My two cents: if you feel that you would benefit from having maneuver branch / tactical level experience as a way to gain an understanding to the audience that you will be supplying intelligence to later as an MI officer, then I would encourage you to branch detail so you can gain that experience. If being an infantry grunt doesn’t make your hair…[Read more]

Something else that you might find useful is perusing this Smartbook DA PAM 600-3. Select each branch, review emphasized qualities, jobs, timelines, etc.

https://www.milsuite.mil/book/groups/smartbook-da-pam-600-3

Generally speaking, 2 ways to do this:
1 – execute a branch detail upon commissioning. You’ll be in one branch as a LT, and then move into another branch basically in the same timeline you get promoted to CPT and go to CCC (around 5 year mark). If you want to try out Infantry or Armor for experience, but then dive into MI or AG for a longer…[Read more]

IMHO, something can be humorous, while maintaining professional and informational features. What did you have in mind?

Yes, this is the story I remember reading. I believe this articulates what it means to be a leader. If I may take it a step further I don’t pretend to be a great third generation leader. I do know that everything I did as a commander became a role model for my soldiers. If I didn’t make it a priority then my troops wouldn’t. I can’t expect them…[Read more]

I started getting lots of VTIP emails once I was post-command and thus KD in my branch, I think everyone gets them, so plenty of time up to make the change. Officers who want to VTIP usually try to get KD time as CPTs done as quickly as possible so that the Army opens up; not all FAs require successful company-command or other KD – some do not. Lo…[Read more]

congrats.

set an agenda, look at the time, and then trim the meeting/time some and continue working at it, you get better as you go along. there’s lots of information to disseminate and get reports on but what are your priorities and what is important to you? I enjoyed the ability to set the direction of the ship, on what to train, what is…[Read more]

I’ve been in those organizations where NCOs tuned out. Amazingly, all I had to do was (2 things) ask, and then let them do it. NCOs used to tune out when they felt there was no difference/recognition/separation between the doers and the conmen. In the days when everyone got a 1 over 1, that killed organizations, as the conmen got the same report…[Read more]

I designed a coin w/ my 1SG and Soldiers really wanted to earn one. I also gave very short briefs on Friday – 1 min. Safety Brief, touching on the top 3 safety concerns, the top 3 mitigations, and 1-2 last minute updates from S-2. I did this by practicing succinctness before hand – worked out great. I spent another 1 min. talking about the Troop i…[Read more]

This is what I view as some of the problem we as a profession have allowed to develop. NCOs are always leaders, if we are just allowing them to turn wrenches I have to ask if we as officers are not doing our jobs.

OPTEMPO is never an excuse to move move from the fundamentals of leadership at the NCO ranks. Without the time and expectation of…[Read more]

Training is everything and everything is training…  This was written on a wall in my basic training DFAC.  I’ve taken it on as a bit of a mantra in the years since.  So how did I as a commander handle it?

1.  Look at every training requirement you have deliberately.  What are the tasks, conditions and standards?  There are a lot of train…[Read more]

Training is everything and everything is training…  This was written on a wall in my basic training DFAC.  I’ve taken it on as a bit of a mantra in the years since.  So how did I as a commander handle it?

1.  Look at every training requirement you have deliberately.  What are the tasks, conditions and standards?  There are a lot of train…[Read more]

I took command of a brigade HHC that had similar issues.  The answer is surprisingly yet complicated to execute.  I brought every NCO in my formation into the room and had regular mentoring discussions.  First focus on the NCO identity, I began by having an NCO read the creed.  We then focused on what it meant to them.  While lavertym is righ…[Read more]

Thanks for posting.  I’d actually been struggling with this a bit recently.  While I may be “OOO” I still tend to keep up with email and respond when needed.  I stopped using the OOO message if I was planning on responding, but this article gave me a new way of looking at it as a way to let people know my response time will be slower than usual an…[Read more]

The tasks never stop, do they? A bit of good news is that we have shortened the list of AR 350-1 mandatory training requirements this past year.  Hopefully, people are listening to us as we continuously beat that drum.   Over the years I have learned a few lessons on how to prioritize my list of mandatory tasks.

1.  What metrics are being re…[Read more]