“What the graduates of Leavenworth provided… was a shared language and attitude towardproblem solving.” – Peter J. Schifferle, America’s School for War

In his 2010 study of officer education and Fort Leavenworth’s impact on the Second World War, historian Peter Schifferle opens with a discussion of the early influence of Leavenworth graduates on the Allied Expeditionary Forces under General Pershing during World War I. Pershing leaned so heavily on those officers that “a standing order required that every Leavenworth graduate disembarking in France would be detached from his unit and sent directly to Chaumont.”[1]Charles Herron, chief of staff of the U.S. 78^thDivision and himself a Fort Leavenworth graduate, underscored the value of those men to the American leadership during the war, stating “[A Leavenworth man] understood what you said and you understood what he said.”[2]

Congratulations graduates, you’ve now entered middle management!

In all seriousness, well done to you all. The Army will be glad to see you back in the ranks making a difference – after some energizing leave, I hope.

It’s my honor to join “The Field Grade Leader” in offering you a few points to reflect on as you transition to your next Army adventure. For whatever my insights may be worth, I’d like you to consider the following. First, entering middle management, or what the CGSC calls organizational-level leadership, is not a quantum leap from what you knew as a company grade leader, at least not the quantum leap that it was built up to be when I attended CGSC ten years ago. Second, for most of you, your near-term calling is to succeed as a Battalion S3 or XO, not a member of a General Staff. My comments that follow are entirely focused on this reality.

The transition from company grade officer to field grade officer can be a difficult one. After all, at the point that transition is made, an officer has spent up to 15 years training to serve and then serving at the Company level. Company grade leadership is very personal, and company command can be a very individual time. Sure, the Company Commander has a supporting team, but at the end of the day, the company reflects the Commander. Many officers, myself briefly included, leave command and think that they did all (or most) of it. Some may have (but again, unlikely). Even if they could have led their companies all by themselves, the end of that possibility is at the company level. No one can lead a battalion or brigade-sized formation by themselves.

Congratulations on finishing ILE and beginning your transition back to the Army. There are many outstanding articles providing in-depth recommendations for your field grade time here on The Field Grade Leader, From the Green Notebook, the Modern War Institute, etc. What follows are a few recommendations that I gave to peers going into KD positions in the 1st Armored Division.

“Similar to this larger outward understanding of unit relationships was an inward understanding of myself.”

To say having the opportunity to be a Regimental Operations Officer (Ops O) was a formative period in my career would be an understatement. It was my first experience moving from the troop and squadron level to a position which exposed me to the regimental headquarters and its interactions with the base, other units, and higher headquarters. When the Field Grade Leader asked me to capture a few thoughts as to what I would pass on as keys to success at this level, I quickly thought of the one theme that carried me through. During my time as Ops O, the most important aspect was relationships, both with respect to the unit in a broader context, and my relationship with myself. Understanding the relationships the regiment had with other units and organizations as well as respecting and knowing the limits of the relationship with myself were lessons I have carried with me in my career. I have also had the opportunity to pass these thoughts onto my previous subordinates who have subsequently completed the Ops O role. Moving into the regimental headquarters as an Ops O caused a required shift in focus as my areas of responsibility and interest grew significantly.

Like many going through Professional Military Education courses at Fort Leavenworth, I often wondered if there was value in what I was being taught. I often would wonder whether the course material would ever achieve practical application. Twelve months later I wonder no more. Below is a compilation of my thoughts on the CGSC curriculum that was useful throughout my deployment to Afghanistan as a J35 FUOPS Chief followed by a series of command post exercises in preparation for a division warfighter exercise.