The mission of the United States army is to fight and win wars in land combat as a joint force. To do that, the army has a lot of moving parts that has to work together simultaneously to complete the mission at hand. The army’s secret weapon to doing this is its leaders and their leadership ability. Without leadership, the army would have failed a long time ago.
As the army moves into a new battlefield; its leaders become ever more important. The problems at hand become more diverse and complex which poses new challenges to the leaders of the United States Army. Army leadership, commissioned or enlisted, has to come together as a whole to solve these tasks and lead there troops in the right direction. According to Army Regulation 600-100 We do this by organizing, equipping, and training Army Forces for prompt and sustained combat incident to operations on land; integrating our capabilities with those of the other Armed Services; accomplishing all missions assigned by the President, the Secretary of Defense, and combatant commanders; and remaining ready while preparing for the future. Constant training keeps the army ready and refreshed for anything that could be thrown at it. With that being said, what is a leader?
A leader is someone that can motivate others and lead them to do the right thing and complete the mission whether they are in a leadership role or not. A leader will step up and take charge in a time of need and will always lead from the front. It is someone who can provide purpose and direction in a mission. A true leader, in a leadership position or not, broadcasts his affects and ability’s beyond the command chain. Being a leader in the in the United States Army, you must be able to reflect the army values and they must be able to represent the army and its soldiers as a whole.
To be a good leader; you will have to live the seven Army Values and abide by them on and off duty. An easy way to remember these values is the acronym “LDRSHIP”. The L stands for loyalty; which means to bear true faith and allegiance to the constitution, army, your home unit and soldiers. The D stands for Duty; which means to fulfill your obligations and oaths. The letter R stands for Respect; the value that tells you to treat people with the same respect that you would want yourself. The S stands for selfless service; which means to serve a higher purpose and to put the needs of your soldiers and the army above your own. Next is the letter H; honoring your obligations and living up to the army values to the best of your ability. I is for Integrity; do what is right even when no one is looking. Last but not least is P; personal courage is facing danger and or fear physically or morally. Those are the seven core values that not only drives the army but it drives great leaders.
Leadership is crucial in the army profession. The best and most effective leaders will lead from the front. The army believes in its leaders; the army also believes in training and building leaders. There are different levels of leaders in the United States Army that all have a different job. With those different levels of leadership comes different levels of schools that the army provides. Take for instance the Basic Leader Course which is meant to train young specialist and junior NCO’s the values of being a leader and the basics of leading your soldiers. The course after that is the Advanced Leader Course (ALC). The purpose of this course is to train experienced E5’s that are in a promotable position to lead a squad or platoon effectively. After that you have the Senior Leader Course (SLC) which is a school designed for sergeant first classes that teaches the skills and knowledge to lead platoon and company size elements. The First Sergeant Academy prepares first sergeants to lead a company, battery and a troop size element. Last but not least there is the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy and the Command Sergeants Major Academy which is the premier leadership courses in the United States Army.
No matter what rank or level you are at in the United States Army, you will always go to school to better yourself to be a better leader. The modern battle field is ever more dynamic and will need leaders that will be able to conform to these dynamic situations. The army’s main role and purpose is land combat and the only way to move forward and advance is with a soldier/NCO leading from the front. No matter who you are what your rank is, you can motivate your peers and fellow soldiers to drive on and fulfil the army’s purpose.
