Odierno: Leadership, professional development - Top priorities
Odierno: Leadership, professional development - Top priorities
The Army remains the foundation of the Joint Force.It has, is, and will be called upon to respond to and meet every major National Security mission.Today, we are advising and assisting combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, providing humanitarian assistance in West Africa to halt the unprecedented outbreak of Ebola, responding to Russian aggression through shaping operations with European allies, assisting our partners and allies around the world to develop professional and capable armies, defending critical networks against cyber attacks, and supporting National Defense objectives in the Pacific.We currently have 140,000 forces successfully conducting diverse missions on six continents in nearly 140 countries while simultaneously posturing the Force of 2025 and beyond to meet the emerging security demands facing the Nation.Requirements are increasing for missions across the range of military operations to Prevent, Shape, and Win in support of Combatant Commanders.Unexpected, unanticipated challenges make it even more critical that we adapt and apply lessons learned over the past 14 years of conflict.In the world we operate in, readiness is driven less by scheduled deployments than by maintaining sustained readiness. We must be ready for the unexpected and adapt at the pace of change.In response, we are making our force more agile and adaptive. In October of last year, we introduced the new Army Operating Concept, Win in a Complex World.This concept recognizes the changing world around us. It ensures that we are prepared to lead Joint, Interorganizational, Multinational Teams in complex security environments.The Army Operating Concept is the intellectual foundation and the framework for learning and applying what we learn about future force development, Soldier development, organizational design, and technological applications.It ensures the Army can provide national security leaders with multiple options for operating alongside multiple partners and across multiple domains to present multiple dilemmas to our adversaries.One of the more salient lessons learned from the last decade is how quickly our adversaries adapt and counter our tactics, techniques, and procedures.We have to develop leaders and organizations able to operate and move quickly in that environment.Our leaders have had to learn to adapt and innovate faster in a more dynamic and decentralized manner.That is why leader development is my number one priority. It is a critical investment and the most important task to shape the future Army. We must continue developing broad leaders who can challenge assumptions, understand their environment, and achieve mission command.We must be able to synchronize and integrate effects on the ground from all domains in a multitude of environments to provide a variety and scale of response options across a full range of missions.We must remain ever ready to support our allies, defend our national interests, and secure the peace. Our Globally Responsive, Regionally Engaged All-Volunteer Army provides scalable, tailorable forces simultaneously anywhere around the globe to win in a complex world.The strength of our Nation is our ArmyThe strength of our Army is our SoldiersThe strength of our Soldiers is our FamiliesAnd that is what makes us Army Strong!