The top three will depend on each post. It’s something an IG can let you know what they see. For mine it’s non support and treating people decent.

Coming out of command and being given the opportunity to become an IG all my friends recoiled at the thought. After becoming certified I am surprised I had a decent command. The E8 I sat next to would say the same thing as he was coming straight out of being a 1SG.

George makes a great point. We are here to help just like legal. While we can’t…[Read more]

Never went to the course. I heard it wasn’t really worth it either at Ft. Bliss. Just the same heres what we do for a week straight. After time in the seat every agency or situation I would have needed came up. It may have helped but I was also a junior commander of the 4 so having battle buddies helped immensely.

As an IG now I will be…[Read more]

I went through some old e-mails and found my old company TACSOP. It does some defensive tasks but it’s more for overall and what we used and we had printed out for all the senior leaders to have on them before we went to NTC. I agree with Joe about defense. A convoy will still need to defend itself and  that is up to either your guys or a mix of…[Read more]

I agree with letting the unit know, but you could also get burned by it. I had two courses that would have lined up great after Career Course. Only to be told the BN needed me immediately for a staff job and to not go to the courses. I haven’t been to an Army school in 3 yrs because of that. I hope it works out for you better then it did me.

CSDP takes deliberate time and focus even adhering to it on the training calendar and letting your immediate boss know why you can or can’t accomplish something.  BN say it’s a “recovery task” I didn’t see us properly recover any time we went to the field and came back. Laying out all the equipment properly and correctly just takes a lot of tim…[Read more]

Lot’s of great advice here. You are the staff advocate for that FSC commander. While he or she is the senior logistician having a great relationship with them will pay great dividends in the end. As an XO you knew how much fuel and everything else you used… or at least you should have. Continue understanding that and understand that now you are…[Read more]

It will come from BN. In the 2.5 years I was with my BSB we had three different ways of setting up the BSA. One was a square, the next was a circle and the last one they were going to implement when I left was a triangle. They all had triple strand Cwire and gun pits along with either one main ECP or a secondary for vehicles to leave from. Gun…[Read more]

All very good and valid points. Stay motivated even if you didn’t get top branch choice. You are still one of the few that gets to lead this nations young men and women. (Can I still say that?) Stay in shape and use this forum to learn and ask questions. I’m a logistics officer so if anyone has questions I am more then happy to help.

I agree with the comment made by Alex above. It will get you started with a paycheck which is nice and get you started with the school house and integrating with the Army life. It depends on what you branched but when I was at BOLC they had the 2LT’s working in the S1 or S3 section until their class date. Sometimes they got an OER and other times…[Read more]

Not really understanding when peers or others have said that 90% of your time is spent on 10% of your Soldiers until I took the guidon.  It’s so true. I would always feel like something or some one was doing something to take away from me sitting down and planning the training we needed to prep for the next big BN event. Most of my time…[Read more]

I don’t know if you are ROTC or an actual unit. Whomever is the Battalion Commander or XO get their guidance first and foremost. What type of event are they looking for? Will is be a formal dining out with no spouses or a regular ball that ends up being a drunken fun house. Take a look at a script someone has provided already and you can always…[Read more]

Sounds like you did this officer right. We have had that issue in my BDE for awhile now with young LT’s not getting the leadership or mentorship they needed to succeed. Most of them did decent after moving it was just a leadership in the maneuver unit that failed them. We as an Army don’t do well with putting things on paper and having a trail. As…[Read more]

New uniforms will not change any of the things that we need. It’s just something else everyone will have to purchase and never use. If you are in a BCT unit when will that uniform be used? Never. Give us a new weapon and get better healthcare for my Soldiers and we will do well with it. A new uniform solely meant for Pentagon types isn’t helping…[Read more]

In a perfect world that would work. Coming to my end of command I look back and think a lot of the same thing. However, BN and BDE always have a say. When a third of your company can’t actually conduct an STT because they are a “BDE Asset that can’t shut down” or the 6 week window is not protected at all it makes any other training achievements t…[Read more]

Send them to my SSA at Ft. Bliss. I need help and we can train them up. Unsure of your location but an active duty post can always use help or like everyone else has said look to other places to train.

I have taken the position that it will depend on how long you think you will stay in. I don’t plan on making it 20 anymore so I will be transitioning to the BRS. I have also put a bunch into TSP and ROTH TSP since I got in. Start young and you will be well off later down the road, even if you get out of the Army.