In The Pentagon’s Virtuous Insurgency, the authors state that “the military neither recognizes nor leverages junior enlisted talent.” Adding to the problem, the military often reserves the right to craft ideas […]

What does a “People First” Army look like? Senior leadership envision it as “investing resources in our people… An organization that is truly inclusive where everyone feels like a valued member of the team.”[ […]

The US Army is losing pilots at an alarming rate. About 10% of its active force per year exits the service for other opportunities, far beyond what it can hope to replace with new Aviators.[1] Army Aviation […]

Junior officer leader development programs often have a strong focus on things like character, emotional intelligence, or the interpersonal skills necessary to lead formations or serve on staff. Each of these […]

For the beginning of most junior officers’ careers, the timeline is straightforward.  You commission, go to your respective BOLC, and then move on to a duty station where you take a platoon (or fill a similar li […]

“Look well into thyself; there is a source of strength which will always spring up if thou wilt always look” -Marcus Aurelius

The era of Great Power Competition requires Soldiers to have the grit, […]

I was a young Specialist standing guard in a small platoon outpost in Al-Karmah, Iraq in 2007 when time stopped. Dust particles froze mid-drift through the air. My breath caught in my lungs. For an endless m […]

The US Army is a bureaucracy. And to most bureaucracies, “success” means cohesively rowing in unison – controlling variables at the individual level to create strategic cadence at scale. Every task has a metho […]

Contrary to popular belief, Lorem Ipsum is not simply random text. It has roots in a piece of classical Latin literature from 45 BC, making it over 2000 years old. Richard McClintock, a Latin professor at […]

On many levels, the Army and Google are very different organizations. Founded in 1775, the Army is one of the oldest and most diverse institutions in the country. Its hierarchical structure enables success in […]

Many leaders in the Army would like to be innovative, but the task can seem so daunting that it is difficult to determine where to start. This is not a new problem. Col. Eric Aslakson called out this issue five […]

October 2019. I received my orders while attending Signal Basic Officer Leadership Course (SBOLC) in Fort Gordon, Georgia. I drove to our townhouse to let my wife know that we could finally plan for our first duty […]

Take care of your Soldiers. From the first push-up of basic training to the first operations order brief of Officer Candidate School, to my incoming interview with my battalion commander, the phrase “take care of […]

Note: Quotes and feedback have been anonymized and modified for clarity.

Last week, the Army released the results of the 2021 Major Promotion Selection Board (PSB). Senior Captains received notes of […]

Every spring, thousands of newly minted Second Lieutenants enter the United States Army Officer Corps to begin their military careers. Depending on their commissioning source, some of these new Officers have […]

This is Part 3 of a 3 Part Series, click here and here for Parts 1 and 2.

The majority of time developing a new Officer is directed at preparing that individual to be an effective Platoon Leader. After all, […]

This is Part 2 of a 3 Part Series, click here for part 1.          

The majority of time developing a new Officer is directed at preparing that individual to be an effective Platoon Leader. After all, this […]

Photo by SPC Georgan Tyquiengco, 8th Theater Sustainment Command
This is Part 1 of a 3 Part Series, click here and here for Parts 2 and 3.
The majority of time developing a new Officer is directed at preparing […]

Being non-confrontational can have its upsides. Conflict-avoidant[1] people aren’t prone to burn bridges, and based on observation, they tend to strengthen teams rather than weaken them. Being […]

When my fellow platoon leaders and I first met our Company Executive Officer, he immediately told us, “I’m not your friend, and I’m not here to answer your stupid questions.”

Of course, our initial reaction […]