NCO Journal April 2016 Articles
The official magazine of noncommissioned officer professional development
Teams Featuring NCOs Take Best Ranger, Best Sapper Competitions
By Army News Service
NCOs made up half the winning teams of both the Best Ranger and Best Sapper competitions earlier this month. Staff Sgt. Erich Friedlein, with the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, competed with Capt. Robert Killian, from the Colorado Army National Guard, and the pair were named the Army’s best Rangers after the 60-hour crucible ended April 17 at Fort Benning, Georgia. It was the first time in the competition’s 33-year history that it has been won by an Army National Guard team.
Article published on: April 29, 2016
International Armies Embrace NCO Development
By Martha C. Koester - NCO Journal
The U.S. Army has long understood that developing noncommissioned officers is critical to maintaining a competitive advantage. Though not every nation has embraced NCO development, Army senior enlisted leaders with U.S. Northern Command, U.S. Southern Command, U.S. Army North and U.S. Army South continue to impart the message to partnering nations that empowering NCOs is the key to success.
Article published on: April 28, 2016
This Month in NCO History: April 14, 2004 — A Running Start on the Long Road Back
By Pablo Villa - NCO Journal
Staff Sgt. Michael J. McNaughton was met by a crisp breeze and an overcast sky when he stepped outside for a run the morning of April 14, 2004. The occasional drizzle magnified the chilly conditions. But the weather was not a deterrent. This run was 15 months in the making and McNaughton wasn’t going to disappoint his running partner — President George W. Bush. McNaughton’s run took place after a private workout with the president at the White House. The pair ran a mile around the South Lawn. Bush did it on aching knees. McNaughton did it on a prosthetic leg.
Article published on: April 27, 2016
Enlisted Leaders Talk about Shared Goals, Concerns in U.S., Europe, Africa
By Jonathan (Jay) Koester - NCO Journal
Enlisted leaders from the United States, Europe and Africa gathered in a hotel ballroom in El Paso, Texas, on April 13 to discuss shared goals, concerns and how they could help each other achieve better readiness. The discussion was part of the first International Training and Leader Development Symposium, a three-day event in El Paso that brought together enlisted leaders from all over the world to foster international partnerships and professional NCO development.
Article published on: April 27, 2016
U.S. NCOs Tackle New Threats with Help from Allies in Pacific, Central Commands
By Clifford Kyle Jones - NCO Journal
When senior enlisted leaders from the regions covered by the U.S. military’s Pacific and Central commands gathered two weeks ago during a breakout session of the sergeant major of the Army’s International Training and Leader Development Symposium, it didn’t take long before the conversation turned to the regions’ most pressing threat: the Islamic State. USCENTCOM covers areas in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia. USPACOM encompasses more than half of the world’s surface, including much of Asia. Worldwide, about 188,000 Soldiers from the active, Guard and Reserve components support combatant commands in more than 140 locations worldwide, and almost 60 percent of them are tied to Pacific or Central command.
Article published on: April 26, 2016
Senior Enlisted Leaders, International Counterparts Can Shape RAF Approach
By Pablo Villa - NCO Journal
Command Sgt. Maj. Steven M. Payton has watched closely as the U.S. Army continues to make progress on its Regionally Aligned Forces mission. As the sergeant major of G3/5/7 operations and plans, Payton has been privy to details concerning RAF since its inception in 2013. He shared some of those details with Army senior enlisted leaders and their international counterparts from 55 countries April 13 during the second day of the International Training and Leader Development Symposium at El Paso, Texas.
Article published on: April 25, 2016
SMA, Sergeants Major Academy Induct 7 into International Student Hall of Fame
By Martha C. Koester - NCO Journal
Calling it an honor to have international military senior enlisted leaders come through the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy, U.S. Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel A. Dailey congratulated seven of its Sergeants Major Course alumni during their induction into the International Student Hall of Fame on April 12. “This is an institution that is built time and time again from the great men and women who have been students here, but also from the great leaders who have had the privilege of leading this institution to an institution of excellence throughout history,” Dailey said.
