ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

I became the command sergeant major of the 10th Mountain Division on March 22, 2020. I was ready to become the best division command sergeant major ever, and I was excited to build and lead the professional development program for senior NCOs at both Fort Drum, New York, and Fort Polk, Louisiana.

The debilitating effect of the coronavirus and my own lack of imagination derailed my hopes of becoming a legend in the realm of leader development. I write much of this with a renewed sense of humility.

I thought I had leader development all figured out and simply had to keep doing the same...

Young officers and NCOs will be challenged on the fast-changing, complex battlefields of the future. While it might be difficult to teach these young leaders all the nuances required to operate in volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environments, studying historical examples of leaders who adapted to challenges can be instructive.

One campaign often overlooked is Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene’s “Race to the Dan,” which took place in early 1781 through the Carolina backcountry.

Greene’s tactical retreat through South Carolina and North Carolina and across the Dan River as he evaded...

A lieutenant colonel provided me with important advice on mentorship when I graduated and earned my commission from Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was set to retire, but his message was clear and concise: “Find a mentor. I cannot do it. You will need to find someone else who can.” 

This conversation was one I would have with senior officers throughout the early years of my career.

Army Regulation (AR) 600-100: Army Profession and Leadership Policy defines a mentee as a person of “lesser experience” and a recipient of “advice and counsel.” The mentee must value the...

After World War I, the Army faced a spectrum of daunting challenges. Returning and demobilizing nearly 3 million troops, incorporating the “G” general staff system the American Expeditionary Forces had found so efficient and effective in combat, addressing how tanks and air power might be used in future conflict, establishing a military police corps and modernizing the signal corps with new radio-enabled communication were just a few things that took significant intellectual energy.

But the decisions and actions associated with how to properly handle U.S. war dead temporarily interred on...

Too many American political and military strategists have been sleepwalking since the end of the Cold War. Will the Russia-Ukraine war awaken them from this self-induced state?

The answer depends upon what changes these leaders are willing to make in the coming months and years.

American strategic sleepwalking began right after the invasion of Panama in 1989 and the First Gulf War of 1990–91. Both were startling victories. In Panama, a strategic coup de main forcibly removed military dictator Manuel Noriega and returned a democratic government to Panama. The invasion began on Dec. 20...

The world has changed. As privates in the early 1990s, we had to learn or, in some cases, memorize copious amounts of information to obtain a functional understanding of our jobs. As time progressed, we slowly became specialized in our skills, and through multiple years of practice and learning, we became masters of our crafts.

In those early years, we did not have access to computers, the World Wide Web was an abstract idea, and the availability of knowledge was limited to what we could read or what an experienced person told us. This process was difficult, and it took over 20 years to...

The world has changed. As privates in the early 1990s, we had to learn or, in some cases, memorize copious amounts of information to obtain a functional understanding of our jobs. As time progressed, we slowly became specialized in our skills, and through multiple years of practice and learning, we became masters of our crafts.

In those early years, we did not have access to computers, the World Wide Web was an abstract idea, and the availability of knowledge was limited to what we could read or what an experienced person told us. This process was difficult, and it took over 20 years to...

Throughout its history, the U.S. Army has been proud of its sergeants, and rightfully so. Unlike most armies in the world, America’s victories depend on the professionalism and excellence of the Army’s corps of NCOs, the front-line leaders who lead the fight on the ground, in the trenches and at the tip of the spear.

Most officers will freely admit that they rose on the backs of sergeants, were molded and shaped by them, and owe their success to the “right hands” that supported them at every step. This is as it should be. An American Army without great sergeants is unthinkable.

What...

A-Team Hits the Ground in Afghanistan

Swords of Lightning: Green Beret Horse Soldiers and America’s Response to 9/11. Mark Nutsch, Bob Pennington and Jim DeFelice. Permuted Press. 352 pages. $28

By Lt. Col. Mark Reardon, U.S. Army retired

Mark Nutsch and Bob Pennington were the commander and deputy commander, respectively, of Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha 595, the Green Beret A-team that worked with Afghan allies to overthrow the Taliban in the opening campaign of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Their riveting story, told with the help of bestselling author Jim...

It all started in March 2020 when cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, left for spring break, expecting to return after a week of vacation. Little did we know that the COVID-19 pandemic would turn that week away from the academy into five months.

Few people could have imagined what would happen during those five months. First, the pandemic caused a worldwide public health emergency that isolated everyone from friends and extended family, closed schools and shut down businesses. Political tensions intensified. Then, a series of violent protests broke out following...

Their friendship mattered. Although distinct in personalities, Gens. Ulysses Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman treasured their relationship with one another as they led their forces and fought to preserve the Union.

These officers were unique in that they did not fit the prototypical model for generals of the time. They were humble in an era when general officers tended to be preoccupied with self-image and status.

However, as history demonstrates, these two men, through their individual achievements and the strength of their relationship, were integral to the Union’s success in the...

The company assembled for the ceremony in scorching heat. Thirty days into their deployment to Iraq, the troopers in the compound were looking forward to the award of their combat patches—or, more formally, the Shoulder Sleeve Insignia-Former Wartime Service, which recognized soldiers’ participation in combat operations. Now proven veterans of a famous division, they looked forward to wearing its storied colors for the rest of their service. A proud anticipation rippled through the formation.

Soon, a lieutenant, the company executive officer, approached the formation. Calling the troops to...

Their friendship mattered. Although distinct in personalities, Gens. Ulysses Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman treasured their relationship with one another as they led their forces and fought to preserve the Union.

These officers were unique in that they did not fit the prototypical model for generals of the time. They were humble in an era when general officers tended to be preoccupied with self-image and status.

However, as history demonstrates, these two men, through their individual achievements and the strength of their relationship, were integral to the Union’s success in the...

Nothing has transformed modern life like the microprocessor, and nothing has significantly shaped the modern global economy as the rise of cyberspace.

In the first half of the 20th century, through two world wars, the U.S. Army transformed from a largely horse-powered constabulary force into the world’s premier industrial age army.

In the same way, exponential technological change is driving Army transformation today. Cyberspace, the global network of information technology infrastructure and data, has emerged as the most powerful phenomenon in human history, shaping all aspects of...

Nothing has transformed modern life like the microprocessor, and nothing has significantly shaped the modern global economy as the rise of cyberspace.

In the first half of the 20th century, through two world wars, the U.S. Army transformed from a largely horse-powered constabulary force into the world’s premier industrial age army.

In the same way, exponential technological change is driving Army transformation today. Cyberspace, the global network of information technology infrastructure and data, has emerged as the most powerful phenomenon in human history, shaping all aspects of...