Army doctrine has a wide scope and requires prudent implementation while allowing room for adjustment as the operational environment changes. Doctrine describes the role of a Company Sergeant Major or Sergeant Major (CSM/SGM) and tasks them to affect various areas of interest (Department of the Army, 2012). As the senior-most noncommissioned officer CSM advises the unit commander on all issues about the enlisted ranks. Fundamentally, CSMs must understand key aspects of sustainment, a key area of their mandate. I believe that CSMs must learn the dynamics of sustainment synchronization with operations at each level. Understanding sustainment dynamics is a crucial aspect of CSMs/SGMs because I think that they influence joint and independent links. Moreover, when properly implemented, sustainment positively affects combat power's maximization, one of the leading indicators of a unit's success.
The ability to extend command influence is one of the primary responsibilities of a CSM/SGM. For example, sustainment of the warfighting function requires CSMs/SGMs to help extend the operations reach, as empowered by their commanders. For example, I think that SGMs/CSMs must comprehend Army forces' endurance function since it serves as a key component of a unit's sustainment. When a CSM has sufficient leeway to extend command influence, their unit will have enough quality options to retain and exploit the warfighting function (Department of the Army, 2012). For instance, I think that concerning logistics, SGMs must have the ability to extend their sphere of influence in the execution of movement and support of the entire team.
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Assisting at the point of friction is the second role of a CSM/SGM, although they do not have a prescribed doctrinal location. CSMs/SGMs act as grease in times of team conflicts. I feel that CSM must try to identify areas where their expertise, skills, and knowledge of their commander's intent to their team, especially when soldiers are working in demanding situations. Throughout the team's rotation, a CSM/SGM must have their tentacles spread in all areas and have sufficient information about each area's state of events. For example, a unit's SGM must understand all the supplying material processes to unit members, especially during critical moments (Department of the Army, 2014). I feel that CSM’s knowledge of the distribution principles and associated networks helps ease friction because of the resulting efficiency in availing supplies.
SGMs must also know the intent of their commander hence gaining the capacity to extend the command influence. Understanding one's commander's intents give one flexibility in prioritizing critical events and attending to them on time. Such understanding helps CSMs/SGMs have the control, visibility, and capacity to influence activities that fall under their mandate (Department of the Army, 2014). I believe that understanding the commander’s intent also helps instill a rapport across the entire unit due to the close working relationship between the two spheres of influence. The extent to which a CSM has control, visibility, and capacity to influence various dynamics of their units stems from the autonomy awarded to them by their commanding officer. As such, a CSM must know to cultivate and nurture this autonomy to extend the command influence.
Last, the U.S Army has operations bases overseas, which creates a need for SGMs/CSMs to understand foreign countries' various sustainment dynamics. According to the Department of the Army (2012), maximization of operational effectiveness denotes one of the principal objectives of sustainment needs. I think that any support provided and received must conform to the existing legal provisions. Relatedly, I opine that SGMs/CSMs must understand all the legal provisions that govern multinational sustainment operations. Also, they must understand their duties at a multinational level to avoid conflict of interest.
References
Department of the Army. (2012). Sustainment (ADRP 4-0). Retrieved from https://armypubs.us.army.mil/doctrine/index.html
Department of the Army. (2014). Army Theater Distribution. Retrieved from https://armypubs.us.army.mil/doctrine/index.html
