Senior Enlisted Leaders Can Forge Interoperability

By Sgt. Maj. Sukil Jung

South Korean Army, Sergeants Major Course International Student

July 31, 2026

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Modern military operations require multinational forces to operate effectively despite differences in doctrine, equipment, and training culture. Although leaders widely recognize interoperability as essential, units continue to experience friction at the tactical level during execution.

Leaders don't face these challenges because they lack capability. They create these challenges when they fail to deliberately align how units operate together. Sergeants major bridge this gap by actively shaping how units integrate. Instead of relying on ad hoc (unplanned) adaptation during operations, they deliberately design and control integration during training and execution.

By implementing practical solutions that address differences in equipment, doctrine, and standard operating procedures, sergeants major strengthen interoperability, reduce friction, and improve combined operations effectiveness.

The Sergeant Major's Role in Interoperability

The modern battlefield has evolved into an environment shaped by multi-domain operations, large-scale combat operations, and persistent gray-zone competition (Department of the Army [DA], 2022).

In contemporary conflicts, forces need to integrate effects across multiple domains while operating with multinational partners - a demand no single nation can meet independently (Becker & DeFoor, 2018). As a result, interoperability has shifted from a supporting function to a decisive organizational capability that directly influences mission success.

However, the pace of technological advancement continues to outstrip organizational adaptation in doctrine, training, and leader development, generating friction during execution (U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, 2018).

These conditions expose persistent interoperability breakdowns at the tactical level, where mismatched standard operating procedures (SOPs), divergent training cultures, and differing doctrinal interpretations collide during combined operations (DA, 2019).

Officer-led planning often establishes conceptual alignment and provides a unified operations framework. However, execution happens at the tactical level, where small-unit leaders must coordinate actions under time pressure and uncertainty. Even minor differences in how units operate at this level can disrupt synchronization and negatively impact overall performance.

Positioned at the intersection of planning and execution, sergeants major must actively identify and reduce these friction sources before and during execution.

Interoperability Coordination: U.S.- Republic of Korea (ROK) Combined Training

The sergeants major-driven framework for designing and managing interoperability provides a conceptual model for how senior enlisted leaders influence coordination in combined operations.

However, its relevance depends on how leaders address emerging challenges during real-world execution. Observing combined training events reveals that interoperability friction doesn't come from lack of intent, but from persistent differences that units fail to reconcile before execution.

While serving as ROK sergeant major for the Eighth Army ROK Support Group, supporting a rotational U.S. combat brigade, I observed multiple combined training events involving U.S. and ROK engineer, artillery, and reconnaissance units. These events included wet-gap crossing operations and military operations on urban terrain, where interoperability challenges surfaced early during planning and rehearsal.

During the design phase, U.S. and ROK units identified significant differences in equipment, doctrine, and SOPs, particularly in room-clearing techniques. Differences in entry angles, movement sequencing, and sectors of fire created confusion during early rehearsals and increased the risk of blind spots, fratricide, and non-combat casualties if not handled accordingly.

During execution, these differences became more pronounced. Units experienced delays when attempting to synchronize movement, and Soldiers hesitated when roles and responsibilities were unclear.

Communication challenges further complicated coordination, particularly when units operated on different systems that limited direct communication between elements. These conditions reduced situational awareness and increased the likelihood of misalignment between maneuvering teams.

These observations demonstrate that interoperability challenges persist across planning and execution and directly affect performance at the small-unit level. Identifying these problems alone doesn't resolve them. Leaders must deliberately implement practical solutions that address them and enable units to operate together effectively.

Interoperability in Combined Operations

According to Army Regulation 34-1, Interoperability is the ability to act together coherently, effectively, and efficiently to achieve tactical, operational, and strategic objectives (DA, 2020).

Effective interoperability in combined operations depends on deliberate leadership rather than technical compatibility. Challenges at the tactical level require structured solutions that address the root causes of friction.

