Category Archives: Company Command

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Tactical Decision Games (TDGs)

An Introduction

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The worst time to prepare for war is when you find yourself in the middle of one. Tactical Decision Games (TDGs) – also called Tactical Decision Exercises (TDEs) – are, simply, situational narratives of a tactical scenario that provide leaders the opportunity to develop a plan based on abbreviated information and in a time-constrained environment. They are tactical/situational puzzles. They require little in resources and provide huge returns for decision-making and critical-thinking. TDGs are, in my opinion, an underused tool in the institutional, organizational, and self-development domains. Let’s fix that.

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Process….Not Program

Leader Development is a Process

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Leader development “programs” in our profession require a comprehensive approach to building competent and capable leaders in both tactics and character. Building character without competence is negligent; enabling competence without character is dangerous. Developing “leaders” who aren’t technically and tactically sound is self-defeating. Conversely, a program that focuses solely on the execution of war and neglects the development of the whole person and the effects of war on the human condition is lacking. For this reason, leader development should be viewed as a journey rather than a program. It is a process and not a “check-the-box.”

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Live the Fundamentals

A Brigade Commander’s Reflections on Company Command 15 Years Later

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As a Brigade Commander, I shared a document with my crop of company commanders here in the Ghost Brigade (1-2 SBCT) at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM). I discovered the old document, while searching for lessons learned from a previous CTC rotation, and thought it was worth sharing. The document contained my continuity notes for the next company commander of the “Deathmasters”, B Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry (SBCT) at JBLM from late 2002 and early 2003. The notes are included in the post below (with a few edits for language; I was less mature in the way I wrote).

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To Conserve Fighting Strength

#BranchSeries - Medical Service Corps

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Three years of grueling effort in ROTC came down to this one decision – my branch. Up to that point, my experience was solely in small unit, infantry tactics. Since Infantry was not an option for females at that time, I felt a bit lost. The lack of tangible experience, and basic knowledge, about other branches made this decision more difficult. The idea of making an uninformed decision, one that would impact my entire career in the Army, was daunting. For whatever reason, I ended up selecting Medical Service Corps and embarked on an adventure unknown.

Soldiers of A Co, 2-502D IN, 101st ABN DIV (AASLT) provide light for medics and the BN Surgeon to treat a Soldier wounded by an IED while the MEDEVAC helicopter lands in the background. Picture taken on 08 OCT 2010 by American Photo Journalist Erin Trieb. See her other work at http://www.erintrieb.com.
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Can You Hear Me Now?

#BranchSeries - Signal Corps

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A Signal Corps officer’s success, much like any leader, depends greatly on his or her ability to create effective teams. Bending an organization to the will of the leader stifles junior leader initiative. It fails to maximize the positive and dynamic impact of junior and senior non-commissioned officers (NCOs). These leaders, when actively engaged, create forward organizational momentum. Leaders do this by creating a family-centric team and engaging individuals on a personal level. As a young Lieutenant (1st Lt.) serving at Fort Bragg as the 519th MI BN S6, this is the greatest lesson I had the privilege of learning from my Battalion Commander. Then Lieutenant Colonel (Lt. Col.) Joshua Fulmer created a robust team that was able to push the organization into new heights by making subordinate leaders feel necessary.

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Money, Money, Money…MONEY!

#BranchSeries - Finance

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If your ROTC experience was anything like mine, by the time you leave college you could consider yourself a “T” [trained] at packing a ruck sack, taking a PT test, and performing a squad attack. You may also have had a majority of combat arms instructors tell you all about leading Soldiers and the “Real Army”. If you can relate to that experience, do not worry, you are not alone. As you skim through the list of branches available to rank order (or have already been chosen for you), there may be some less obvious branches listed. By the time I was a junior I had figured out what the S1 through S6 shops did, but Finance wasn’t one of my battalion’s “S Shops”. So, when Finance came up as my basic branch assignment, my first question was, what does a finance lieutenant do?

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It Chose Me

#BranchSeries - Adjutant General Corps

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My journey to becoming an officer is a little different from most. I was an enlisted Soldier, reaching the rank of Sergeant First Class before I made the decision to commission. I had numerous leaders over the course of this time that tried to encourage me to go Green to Gold, but I was dead set on becoming a Drill Sergeant (DS). At 10 years of service, my dream of becoming a DS finally became a reality in Advanced Individual Training (AIT). Shortly after arriving to DS assignment at Fort Sam Houston Texas, the Army made the decision to discontinue the DS program in AIT. So there I was, DS Washington, finally doing the one thing I had dreamed of since joining the military, and it was getting stripped away from me!

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X Factor: The Force Multiplier

#BranchSeries - Chemical Corps

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Congratulations, you have been selected to serve in the Chemical Branch. That is great news for leaders with science degrees that listed the Chemical Corps in their top preferred branches. To Bachelors of Arts leaders, getting this news can be intimidating. Newly selected Chemical officers will immediately reflect back to how they felt after their last mask-confidence (“gas”) chamber or after their last chemistry exam. But, fear not! There is good news. There is a lot more leadership than science when becoming the X Factor for your unit.

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Not Quite James Bond…But Close

#BranchSeries - Military Intelligence

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There is a misconception about “Military Intelligence” (MI) by those outside the military. They often imagine a scene from a spy movie. Instead of picturing the action-packed climax of a spy movie, rewind to where the field agent receives the mission brief. In addition to the agent, there is usually a reliable handler, know-it-all analyst, and aggressive chief. Don’t be fooled! An MI Officer can be any of these roles, but most often would be the know-it-all analyst. Being MI means that you utilize all intelligence assets to provide an assessment that guides action to achieve an objective. These skills allow you to save lives and be relevant at any scale. If you want a career that is purposeful, pivotal, and challenging, MI is the right choice for you.

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We ❤️ Logistics

#BranchSeries - Logistics

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What do you want to be when you grow up? This August will be my 15th year of service and I still do not know the answer to that question. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, mind you. If I terminate service now, in addition to leadership experience, I’ll have a heavily padded resume that rivals those of my infantry brethren. Perhaps, you are unsure of where your life will be in 20 years? Choosing a branch that offers training beneficial in the civilian workforce may be an indicator that you possess the traits necessary to plan for contingencies. If this is the case, you are what the Logistics Corps needs.