Posted on Aug 14, 2014
Garrison Life and Leadership in the Future
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Let me see a show of hands. How many of you have been deployed? How many have been deployed more than once? We have the most tactically competent fighting force that the world has ever seen.
How many of you have spent two consecutive years in a garrison environment (not including training exercises)? Three years? Four? I was in the Army for eight years before I went to Bosnia. It was then another six years before I went to Afghanistan.
With the overall Operations Tempo (OPTEMPO) slowing down, more time at home station means new challenges for us. I remember the days before the Global War on Terror. There were daily room inspections, daily open ranks inspections, motor stables and Sergeants Time training. I remember getting counseled every month as a Soldier and more than the required once a quarter when I was a young Sergeant. A lot of you out there may not remember that, and that’s not your fault. It is a much different Army now than it was 23 years ago, and it will be a much different Army five years from now.
We can’t take all of our battle hardened Soldiers and place them in a jar that says “break glass in case of war.” We have to open our eyes to an Army that some of you reading this have never seen. A lot of CSMs and 1SGs will say that we as an Army are coming full circle. I can understand that, but I do not necessarily agree. I believe that we, the senior NCOs have a lot to bring to the table about the way it used to be. Good experiences with the garrison environment, with training, and day-to-day operations without war. So it is time to turn to you.
There will be challenges. I know that there are a few of you out there, myself included, a few years ago, that did what had to be done for those eight or 12 months between rotations to ensure you had all of your Soldiers for the next engagement. We may have cut some corners about chapters, flags, etc. Those Soldiers just had a few issues in garrison. Nothing we can’t handle internally.
That kind of outlook is not the way ahead. The Army is heading towards more garrison time. There will be more time between deployments. There will be more time for your Soldiers, and some of your peers, to find new ways to make you say “I thought I had seen it all.”
So what do we do? What worked for me and my peers 20 years ago may not apply now. We have to get back to developing total Soldiers. Soldiers who can fight and can raise the flag in the morning. Soldiers who have mastered warrior tasks and battle drills and can recognize each NCO in their NCO Support Channel. The total Soldier concept. That needs to be the goal. Total Soldier equals Total Army.
So how do we define the way ahead? How do you ensure that your Soldiers are “total Soldiers” in this time of change? How do you do that and ensure that you are also growing as a Leader?
How many of you have spent two consecutive years in a garrison environment (not including training exercises)? Three years? Four? I was in the Army for eight years before I went to Bosnia. It was then another six years before I went to Afghanistan.
With the overall Operations Tempo (OPTEMPO) slowing down, more time at home station means new challenges for us. I remember the days before the Global War on Terror. There were daily room inspections, daily open ranks inspections, motor stables and Sergeants Time training. I remember getting counseled every month as a Soldier and more than the required once a quarter when I was a young Sergeant. A lot of you out there may not remember that, and that’s not your fault. It is a much different Army now than it was 23 years ago, and it will be a much different Army five years from now.
We can’t take all of our battle hardened Soldiers and place them in a jar that says “break glass in case of war.” We have to open our eyes to an Army that some of you reading this have never seen. A lot of CSMs and 1SGs will say that we as an Army are coming full circle. I can understand that, but I do not necessarily agree. I believe that we, the senior NCOs have a lot to bring to the table about the way it used to be. Good experiences with the garrison environment, with training, and day-to-day operations without war. So it is time to turn to you.
There will be challenges. I know that there are a few of you out there, myself included, a few years ago, that did what had to be done for those eight or 12 months between rotations to ensure you had all of your Soldiers for the next engagement. We may have cut some corners about chapters, flags, etc. Those Soldiers just had a few issues in garrison. Nothing we can’t handle internally.
That kind of outlook is not the way ahead. The Army is heading towards more garrison time. There will be more time between deployments. There will be more time for your Soldiers, and some of your peers, to find new ways to make you say “I thought I had seen it all.”
So what do we do? What worked for me and my peers 20 years ago may not apply now. We have to get back to developing total Soldiers. Soldiers who can fight and can raise the flag in the morning. Soldiers who have mastered warrior tasks and battle drills and can recognize each NCO in their NCO Support Channel. The total Soldier concept. That needs to be the goal. Total Soldier equals Total Army.
So how do we define the way ahead? How do you ensure that your Soldiers are “total Soldiers” in this time of change? How do you do that and ensure that you are also growing as a Leader?
