Brito: Writing a ‘Cornerstone’ to Army Profession
Brito: Writing a ‘Cornerstone’ to Army Profession

Efforts to revitalize professional writing across the force are a “very important part of the fiber of our Army profession,” the commanding general of Army Training and Doctrine Command said.
“Professional writing may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of military readiness, but it’s a cornerstone,” Gen. Gary Brito said Jan. 28 during a writing workshop hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army.
Clear, concise and precise communications allow leaders to convey their intent, facilitate learning, synchronize operations and contribute to innovation and overall readiness, Brito said.
It could be something as simple as after-action reviews, briefings or emails, he said. “Writing is much more than words on a page,” Brito said. “The way you communicate precisely can impact lives, shape missions and help define our profession.”
Ambiguity in communications can lead to confusion, misinterpretation and, sometimes, mission failure, he said, as he challenged the audience to be clear, use plain language and avoid jargon and acronyms.
Brito’s remarks and AUSA’s “Writing Workshop: Powerful Prose,” a new event hosted by the association, follow a renewed emphasis on professional writing by Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George.
George initiated the Harding Project, which aims to revitalize scholarship and writing across the force. In response, AUSA launched the Harding Papers, which exclusively highlights the work and scholarship of LTG (Ret.) James M. Dubik Writing Fellows.
Hosted by Army University Press, the Dubik program is a voluntary, non-resident writing fellowship to encourage discourse that contributes to a community of military and national security professionals.
Speaking during AUSA’s writing workshop, retired Lt. Gen. Jim Dubik encouraged soldiers to write. “Our profession is a multigenerational profession, and those generations need to talk to each other,” he said.
Writing for professional journals and publications is “one way that each generation can contribute to the richness of our profession and contribute to your ideas,” he said.
Dubik also emphasized that everyone could contribute. “None of us are writers. We’re Army people,” he said. “You are a caring professional. You care about this profession. You care about the people in this profession. You care about what’s going on in this profession. You talk to your peers and supervisors about this. This is a way you contribute to your profession.”
Each generation of soldiers has a different perspective, Dubik said, as he encouraged soldiers of all ranks to write. “You have to contribute your observations, your innovativeness and creativity, your critical observations of the profession,” he said. “You have to do this, otherwise, the profession as a multigenerational chain starts to break because the generations don’t talk to each other.”