Article published on: April 21, 2016
In 4 Months, SEAC Troxell Has Traveled World Representing Enlisted Interests
By Jim Garamone Department of Defense News
Army Command Sgt. Maj. John W. Troxell took over as the senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff four months ago, and the former senior U.S. military enlisted leader in South Korea has already visited 12 countries with his boss, Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Jordan, Egypt and Israel. “It’s been a fast train, but I absolutely enjoy it, and it’s everything I thought it would be,” he said.
Article published on: April 20, 2016
SMA, International Senior Enlisted Leaders Tour U.S.-Mexico Border
By Meghan Portillo - NCO Journal
Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel Dailey and senior enlisted leaders from around the world toured the U.S-Mexico border on Wednesday as part of the International Training and Leader Development Symposium at Fort Bliss, Texas. The soldiers, representing about 55 countries, visited the border crossing between Sunland Park, New Mexico, and Rancho Anapra, Mexico. Border Patrol agents gave the group a 30-minute presentation, then answered questions.
Article published on: April 14, 2016
Senior Enlisted Soldiers From Around the World Tour USASMA
By Meghan Portillo - NCO Journal
Senior enlisted soldiers representing about 55 countries toured the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy on Tuesday as part of the Army’s first International Training and Leader Development Symposium at Fort Bliss, Texas. The tour, led by Jeff Davis, USASMA’s director of plans and operations, highlighted the academy’s high-tech classrooms and the International Student Hall of Fame, where the seven international students inducted that morning saw their photographs and biographies already displayed.
Article published on: April 13, 2016
Senior NCOs, International Counterparts Begin First-Ever Leadership Symposium
By Pablo Villa - NCO Journal
The value of good leadership wasn’t the only thing stressed during the opening day of the first-ever International Training and Leader Development Symposium. The event, which began Tuesday at Fort Bliss, Texas, with opening remarks from Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel A. Dailey and Gen. Daniel B. Allyn, Army vice chief of staff. In attendance are a slew of U.S. Army senior enlisted Soldiers along with their international counterparts representing about 55 countries.
Article published on: April 12, 2016
Dailey, Predecessors Select First ‘Honorary Sergeant Major of the Army’
By Clifford Kyle Jones - NCO Journal
A former chief of staff of the Army received an equally impressive title on April 12, 2016 — the first honorary sergeant major of the Army. Retired Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan was honored by current Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel A. Dailey and five former SMAs during Dailey’s first International Training and Leader Development Symposium, held April 12-14 at Fort Bliss, Texas. The conference brought together dozens of U.S. and international senior enlisted leaders.
Article published on: April 12, 2016
Minnesota Guardsman Earns Unanimous Decision Win in Third UFC Fight
By Pablo Villa - NCO Journal
Sgt. Timothy Johnson has relied heavily on grit to get him through the trials of life. On Sunday, it got him through his third fight as a member of the UFC. Johnson, a Soldier in the Minnesota National Guard’s 134th Brigade Support Battalion, earned a tough unanimous decision victory over Marcin Tybura. The heavyweight bout was part of the main card of “UFC Fight Night: Rothwell vs. Dos Santos” in Zagreb, Croatia, and was broadcast live on Fox Sports 1.
Article published on: April 11, 2016
Minnesota Guardsman Ready for Third UFC Bout
By Pablo Villa - NCO Journal
For Sgt. Timothy Johnson, being in another country girded for a fight is part of the job. Both of them. Johnson has been a Soldier with the Minnesota National Guard since 2006. He is currently part of the 134th Brigade Support Battalion. As an NCO, he said, he takes pride in helping his Soldiers craft a “get-it-done” mentality. His time with the Guard has included a deployment to Kuwait in support of Operation New Dawn in 2011.
Article published on: April 7, 2016
Capitalizing on Human Dimension Enhances Combat Capabilities
By Major Jonathan Bissell and Command Sergeant Major Carlos Olvera
After the Vietnam War, the U.S. Army had a series of successful military combat operations, including Operation Urgent Fury, Operation Just Cause, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Military pundits, both friendly and unfriendly, attribute much of this success to the technological advantages the United States had over its enemies — in weaponry, modern equipment and cutting-edge intelligence-gathering capabilities — as well as to the diplomatic, political and military support of its close allies.
Article published on: April 4, 2016