am excited for the opportunity to command the 4th Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT). After my initial assessment of the unit, I have a good feel for the brigade’s primary issues and look forward to the challenges ahead. I have divided the problems identified into four primary lines of effort: Build the Team, Training, Leadership Development, and Fortify the Team. These lines of effort comprise the essential tasks in meeting my vision for the brigade. My vision is: 4th ABCT is a disciplined, agile, and fit Armored Brigade Combat Team that wins every fight; professionally accomplishes any mission to high standards; cares for, and is empowered by, each other and our families; and honors its lineage. We will accomplish this by being mentally and physically tough, mastering fundamentals, and doing the right thing through a foundation of trust based on teamwork, communication, discipline, and fitness. As the brigade commander, I know it is critical that my vision is nested in that of my higher command to ensure we are meeting the Commanding General’s intent. It is also important that the vision, and the accompanying strategy to implement…
Over the last 1.5 years, the 4th Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) has undergone significant change. Following a nine month deployment to Afghanistan, the Brigade appears to be overcome by stress, fatigue, leadership, and ethics issues. While many might categorize these as normal post deployment occurrences, they appear to run much deeper. The events of the previous deployment coupled with the death of the Brigade Commander, Brigade Sergeant Major and a Battalion Commander appear to be the…
The critical leadership problems facing the 4th Armor Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) is compliance, commitment, and emotional intelligence. The components of the Application of Power and Influence in Organizational Leadership are compliance versus commitment and emotional intelligence, using of Dr. Gene Klann, Application of Power and Influence in Organizational Leadership process will provide assistance in improving the culture and climate of 4th ABCT and reestablished the unit to its historical…
Assuming command of the 4th Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) is an honor and a privilege. It is truly a humbling opportunity to be selected to command an exceptional unit with a storied history of mission readiness and success. The past few weeks of observing the unit, in addition to, careful analysis of more recent historical documents from Army research organizations such as the Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL) and Center for Army Leadership (CAL) have provided necessary insight in…
I am currently a battalion level S-2 intelligence professional serving within a stryker brigade combat team. The current imagery needs of Soldiers at the tactical level are not being met with the current systems used by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). We have been working very closely with Digital globe and their EVWHS service and have found that their system is superior in every way to the NGA systems. The problem with other existing systems for obtaining imagery are…
The 4th Armored Brigade Combat Team (4ABCT) proud tradition of excellence throughout its history took a turn for the worse with its recent deployment and redeployment issues from Afghanistan. An organizational change within 4ABCT is paramount in order to return to its storied heritage of excellence by being a contributing member of the division. In order to complete the change from its current state to a well-respected unit, I would execute a blended version of the seven-step vision process…
Look at chapter 2“War is a big and sprawling word that brings a lot of human suffering into the conversation, but combat is a different matter. Combat is the smaller game that young men fall in love with, and any solution to the human problem of war will have to take into account the psyches of these young men” (Junger 2011, p. 234). Sebastian Junger, the author of War (2011), was born in Belmont, Massachusetts and grew up to become an award-winning journalist and #1 New York Times Bestselling…
The fans vehicles act as the tactical unit preparing to conduct an orderly movement (Maneuver Units), the parking lot security acts as the Movement Control Team (MCT), and the Manhattan Police Department plays the role of the Movement Control Battalion (MCB). Think of the parking lot at Bill Snyder Stadium as the Tactical Assembly Area (TAA), and the vehicles are departing to their homes or designated Passage Points (PP) in preparation to conduct a Forward Passage of Lines (FPOL). Back to the…
On the eve of Tet, the greater metropolitan area contained fewer than a thousand South Vietnamese troops on active duty. Most of the garrison was on leave to celebrate Tet, either at their homes in the city or elsewhere in neighboring districts. The headquarters of the South Vietnamese 1st1st Infantry Division, commanded by Brigadier General Ngo Quang Truong, made its home in the walled Mang Ca military compound, a mini-fortress that occupied the northeast corner of the Citadel. Apart from…
The last Quadrennial Defense Review shifted the basis of the defense planning from "threat-based" to “capabilities-based". The Force Development process relies on that base and consists of five phases; Develop Capabilities, Design Organization, Develop Organization, Determine Organizational Models, Determine Organizational Authorizations and Document Organizational Authorizations, to have structured and resourced force. The main consists of this process and it is obvious in the Winter Symposium…