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Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 18
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We've been down this road before. For example, from 1975 to 1990 there was relative peace (other than a few flare ups and the cold war). Some leaders couldn't keep their troops focused. However, good leaders found ways to motivate there soldiers to train hard and be ready. In other words tough realistic training is paramount during peacetime. It is the antidote for peacetime complacency. The greatest example I can think of is 15 years of peace (75 to 90) then Desert Storm. The ground war lasted 100 hours for a reason. We were ready. Places like the NTC, JOTC, JRTC and the equivalent for other services made us all believe we needed to be ready for war and we trained until we puked. So the antidote for the "garrison" mindset...is to get the hell out of garrison and train your ass off in the field and make it brutal. Be ready.
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SFC Dr. Joseph Finck, BS, MA, DSS
MAJ Joseph H. In furtherance of your point, "Without constant practice, the officers will be nervous and undecided when mustering for battle; without constant practice, the general will be wavering and irresolute when the crisis is at hand." Wang Tzu His clarification was based on the Sun Tzu principle of the question "On which side are officers and men more highly trained?"
Basically my comment would be, the military has been preparing for war in peace for the entire history of the World. Consequently, of there were never peace the military would never have time to prepare for war. New tactics, doctrine, training, equipment, etc needs time to develop and be implemented in to prepare for the next war.
Great commentary sir, thank you for the honor of being able to post with you and in support of your comments.
SFC Joseph M. Finck USA (Ret)
Basically my comment would be, the military has been preparing for war in peace for the entire history of the World. Consequently, of there were never peace the military would never have time to prepare for war. New tactics, doctrine, training, equipment, etc needs time to develop and be implemented in to prepare for the next war.
Great commentary sir, thank you for the honor of being able to post with you and in support of your comments.
SFC Joseph M. Finck USA (Ret)
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MAJ (Join to see)
SFC Finck - your comments are right on. One of my favorite lines (pretty much same as yours but different words) is "we have been at war since 1776". Really, it's true (cold or hot). I have argued many times that the peacetime army was dangerous and should be, especially during the time period noted above (i.e. the cold war). Training was so intense we lost around 2,500 personnel a year just training hard. Hate to say it but it was worth it when the wall went down. You can't train hard without loosing people, although the losses should be minimized. Sadly the last month I was at the NTC we lost 8 soldiers to training accidents, always at night. Four months later Saddam attacked Kuwait.
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SFC Dr. Joseph Finck, BS, MA, DSS
MAJ Joseph H.
The age old adage remains true, "the more we sweat in training, the less we bleed in combat." I lived through the Cold War period and was effected by the training tempo, but many of my fondest memories are encapsualted by training events.
Again, thank you sir,
SFC Joseph M. Finck USA (Ret)
The age old adage remains true, "the more we sweat in training, the less we bleed in combat." I lived through the Cold War period and was effected by the training tempo, but many of my fondest memories are encapsualted by training events.
Again, thank you sir,
SFC Joseph M. Finck USA (Ret)
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The first thing is the uniform. The ACU has taken the "pride" out of the appearance of the Soldier. The Army has to stop changing the standard and start enforcing the standards. It seems like the Marines havent really changed much from the 90s til now, unlike the Army. The Army needs to have a standard and you either meet it or find new employment. Its to much gray area in the Army now.
I would like to see NCOPD seperated by junior and senior NCOs. In my opinion I dont want to sit through hours of how to do a proper counseling, as a SFC I should already be tracking on that. I would like dos and donts, tips, and the proper way how to mentor seasoned SSGs. How to properly rate my Squad Leaders on their NCOers. I would like to master my level. I think once you make SFC you are kind for forgotten about because people think you are going to retire. Just my opinion.
Garrison is not hard for most support MOSs, due to we are still doing our job in Garrison, unlike combat arms MOSs.
I would like to see NCOPD seperated by junior and senior NCOs. In my opinion I dont want to sit through hours of how to do a proper counseling, as a SFC I should already be tracking on that. I would like dos and donts, tips, and the proper way how to mentor seasoned SSGs. How to properly rate my Squad Leaders on their NCOers. I would like to master my level. I think once you make SFC you are kind for forgotten about because people think you are going to retire. Just my opinion.
Garrison is not hard for most support MOSs, due to we are still doing our job in Garrison, unlike combat arms MOSs.
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1SG (Join to see)
I agree with this statement 125%
"I would like to see NCOPD separated by junior and senior NCOs. In my opinion I don't want to sit through hours of how to do a proper counseling, as a SFC I should already be tracking on that. I would like dos and don'ts, tips, and the proper way how to mentor seasoned SSGs. How to properly rate my Squad Leaders on their NCOers."