Sergeants major tackle these challenges by focusing on how units communicate, coordinate, and execute operations together.

Building Cultural Understanding

Cultural understanding forms the foundation of effective interoperability because it shapes how partnered forces communicate, train, and build trust.

When rotational brigades arrived in Korea, orientation briefings introduced Korean culture, military norms, and operational expectations. These efforts reduced early friction and helped establish shared understanding before training began.

Korean Augmentation to the U.S. Army (KATUSA) Soldiers reinforced this understanding at the tactical level through daily interaction with U.S. units. Their presence enabled faster adaptation and improved communication between forces.

As a result, units became more cohesive and operated more effectively during combined training events.

Communication Integration

Interoperability also depends on clearly understanding allied equipment strengths, limitations, and integration potential.

Combined training consistently demonstrated that communication across different national radio systems created a significant challenge. Units that lacked this understanding experienced delays, reduced situational awareness, and had difficulty maintaining coordination.

Sergeants major reduce these challenges by enforcing education, rehearsals, and pre-exercise coordination that align expectations and capabilities.

By ensuring that units understand how to operate within system limitations and establish redundant communication methods, they improve reliability and enable more effective coordination during execution.

Aligned Doctrine and Procedures

Differences in doctrine and SOPs directly influence how units approach maneuver, fires, and decision-making, and these differences often emerge during execution in complex environments such as urban operations.

If not aligned, units may hesitate, be unsynchronized, and face increased operational risk. Sergeants major address these challenges by facilitating combined training that exposes doctrinal differences and standardizes critical procedures at the tactical level.

Through rehearsals and leader engagement, they establish shared expectations, align movement techniques, clarify responsibilities, and implement common control measures.

By ensuring units train in realistic conditions and validate procedures before execution, they enable cohesive action, improve coordination, and reduce confusion during operations.

Integrating Training

Sustained interoperability requires training that incorporates friction, uncertainty, and combined scenarios. Units must practice adapting to differences rather than relying on rigid conformity.

Training that reflects real operational conditions allows units to reconcile differences in equipment, doctrine, and procedures without sacrificing effectiveness.

Sergeants major play a critical role in designing and enforcing this type of training. By emphasizing adaptability, continuous learning, and realistic conditions, they strengthen unit resilience and ensure interoperability remains effective across diverse and complex operational environments.

Conclusion

Tactical level interoperability ultimately depends on how leaders shape conditions before execution, not on technical systems alone. Combined operations are complex, but friction becomes manageable when leaders deliberately align how units train, communicate, and operate together.

Sergeants major hold a critical responsibility in this process because they influence the point where intent becomes action. Their ability to identify gaps, enforce shared standards, and drive realistic training determines whether units operate as a unified force or are fragmented during execution.

When sergeants major approach interoperability as a leadership responsibility rather than a technical requirement, they create conditions that enable consistent performance across diverse operational environments. In doing so, they ensure that interoperability evolves from a recurring challenge into a reliable combat capability.

References

Becker, C. H., & DeFoor, B. (2018). Exploring the future operating environment. Joint Force Quarterly, 89, 121-125. National Defense University Press. Exploring the Future Operating Environment > National Defense University Press > News Article View

Department of the Army. (2019). ADP 3-0: Operations. U.S. Government Publishing Office. https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/ARN43323-ADP_3-0-000-WEB-1.pdf

Department of the Army. (2020). AR 34-1: Interoperability. U.S. Government Publishing Office. https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/ARN19606_AR34-1_FINAL.pdf

Department of the Army. (2022). FM 3-0: Operations. U.S. Government Publishing Office. https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/ARN43326-FM_3-0-000-WEB-1.pdf

U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. (2018). The U.S. Army in multi-domain operations 2028 (TRADOC Pamphlet 525-3-1). https://adminpubs.tradoc.army.mil/pamphlets/TP525-3-1.pdf

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Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the NCO Journal, the U.S. Army, or the U.S. Department of War.

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