A good NCO worth his/her weight in gold. One of the most satisfying parts about being an officer is getting to work with/partner with NCOs.

After absorbing doctrine, I shrug and say- communication is the bedrock for all outcomes. I am not smarter, more talented, maybe just wiser for the scars I bear, and have prioritized communication vs. mission…[Read more]

As an Officer, I have always strived to lead from the front in terms of physical fitness. I believe that the discipline to stay physically fit can be modeled in other facets of our lives as well. Physical fitness is extremely important in the military, and I don’t believe you can preach that unless you are modeling it. I was always out at PT with…[Read more]

@chris_s – have you listened to our very own Leaders Huddle?

Leaders Huddle is on iTunes and also on the Google Play podcast platform.

@bmcgarry,
Very good point about the 1059s. As a former BN S1, I always told the unit’s to PERM the doc as soon as the SM gets back, but then that is also an ARNG thing.

As an NCO for close to 10 years and then an officer for 16 more, here is my take:

1.  As @Lucas.v.hobbs mentions, as an NCO I wanted to be “friends” with my lieutenant/captain but to me that meant having a friendly/joking working relationship.  I did not expect to be friends that went to dinner together or spent time at each other’s house.  I jus…[Read more]

@Joe,
However, I think I went off on a tangent. To your original point, what kind of relationship do you have with your NCOIC? I honestly think it depends on your level (CO, BN, BDE, etc), Branch/MOS, and duty positions (e.g. PL/PSG, Command/1SG, S1/NCOIC, etc.). It also depends on the confidence and trust you have in your NCOIC, their knowledge…[Read more]

For the group, can this mean training more than just the ATN, T&EO training tasks?

What about intangibles like professionalism, discipline, respect? Can, how and should these be “trained” as any other skill?

@cpttimswanton,
Excellent tie-in to the COS’ number one priority.

Yes, it is absolutely worth attending. It’s important to have relationships with your installation entities so that they’re at your service to help out, and vice versa. Having good relationships with ACS, Family Advocacy, and Legal during my Command time was incredibly valuable to my success. Even if you can’t pay attention 100% to the death by…[Read more]

We have 2 MPFs. Prepo stocks are protected by, same thing that guarantees logistics: California, Texas, and New York all have a higher GDP than Russia, basically we have a country which far out-produces all enemies combined. We own all 10 super-carriers, which have 7 times the capacity and capability of the 10 non-US jump-carriers on Earth. U.K.…[Read more]

I am lucky enough to know Pete Kilner, then Ray Kimball, Jon Silk, Tom Morel for a few years now. I was interviewed as a PL in Afghanistan back in ’12. I say lucky, because its a real pleasure to serve alongside Americans passionate about helping others.

I benefitted from the forum as a PL and have tried to give back.

for my WFF: sustainment, it’s site occupation procedures, concealment and dispersion. A quartering party site-recce, IDs routes in/out and plans missions/movement in & out with enemy observation considerations. it’s actively reporting up enemy air (UAVs, quadcopters).

most importantly, often-seen is forecasting requirements to limit time on the…[Read more]

posted some T&EOs, and now will attach some more products here:

-see sustainment nodes arrayed vis-à-vis OPFOR and BLUEFOR. One tank and two armored vehicles exploited a seam and took out all sustainment units before these 3x OPFOR armored vehicles were killed with a Carl Gustav (only FSC to ever kill 3x armored vics at a cost of losing the…[Read more]

George, never attended, but wish to add a parenthesis here: what if they opened up broadening opportunities before KD, the LAST thing you did as a Captain? Imagine having 4-5 years to grow as an officer before you commanded troops. I got voluntold to command 30 days after pinning Captain. Similarly, there’s some notion that many Majors str…[Read more]

Ah, politics… Both a pro (if you’re in the in) and a con (if you’re in the out). Personally, I learned a long time ago that you have to learn to play the politics game; one way or another. You learn to play, or it will crush you. However, as you said, in order to be successful and still maintain your professionalism, learn to play the game but…[Read more]

On of the best I’ve seen, and actually blew Soldiers away when I show them is an old one called The Devil’s Brigade, 1968, staring William Holden, Cliff Robertson, and Vince Edwards. It’s an excellent example of planning, preparation, and execution, as well as a character driven, opposed to special effects driven story.

Dallas,

As an OC/T I can tell you the biggest issue I witness with LOG units is how we effectively secure ourselves. It warms my heart to see you training this important Collective Task. Task and Evaluation Outline (TEO) 63-CO-0727, Conduct Unit Defense, is what we use to evaluate units at all CTC rotations. If you go through the TEO, it will l…[Read more]

To echo @ae_rollinson, check the JTR or even check out MilSuite/book.