Mr. Dale Ormond – Deputy Commander of the Combine Arms Center
Leader Development

For his brief, Mr. Ormond reiterated a fact that in the past, situational awareness came from a top-down approach, but now it comes from the bottom-up. He said that today, we need creative thinkers and adaptive leaders in the Army and on today’s battlefields. He relayed to the audience that it was GEN Dempsey’s number one priority.
Mr. Ormond discussed how, when we begin our initial entry phases of our Army experience, we place a significant emphasis on tactically training our men and women and how, as we move up in rank, we train less and less. This has led to a slippery slope in some regards to where there are perceptions that you have to “stay in the fight” in order to move up in rank and that these people have been unable, or have little, broadening experiences. He mentioned that having these different experiences and learning other perspectives allow for success at a strategic level. A 40-minute discussion began immediate following his brief on several issues ranging from how to best implement CCC (among other courses) to building competencies in an era persistent conflict. It was a great discussion and highly encourage people to check out video on DCO.