Between Two Ferns

“Welcome to the leaf eaters!”

That was how my tactical officer greeted me the day he found out I branched Ordnance.

Over the last decade, multiple deployments, time in a litany of different sustainment units at every echelon, and more lost sleep than we care to admit, we have learned a few things along the way. A great mentor once told us “Don’t repeat my mistakes, make new ones.” In that spirit, here are eight things we wish we had known prior to entering the logistics field.

The best leaders are good at PT. Except when they aren’t.

Physical training is always the first event scheduled and the last event canceled. Kevin Schinnick recently described additional benefits to physical readiness beyond a better ACFT score, including improved mental agility and social capital. However, another note must be mentioned especially for logisticians: your soldiers might increase the intensity of their PT to see if you decide to stay away. One thing I witnessed early on was the tendency for logistics squads to “turn up” their PT any time a leader approached to make that leader rethink about joining them for PT again later. As a junior leader, I thought I was just being judged on my running abilities, but in later years, I came to realize that it was more than just assessing my physical abilities. Soldiers instead wanted to see if I would keep coming around and was choosing to continue to make an effort to be a part of their team. Be ready for it. Every time you join a new unit, you are going to have to prove your competence. One basic way is through your personal physical readiness.

Also, do not get hurt playing sports. An officer who cannot go to the field, or finish a deployment because they tried too hard at Basketball or Football is not doing themselves, or their unit, any favors. 

Quality PT is a non-negotiable, no matter your branch.

“Ugh, I wanted to go to an FSC, not a CSSB!”

Going to a CSSB? Great, that is where the Army sends the best junior officers! Going to a BSB? Great, that is where the Army sends the best junior officers!

Depending on which way the wind is blowing during your Year-Month Available to Move (YMAV) cycle, HRC guidance varies concerning the type of unit the logistics branch is focusing on specifically. Regardless of HRC’s priorities, the perception that the front line of logistics is sexier than division-level sustainment prevails. Most officers state that the best logisticians are sent to brigade support battalions (BSBs) or forward support companies (FSCs), while everyone else goes to CSSBs. Depending on your personal ability, an assignment to a CSSB could elicit different emotions, but it does not have to be a wholly negative experience. Every job offers unique experiences. Understanding division-level assets has to be learned at some point, and first-hand knowledge is indispensable. That being said, it is also important to understand the end user’s perspective of logistics at the tactical level. Being closer to the Front-Line Trace also gives you a deeper understanding of force security and asset mobility.

No matter where you end up, the bottom line is that every soldier deserves good leadership.

 1-3-5-Mike-Mike.

Class I (food and water), class III (fuel) class V (ammo), mike-mike (maintenance and medical) are the lifeblood of the Army. It is the essence of your job; you are worthless without it. You must be solid with the essentials of every logistics plan you organize. Take a step back and try to imagine how your plan is going to play out in real-time. Solicit comments from your NCOs, or your peers, early and often in the planning process because research has shown (insert link) more brains always generate a better solution to a problem. 

Do not forget logistics is a combat support branch. Everyone knows this going in, but once they are inundated with last-minute support requests from “ungrateful” supported units, this support mindset tends to fade. Setting boundaries and creating systems is vital to your sanity and protecting your Soldiers’ time. Do so professionally. However, when emergencies arise due to unforeseen circumstances (or poor planning, which can sometimes be the same thing), the Infantry soldier at the end of the whip is going to suffer most without our assistance. Who are we to deny them logistical support? If you are forecasting for emergencies and setting appropriate expectation management amongst your formation, you will be able to absorb the task and react with minimal impact to your own Soldiers.

 You are the ultimate check on reality and what your Soldiers think.

 Always tap the gauge on a HIPPO.

Several years ago, I received a call from an irate captain claiming my unit did not resupply him with the water he requested. After a heated discussion on both of our parts, I drove to his location and found him visibly fuming while sitting next to an apparently empty HIPPO. I reached up and tapped the 6-inch gauge on the side of the HIPPO, causing it to swing from empty to full, as many HIPPOs with sticking gages have been known to do. I laughed. He cursed. We went back to our respective AOs. There are several lessons in this vignette, but the primary takeaway is to always get three levels deep into a problem.

First layer: a soldier told the captain that the HIPPOs are still empty.

Second layer: The captain personally verified the gauge indicated empty.

Third layer: physically looking in the manhole and verifying the water level in the tank.

Army logistics is not complicated, but it can be just complex enough that we are simultaneously hesitant to appear incompetent and, in reality, might actually be too indifferent to look at the root of the problem ourselves. Dig three levels deep into your issues, and you might find simpler, more eloquent solutions than if you allowed them to fester by briefing them as problems for someone else from the team to figure out. The Army is a team sport, but there is always value in self-sufficiency.

 Do you really have a deep understanding? Or are you just a mouthpiece for half of the story?

