NCOs in Action
Camaraderie boosts USASMA’s newest students
STAFF SGT. TIMOTHY D. HUGHES
When Soldiers see sergeants major walking to formations across the Army, many feel a sense of pride and respect for the position a select number of career Soldiers are entrusted with.
Article published on: October 21, 2016
Operation Toy Drop continued in NCO’s honor after his death
By STAFF SGT. SHARILYN WELLS
and STAFF SGT. FELIX R. FIMBRES
U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command
The first Operation Toy Drop, organized in 1998 by Sgt. 1st Class Randy Oler, collected 550 toys for local children in need. This year, more than 4,300 paratroopers participated and donated more than 6,000 toys. The operation, run by the U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne,)...
Article published on: December 17, 2015
Mongolian NCO blazes trail for fellow females
Sachel Harris, U.S. Army Alaska
Every year, foreign soldiers train with U.S. Army Alaska at the SFC Christopher R. Brevard NCO Academy. However, this year, one graduate is the first of her kind.
Article published on: December 16, 2015
Eagle Attack NCOs mentor cadets
By SGT. DUNCAN BRENNAN
101st Combat Aviation Brigade,
101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)
Cadets from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., and the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps recently got a first-hand look at NCO leadership at Fort Campbell, Ky. Noncommissisioned officers with 3rd Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), mentored students participating...
Article published on: October 1, 2015
How Do We Deal with Russia?: The Status Quo and a Strategically Pragmatic Approach Forward
Lt. Col. Klaudius Robinson
As NATO prepared for its 2016 Summit, the U.S. needed to carefully consider their way forward in dealing with Russia. The author outlines priorities and key factors to ensure practical trumps paranoia in strategic planning.
Article published on: June 10, 2016
Ukraine’s Battle at Ilovaisk, August 2014: The Tyranny of Means
Maj. Michael Cohen, U.S. Army
The author sifts through the various, conflicting information on Ukraine’s military, militia, and government to paint a clearer picture of how, exactly, Ukraine directly contributed to the destruction at Ilovaisk.
Article published on: June 10, 2016
Assessing the Decisive Action Fight
Col. Joe Roach and Maj. Clay White, U.S. Army
As the Army transitions away from COIN and continues training for the decisive action fight, assessment processes must follow suit. Currently, adapting the assessment procedure is not where it needs to be. The authors address some of the key issues.
Article published on: June 24, 2016
Mission Command: Evolution of a WfF applied to Recruiting Operations
Sgt. 1st Class Alex Joy and Capt. Joseph Harmon, U.S. Army
Recruiting Command suffers a range of organizational issues as it strives to meet its commander’s intent. The authors explain how mission command can be used to improve recruiting efforts.
Article published on: June 24, 2016
The Warrior Way for Building Partnerships
Lt. Col. Archambault, U.S. Army
As the U.S. continues to prioritize partnerships, it is important for those in the Army to discuss best practices for making the most out of working with other military entities. The author covers principles for partnership at the unit level.
Article published on: July 8, 2016
Understanding Organizational Climate and Culture
Prof. Carey W. Walker and Professor Matthew J. Bonnot, Command and General Staff College
Organizations strive to solve problems and manage internal anxiety. Understanding how these challenges are affected by leader choices and collective understanding of why and how an organization does what it does provides leaders more options for overcoming internal stressors and meeting organizational goals. The authors analyze organizational climate and culture in easy to understand and practical terms.
Article published on: July 8, 2016
Attritional War: The Neglected Phase of Modern Warfare
Thomas Neely
Having lost three modern wars due to inability to categorize and understand the phase of war that begins after conventional war is over, it is imperative that this be remedied. The author argues that conventional wars spin into attritional war, and attritional war cannot be won.
Article published on: July 22, 2016
Muddling Leadership and Management in the United States Army
Capt. Charles R. Gallagher, U.S. Army
The author contends that too often the Army seeks to solve complex problems through management processes while underutilizing leadership due to the muddied overlap of the terms leadership and management.
Article published on: August 12, 2016
Managing Talent Before it Manages You—How Leaders Can Influence Performance at the Company Level
Capt. Daniel R. Reynolds and Capt. Thomas E. Meyer, U.S. Army
The authors argue that battalion and company-level leaders need to build intentional and dynamic talent management processes. They outline a strategy for recognizing and developing leaders.
Article published on: August 12, 2016
Embracing Complexity: Adjusting Processes to Meet the Challenges of the Contemporary Operating Environment
Lt. Col. Thomas Kopsch, German Army, and Maj. Amos Fox, U.S. Army
The authors argue that current planning processes under-develop their characterizations of problems. They suggest a framework to mitigate operational problems occurring from ill-structured problems.
Article published on: August 22, 2016
Mandatory Education: A New Paradigm to Improve the NCO Corps
Staff Sergeant Timothy D. Couchman, U.S. Army
The author argues that making higher education mandatory for the NCO Corps will improve professionalism, career stability, moral behavior, and enhance national security preparedness.
Article published on: September 23, 2016
The Ironic Hindrances of Slaughter: A Case Study in Mission Command and Moral Autonomy
Lieutenant Colonel Peter D. Fromm, U.S. Army, Retired
The author argues that mission command must include an ongoing education in the principles of right action.
Article published on: September 23, 2016
Taking the Surge Global in the Age of Facebook
Capt. Robert Cohen
The author argues that in order to avoid continual repeats of recent disappointments in the Middle East, the U.S. and its allies must adopt a global counterinsurgency approach.
Article published on: September 16, 2016
Improving While Operating: The Paradox of Learning
Prof. Carey W. Walker and Professor Matthew J. Bonnot, Command and General Staff College
Organizations must master innovation and adaptability while simultaneously staying on top of day to day tasks. The authors walk through how to navigate organizational leadership and stay focused on success.
Article published on: September 2, 2016
The Resonance of History: The Influence of Soviet-Era Mujahidin Networks in Eastern Afghanistan
By Dr. Brian R. Price
The author discusses the current situation regarding human terrain tools for working with local populations, providing two case studies on successful use of investigating local histories towards acquiring a comprehensive picture of social dynamics.
Article published on: October 25, 2016
“Dance With the One Who Brung Ya”: Using Informational Interviews to Enable Career Transition
Col. John Buckley, U.S. Army, Retired
The author uses strategic planning methods to explain how to leverage informational interviews as part of a successful transition to the civilian sector.
Article published on: October 21, 2016
Strategic Command: General David Petraeus and the Execution of Strategic Leadership
Maj. William J. Denn, U.S. Army
The author examines Gen. Petraeus’s career in order to show how Petraeus’s development and implementation created organizational change that the Army can continue to study and learn from.
Article published on: October 7, 2016
Big Data War Games Necessary for Winning Future Wars
Maj. Mark Van Horn, U.S. Army
The author argues that innovations in the information and cognitive sciences will pull war games into the era of big data and revolutionize how the Army prepares itself to win future wars.
Article published on: October 4, 2016