Leaders at all levels of the Army must embrace the sacred trust given to them to care for their soldiers, said Gen. Gary Brito, commanding general of Army Training and Doctrine Command.

“Take this seriously, because we own it,” Brito said during the 2025 Maneuver Warfighter Conference at Fort Benning, Georgia. “It’s an unofficial handshake that you all own … with the moms and dads that are supporting their sons and daughters joining, whether through commissioning or enlisting. If you look at it that way, you'll put some emphasis in being that professional that our Army needs.”

Leaders must be comfortable executing their tasks, even under difficult circumstances, Brito said, citing observations from battalions rotating through the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana.

“There were some young soldiers who weren’t comfortable ... [with what they] were expected to do, same with some young leaders and a few staff officers,” he said. Brito, who is preparing to retire after more than 38 years of service, urged these leaders to “be comfortable in your skin” while being “confidently competent [and] very, very proficient at your respective jobs regardless of your rank [and] regardless of your MOS.”

As the Army modernizes, soldiers cannot forget their basic skills, Brito said. He shared an interaction he had with a soldier whose Bradley Fighting Vehicle’s GPS system was not working at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California.

“I walked into his vehicle, said, ‘What's wrong?’ [He said] ‘Hey, sir, the GPS is not working. I need to get to Brown Pass.’ I said, ‘OK, where's your map? Where's your compass?’ ” Brito said.

The point of the story, Brito said, is “don’t lose your old-school skills on how to do things, like land navigation, shoot, move, communicate and medicate.”

As they serve, leaders throughout the Army are critical to maintaining the Army profession, Brito said. “Leaders have a critical role in our Army profession, not strengthening the Army profession, maintaining the Army profession,” he said. “ Take this seriously.”