lessons in decentralized leadership and mission command in INDOPACOM - Published Feb 25, 2025

In All Things, Moderation: A Philosophy for Leaders

CPT Jay Carmody - Published 22 APR 25

Captain Carmody champions a philosophy of moderation for Army leaders. Through moderation, leaders can avoid the burnout of extremes, make wiser decisions, and model balanced, …

In SOF – Relationships Reign Supreme

CPT Nicholas Keyes - Published 16 MAR 25

A Civil Affairs officer reflects on a recent deployment to Syria and how the relationships he built and maintained led to his success.

Authentic Mentorship – Buzzwords to Breakthroughs

MAJ Shawn Robertson - Published 3 APR 25

Forget quick fixes—authentic mentorship demands vulnerability, patience, and trust, pushing mentors and mentees beyond comfort zones toward true growth.

Plato’s Republic and the Profession of Arms – Cadet to Officer

CDT Sarah Cao - Published 27MAR25

A USMA Senior Cadet and Rhodes Scholar, reflects on her upcoming transition from Cadet to Officer through the lens of Plato’s Republic.

Leadership Camouflage – CSA Article of January 2025

MAJ Shawn Robertson - Published Nov 18, 2024

The most effective leaders understand how to change their wardrobe to fit the environment they serve. Today’s leaders must wear camouflage.

Navigating Suicide in Your Unit: Reflections as a Company Commander

CPT Victor Littleton - Published Jan 24, 2025

A Company Commander reflects on navigating a Soldier's suicide and discusses resources and best practices for leaders to get their units through this type of tragedy.

Continuation Pay – Planning For 2025 and beyond

Erin Williams

UPDATED JAN2025 - Did you know – if you are in the Blended Retirement System (BRS), you’re eligible for a mid-career bonus that is worth 2.5x your monthly base pay?! …

“Being All You Can Be” with the Army Coaching Program

MAJ Jesse Bryant - Published Dec 19, 2024

The Army Coaching Program offers a critical, but underutilized, advantage in maintaining the Army’s enduring competitive leadership advantage.

Dual Military: How to be Successful

COL Kate Conkey & COL Nate Conkey - Published Mar 31, 2021

Two Army Colonel's discuss how they've been able to navigate service as dual-military officers.

Whatcha Gonna Do PL?

COL Erik Davis

Being a junior officer is very much about learning. But just because you're junior, doesn't mean you don't know anything.

After Veterans Day – Leadership in Transition

Brigadier General (ret) Mike Eastman

A focus on transition not only builds a better force today, but it contributes to a stronger Army tomorrow. There is no better recruiter than a successful Army Veteran.

1000 Days In – Junior Officers and the Ukraine-Russia Conflict – Continued Learning Part Two

MAJ Nick Rich and CPT Christopher Aliperti

As the 1000-day mark of the major Russian invasion of Ukraine approaches, Junior Officers must continue to integrate the lessons learned from this conflict into their training.

The Eisenhower Matrix – Tools for Junior Leaders

Jakob Hutter

CPT Jakob Hutter discusses how junior leaders in the U.S. Army can use the "Eisenhower Matrix" as a prioritization tool to optimize performance.

Killing Complacency – For The Next Fight

J.H. Edmonds

J.H. Edmonds, a U.S. Army Artillery Officer, discusses how junior leaders can kill complacency to prepare our Army for the next fight

What’s Next? 3 HRC Career Managers weigh in on Post KD CPT Assignments

MAJ Jesse Bryant, MAJ Mark Pangilinan, CPT Michael Kennedy

3 Army HRC Officer Career Managers weigh in on Post KD CPT Assignments. OERs, timeline, and future development all play a key role in determining your future.

The Harding Papers

AUSA

The Center for Junior Officers, in partnership with Army University Press and the Harding Project, supports AUSA in publishing the Harding Papers.

Winning at JMRC for Junior Officers – From “The OPFOR”

Maxwell Coleman, Jonathan Larios, Jonathan Wurzelbacher

The focus of this paper is to help company level junior officers and to provide insight to the rotational units on the minds of 1-4 IN – Callsign “Warrior”.

Planning and Running a Range + Range Checklist

Charles Hood

One of the most common missions new junior leaders struggle to perform effectively is the qualification range. A range is a significant allocation of resources …

Have you been asked to provide a character statement? Here’s what you should consider.

Stephen Magennis and Nicholas Swartz

Between BOLC templates, Army Publications, senior NCOs, and peers, Junior Officers have plenty of resources aiding in development during their budding careers, but one situation …

Make Room for the Antenna: Three Principles of Performance that Breed Success for Junior Officers

Geoff Logan

Three Principles of Performance that Breed Success for Junior Officers: Figure Stuff Out (FSO): see the problem, understand the problem, and identify a solution; Make …

UMO Lessons Learned: Moving my Unit 8,240 Miles

Hannah Potter

Preparation is key to unit movement operations because units have a strict timeline that they must meet to deploy....

Planning your KD Complete Broadening Assignment – From Diving in the Persian Gulf to Spearheading the Army’s Transition to Cloud...

Nicholas Swartz

During my time in Kuwait, scrolling through assignments on AIM 2.0 became my daily battle rhythm; I was five months out from returning to Fort Eustis....

Enhancing the Company HQ Section Using Agile Principles

Cam Houk

From the initial hectic two-week preparation to our return to home station, our HQ Section found itself stretched thin.......

Living the Agile Values

Annie E. Beckman

Agile is a comprehensive project management approach that focuses on short, iterative, and incremental steps that encourage cross-functional collaboration, continuous assessment, adaptability, and team empowerment.....

Stop Saying Convoy

Michael Carvelli

We need to eliminate a word from our vocabulary: convoy. It’s not helpful......

The Things We Forget as Company Commanders

Jay Pasquarette

The reality is that, like most things in the Army, company command is over before you know it. I will not remember any of the training meeting slides I updated, …

Staff isn’t Purgatory: Three Rules

Ryan Stone

As you come out of a leadership position either as a CDR or platoon leader, inevitably a staff position is in your future......

The First Four Years: Career Considerations for Junior Officers in the AIM environment.

Tyran Askew

Institutional, Operational, and Self-Development," are the three domains of leader development. Institutional development is the foundation of officer development; it starts at the commissioning source...........

Objective Empathy: The Key to Helping Those in Personal Crisis

John Goetz

Your reaction to situations like this will impact not only how the immediate situation resolves, but also the mental and family outcomes for the individual in crisis.......

The Often-Overlooked Role of the Headquarters Battery Executive Officer

Sydney Alekseyev

You might feel a bit unenthusiastic or lost about whatever comes next. For some, it will be staff time. For others, executive officer in a line Battery or Company. For …

Officers Must Be Lifelong Learners: Set the Foundation Early!

Robert Farrell and Yasmine Kalkstein

It is tempting for a junior officer to view their commissioning day as a graduation or an end point. The learning is over. On the contrary, however, commissioning day is …

The Importance of Managing Your Mental Energy as a Leader

Mark Erwin

Effective leadership begins with managing one’s mental energy and intentionally using their time and attention to enable good judgement and decision making......

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