"I would like to see NCOPD separated by junior and senior NCOs. In my opinion I don't want to sit through hours of how to do a proper counseling, as a SFC I should already be tracking on that. I would like dos and don'ts, tips, and the proper way how to mentor seasoned SSGs. How to properly rate my Squad Leaders on their NCOers."
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SPC Matthew Birkinbine
I also agree immensely. There's no reason a SFC should be treated like s/he doesn't know his/her subordinate position duties or responsibilities. Seniors should be trained in senior tasks, such as "rating" juniors. Juniors should be trained in counseling.
I don't recall the marines having changed uniforms at least since I was in Basic and my first AIT, but they were in transition still in 2002 as I met Marines who wore BDU pattern and digital pattern uniforms. The thing about it is when they adopted their new uniforms, wear and appearance didn't (it would appear) go completely out the window, as common sense wear and appearance rules seem (from the outside) to have taken hold. I don't know if someone was over-compensating when deciding that we couldn't roll our sleeves anymore, or when we "had" to wear the beret at all times, or not, but it really felt like common sense disappeared with the adaptation of ACU's.
Garrison is definitely not hard for us personnel other than grunts.
I don't recall the marines having changed uniforms at least since I was in Basic and my first AIT, but they were in transition still in 2002 as I met Marines who wore BDU pattern and digital pattern uniforms. The thing about it is when they adopted their new uniforms, wear and appearance didn't (it would appear) go completely out the window, as common sense wear and appearance rules seem (from the outside) to have taken hold. I don't know if someone was over-compensating when deciding that we couldn't roll our sleeves anymore, or when we "had" to wear the beret at all times, or not, but it really felt like common sense disappeared with the adaptation of ACU's.
Garrison is definitely not hard for us personnel other than grunts.
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SPC Matthew Birkinbine
Oh, and I DEFINITELY at a MINIMUM, miss my black boots, that shined so bright.
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MSG, what a thought provoking post! Thank you.
It is making me evaluate some things that I am doing. Well, I am one of the old Soldiers who remembers being counseled monthly. I am one of the ones who search diligently for mentorship, especially during times when I have a supervisor who is not interested (capable) in leading me or other Soldiers. That mentor (leader) helps me continue to grow as a person and as a leader. In an attempt to answer your questions, let me start by saying the obvious. The way ahead is defined in current/updated regulations, ADPs, ADRPs, the like, and news events. To tell you all a secret, I like helping Soldiers study for Boards, because it helps me stay current, and exposed to what they encounter. I always offer to help Soldiers (people) in any aspect. Usually, I often have to mandate Study Hall because most figure two minutes on an app will take care of that.
Ensuring Soldiers are shaped to emulate the "Total Soldier" is an art. Meaning, I don't have a format; it is constantly changing. Someone said a few years ago, "You can't lead without relationship." Connecting with Soldiers (people) can be a challenge, as relationships are dynamic. Having a trustworthy team of my peers and subordinate leaders who share the same mental model is key. It still takes 'a village' in every setting.
It is making me evaluate some things that I am doing. Well, I am one of the old Soldiers who remembers being counseled monthly. I am one of the ones who search diligently for mentorship, especially during times when I have a supervisor who is not interested (capable) in leading me or other Soldiers. That mentor (leader) helps me continue to grow as a person and as a leader. In an attempt to answer your questions, let me start by saying the obvious. The way ahead is defined in current/updated regulations, ADPs, ADRPs, the like, and news events. To tell you all a secret, I like helping Soldiers study for Boards, because it helps me stay current, and exposed to what they encounter. I always offer to help Soldiers (people) in any aspect. Usually, I often have to mandate Study Hall because most figure two minutes on an app will take care of that.
Ensuring Soldiers are shaped to emulate the "Total Soldier" is an art. Meaning, I don't have a format; it is constantly changing. Someone said a few years ago, "You can't lead without relationship." Connecting with Soldiers (people) can be a challenge, as relationships are dynamic. Having a trustworthy team of my peers and subordinate leaders who share the same mental model is key. It still takes 'a village' in every setting.
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1SG Steven Stankovich
Thank you very much for your input SFC (Join to see). Building "Total Soldiers" is an art and what works in one setting may be difficult to emulate in another. I think that it is critical for leaders to share lessons learned in order to build a better current and future force.
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