 Not everyone deserves a second chance.

Soldiers, you have to love ‘em. They will make mistakes, some more egregious than others. Some will seem circumstantial, and you will be tempted to hand wave their problems or back them up when higher bears down judicially. Remain cautious and remember there is a significant difference between a mistake and a wrong decision. Good Soldiers do bad things, even if they explain how it was not their fault in a way that made you inclined to believe them. Maybe it is an action you also did but eluded punishment for in the past. You will not always know the whole story, even if you are confident that you do, until after investigative and legal proceedings begin.

Also, sometimes Soldiers take advantage of your goodwill. You support them with your leadership during deliberation over a bad decision, but then they choose to repeat the offense and prove you wrong. Upon arrival to a new unit, every officer begins building a reputation, whether positive or negative. Your name and reputation will accumulate significant value and weight over time, which you should also consider. One decision can diminish that. Not to say that standing up for deserving people will always produce negative results, but you should understand the potential consequences of your advocation on behalf of another and deliberate accordingly.

The moral and ethical problems are coming. Oh, and the common sense ones too. 

I walked into the platoon office on my first day as a PL and found my PSG, a SSG with 18 years of service, working feverishly at completing the Army Accident-Avoidance Course. Then, he completed it again. And again. I quickly realized that he was executing the course for all soldiers in the platoon to meet the first sergeant’s “go home” criteria. Was it morally and ethically wrong? Yes, though pervasive lying about requirement completion has been a topic of formal discussion since 2015. The more important point here is that my PSG’s actions were just dumb; a complete waste of his time, to be blunt. Do not be afraid to step in when something does not make sense. It can be difficult, but sometimes people just need a sanity check as much as they need a morality check. And my PSG? I watched him complete five more iterations of the course before I gathered the courage to say, “Hey SSG M, doesn’t it seem a bit stupid you are doing that?”

In addition to the moral compass, you can also be the sanity check

 Pay your respects to the little old lady in tennis shoes.

How do you get a first-time-go on borrowed equipment turn in at NTC when the civilian maintenance staff is notoriously difficult to please? By taking the time to befriend those maintainers and treat them like humans rather than an obstacle to breach. No one there is impressed with your rank, fitness, or confidence because you are no different than the last 100 officers they encountered. But… laughing and joking with the “good ole boys” can be an effective use of your time as a leader while your soldiers put the final lipstick on the pig that the borrowed equipment has become. This concept applies in garrison as well. The stereotypical old lady in tennis shoes that is the sole contact for some mandatory training probably would like the “extra” coffee Starbucks gave you when you go see her to request training on a day and time outside of her standard scheduling window. Or she may alter the paperwork requirements to make things happen for you. Or process your paperwork at the front of her large pile because you are kind to her instead of strictly demanding. The list of situations can become endless, but what we are really talking about here is simple; being a good human while aggressively getting things done.

 Build Relationships before the point of crisis.

 ?. I lost count; we are one short.

Before your time in service to our Nation ends, you will find yourself short of that notoriously critical item: shackles. Nobody wants to post guards on their equipment, but the adage that “there is one thief in the Army and everyone else is trying to get their parts back” often holds true. Anticipation of the actions of others is paramount to the success of your unit. You have probably already heard some say that standards and discipline are the hallmark of a good leader. Or “if you don’t do X (X=some unimportant little thing), you are going to get your platoon killed.” It might be a trope, but there lies some truth that you would be wise to heed. If you are going to learn to succeed as a leader, it is the little things that matter most. The details that you cannot overlook are paramount to success. The planning you do, or do not do, will inherently affect the outcome of your mission. Sometimes that means placing guards near your vehicles at the end of a training rotation or deployment, so your shackles do not walk away.

The Army is full of well-meaning people; we would challenge you to do more than that; be ruthlessly effective and control everything you can to guarantee the successful outcome of the missions you are charged with. One lesson that the Global War on Terror taught, and the Russo-Ukraine War is reinforcing, is that there is a foxhole waiting for all of us. Even those of us who just wanted to eat some leaves.

MAJ Alicia Dotson is an Instructor in the Geography and Environmental Engineering Department at the United States Military Academy. She is a 2013 Graduate of the United States Military Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Human Geography. She holds a Master’s Degree in Earth and Environment from Boston University. Her graduate research involved a comparative analysis of high-speed rail in China and the United States, as well as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global and domestic freight markets. MAJ Dotson was previously assigned to EAB, ABCT, and Army Space units with an operational assignment in Qatar. 

MAJ James Watson is the Operations Officer for the Dean of the Academic Board at the United States Military Academy. He is a 2013 Graduate of the United States Military Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Law. He holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University. MAJ Watson was previously assigned to EAB and ABCT units where he tried to provide outstanding logistical support when he wasn’t busy trying to control the chaos around him.