1 Attachment(s)
A Leader Development Strategy for a 21st Century Army (ALDS)
In furthering the Army's emphasis on developing leaders to succeed in the complexities of the operational environment, now and in the future, TRADOC produced a strategy that DA officially released, on 25 November. I wanted to ensure you all received this Leader Development Strategy. Additionally, we will publish an annex to this strategy for each cohort—NCO, warrant officer, and officer—in a portfolio of initiatives that will provide specific implementation detail. What do you all think about this strategy?
The Leader Development Strategy posting
The Army website should have it up, but I did not see it there yet. I will track it down and get back to you. Also, the TRADOC website should have a News Story and link up as well.
Bill, I think part of the problem TRADOC faces
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Originally Posted by
Bill Jakola
is engendered by 1919 Personnel and Force Structure system that impacts everything you do. You can tweak the training but that will never adequately correct for the major systemic flaws that have built up over years of resistance to change (including on the part of the Congress...).
For example, aside from a Personnel system lost in a time warp, we have structure and grade problems that it creates and that are exacerbated by dysfunctional force design.
Company commanders should be Majors, and each should have two CPTs, a supporter and a trainer of the LTs who are PLs (period) as well as a 1SG who's the trainer of the enlisted swine AND an Admin Spt NCO (7 or 8) as well as 6 or 7 Operations and Training NCO (peacetime) / Intel NCO (wartime).
Companies are undermanned; Bn and Bde Staffs are way overmanned.
Thus you are trying to train an organization that is really not well organized and one that has to adapt on an ad-hoc basis for every war. Fortunately, we have in the past done ad-hoc well. I'm not all sure we can reliably do that in the future...
I'm sure General Dempsey is very much aware that he effectively wears two hats, director of training for the US Army -- and the proponent for the DOCTRINE that drives both the personnel system and force structure. Or should. I do not question that it should. I question that it does in fact do so.
Improving leader training is important -- improving the force they lead is equally important. Good, well trained leaders can overcome dysfunctional organization and doctrine but they can perform so much better if those impediments are removed.
As you said:
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Thus, answering your questions of how the ALDS impacts the budgetary process or helps reset TRADOC or the Army at large will help our understanding of where this leader development strategy fits in the larger concept for organizational change.(emphasis added /kw)
Don't forget the small things like admin!
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Originally Posted by
Bill Jakola
Also, as far as short cutting the system; well developed leaders, I believe, would not only circumvent the systems shortfalls, but also improve these systemic weak areas. That 's what good leaders do.
Bill, I have to love your attitude. Unfortunately, hope is not an approved Army planning method (but it seems to be extensively used). How long must we circumvent the shortfalls? I don't have the "luxury" of the 200+ training days available to the active component. Until the big guns clean the Augean stables, many Guard and Reserve units struggle with the growing list of mandatory training, soldier readiness, and, oh, almost forgot, missions...
IMHO, the Army has changed to self service, where the individual soldier is expected to monitor their records, medical status, DTS, and oh, don't forget your professional reading! Except we are not trained in records or medical or finance. The system IMHO, requires too much immersion by every soldier in non-mission tasks. Need to get ready for a mission? Quick, everyone run to a system and bang out your DTS voucher! The DD 1351-2 got me paid in less than a month, fax or scan it in. No computer needed. Plus, I didn't need a government CC, and I could control my credit rating (if DTS does not pay your CC, you will be counseled!)..
Computer access is a sore point. The centralized "support" system seems to be better at denying access to soldiers with a valid CAC card than Chinese hackers. Without access, a soldier is unable to access all these self help things for the weekend. (my record is three months). The S6 shop has had it's ability to actually help drastically reduced.
Take care of the ordinary things while fixing the big things...
TSLC next week - Campaign of Learning – Adaptation as the Institutional Imperative
ALCON: the TRADOC Senior Leaders Conference (TSLC) is next week 9-11 March 2010 at Williamsburg, VA. This is an important venue for continuing the discussion from the last TSLC in August.
The conference will bring together many of the Army’s senior professionals to discuss ways to improve the training and education of America’s Soldiers under the theme, “Our Army’s Campaign of Learning.” The recently published Army Capstone Concept (ACC) describes the broad capabilities the Army will require to fight in the future, and provides the common language and conceptual foundation for an ongoing campaign of learning and analysis. The prioritized capabilities that emerge from the ACC and the other, more detailed Warfighter Function (WfF) and Operating concepts will guide changes across DOTMLPF.
The Army of the future will learn differently, build leaders differently, train differently and redesign itself more quickly. And the capstone concept serves as our “line of departure” for building that Army.
During Day 1 of the conference, our Centers of Excellence will have their first opportunity to backbrief the implications of the ACC to their WfFs and the associated 1st Order Required Capabilities.
During Day 2, we will focus on developing some tangible solutions to assist in developing a new learning concept for our Army. We recognize we live in an increasingly competitive world. The important corollary of this is that we live in a competitive learning environment. In this environment, the nation and its military that learn the fastest, and the best, are going to prevail. To that end, we are developing a new learning concept to provide the basis for building an Army education system adapted to the learning styles and information needs of its learners, while ensuring we still deliver the high-quality content our Soldiers need and deserve.
Also at TSLC, we will have military bloggers as well as traditional media covering this conference so you can all be part of the ongoing conversation.
Bill Jakola