Out of the delicate nature of military as a profession where soldiers face hostile enemies and deadly force, good leadership and discipline are crucial for the survival, longevity, and success of an army. It is good leadership which will maintain the morale of soldiers in the battlefield. Good leadership will motivate soldiers to lace up their boots and walk into a hostile environment. Leadership is the epicenter and the life blood, of any army 1 . To effectively accomplish missions, army leaders must provide sound leadership and also ensure that their organization or squads are founded on confidence in one another and mutual trust. Acting as a brigade commander of the 4thArmored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT), I am going identify the critical leadership problems faced by the brigade and explain how I will use the process of influencing to develop and improve the brigade.
From my assessment, the brigade has several leadership challenges. The soldiers lack proper direction and purpose. Also, there is a mismatch between the end goals of the leaders and their subordinates. Previously, the brigade had exhibited all the qualities needed by the army. All units were united; soldiers were dedicated to their mission and had strong work ethics. Today, the battalions lack unity, and their leaders are not working together to improve the brigade. Instead, unhealthy competition between different battalions has cropped up; setting themselves apart from the brigade. The camaraderie amongst the outgoing battalion commanders and command sergeants major appears to be very shallow.
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From the numerous operation needs and limited resources regarding time for preparation and the number of military personnel, the soldiers have been overstretched, and the brigade leadership has failed to control the high stress levels amongst its soldiers properly. From the way various personnel behaviors and records from the CALL and CAL assessments, it’s clear that the soldiers are burdened and stressed while the leadership has done very little to rectify the same. During the deployment to Afghanistan, the ABCT deployed at 92 percent strength, instead of the assigned 105 percent. Also, more than 100 soldiers were redeployed for no-combat-related medical problems. Out of all these, the increased number of ‘patrol sets’ additional tasks and the numerous operational requirements, put a lot of pressure on soldiers and the resources available. Another crucial stressor to the soldiers was the change of leadership shortly after the deployment to Afghanistan following a suicide attack that killed the brigade commander, the brigade command sergeant major and one of the battalion’s commanders.
On arrival at the theater, there was a realization that the brigade’s pre-deployment training did not match the requirement of the mission on the ground. The brigade’s leadership had failed to provide the right training for their units. This complicated matters to the soldiers as they were not well equipped to take advantage of opportunities on the ground and anticipate attacks, thereby increasing stress. Also, out of poor leadership and coordination, there was no proper RESET plan. Turning in of artillery and redeploying equipment took longer than the time required forcing soldiers to stay longer before going to see their families. With all these problems and stresses affecting the brigade, very little organization, direction or inspiration was provided by the brigade leadership to motivate the soldiers and improve their welfare.
Another problem exhibited in the brigade was that of insufficient confidence in the leadership structure. Some of the brigade commanders handed over part of their responsibilities to their deputies. These varied missions for the DCOs created confusion within the brigade and portrayed the ABCT as having a weak command structure . The brigades’ and battalions’ leaders also failed to train and develop their subordinates; they overlooked their duty to coach and counsel their subordinates. Subordinates were excluded in decision-making processes, team spirit and morale declined to lead to poor performances and carelessness from the soldiers. Effective coordination and communication among squad members and their leadership lacked, and conflict prevailed within different units in the brigade. For instance, there was a poor relationship between brigade’s S3 and battalion’s S3 and conflict between S4 with division G4.
The brigade also has work ethics problem. There have been cases concerning uninvestigated sexual harassment and leadership of the brigade has been tolerant the implicated officers. Also, there have been cases regarding the use of excessive force on Afghan locals which have been ignored. Leadership inconsistency has also been exhibited in the way junior captains have been appointed instead of senior captains to command some units. The military chain of command has been disregarded. The leadership of the brigade has detached themselves from their unit’s problem such as the red-cycle overload. This detachment has been demoralizing the soldiers, and some have lost trust on their leaders.
Based on my past military training and experience, I believe that the 4th ABCT needs a new leadership style to reverse the negative morale the unit has been having. Apart from completion of a set mission, an army leadership should also consider taking good care of their soldiers’ welfare. As such, army values and spirit de corps must be revived. The working condition around the brigade must improve and soldiers should be inspired, well directed and given a clear purpose.
To effectively bring change in the brigade, I will use the eight-stage change process. The first step will be to establish a sense of urgency. Simple, clear messages of the brigade’s goals and vision will be sent to all members of the brigade 2 . Communications concerning any future deployment will be done early in advance to have ample time of reacting to any arising concern. Using the previous deployment as a point of reference, I will demonstrate how our present preparation will bring about positive change and take us back to the glory days. I will also send the message of zero tolerance to any unethical behavior done by my brigade. After discussing with my superiors, all necessary actions will be taken to solve internal conflicts within battalions.
The second step would be the creation of a qualified, proficient and loyal team of leaders leading the different units in the brigade. These are the leaders who will help me to revive the army values and spirit de corps in our soldiers. Using ‘the Five Dysfunction of a Team’ approach stated in the L 107, we will ensure that mutual trust is instilled in the brigade and camaraderie among soldiers from different units enhanced. My point of assessment on the leaders will not be about personal achievement but team result. These leaders will also play a crucial role in identifying any resistance within the brigade and come up with proper ways of solving the situation. This third step will be the creation of a vision and strategy for the brigade. My vision for the brigade is always to have a brigade of well-trained soldiers and always on standby to any deployment. These brave soldiers should also exhibit the highest level of discipline and professionalism expected of them. Apart from supporting and facilitating our soldiers to go about their mission, matters about their welfare especially their families must also be taken seriously. This vision will be communicated throughout the brigade to convince them on the necessity of professionalism, hard work and the pride of serving in the brigade.
The next step will be to correct internal problems about the welfare of soldiers. This will include how to identify and reward short-term achievements made by the soldiers. Also, I will discuss with my superiors of any chances of implementing the soldier-family reunion, through visits and other forms of communication. Another thing which I will work on is on how to manage time especially of the RESET plan to ensure that soldiers get back to their families in good time. This will be achieved by ensuring some of the equipment not being used on the ground is transported early before the end of the tour. Apart from the RESET plan, I will adjust the entire training schedule to ensure that everything, training, and deployment goes as per the plan without any overlap.
To ensure that the culture within the brigade has changed, I will measure various variables such as the soldiers’ morale, the welfare of their families, the level of cooperation between different battalions and the flow of communication in the brigade.
To conclude, I must admit that initial assessment of the brigade and the knowledge gathered from L100; the leadership course played a crucial role in coming up with a process of influencing development and leadership in the brigade.
Bibliography
Morrow, Joyce, and Odierno, Raymond. “ADRP 6-22 Army Leadership.” Federation of American Scientists. 1 Aug. 2011. https://fas.org/irp/doddir/army/adrp6_22.pdf .
1 Morrow Joyce and Odierno Raymond, “ADRP 6-22 Army Leadership” Federation of American Scientists, 1 Aug. 2011, https://fas.org/irp/doddir/army/adrp6_22.pdf .
2 Morrow Joyce and Odierno Raymond, “ADRP 6-22 Army Leadership” Federation of American Scientists , 1 Aug. 2011, https://fas.org/irp/doddir/army/adrp6_22.pdf.
