United in focus and in their mission, the noncommissioned officers of the U.S. Research Development and Engineering Command gathered at Aberdeen Proving Ground to conduct their quarterly professional development training.
Maj. Gen. Paul S. Izzo greeted his non-commissioned officers at the kick off of the training and ensured them that they had his full support.
"This was the first time that the commander was able to talk to all of his NCOs at the same time," said RDECOM Command Sgt. Maj. Hector G. Marin. "This not only provides the NCOs direct guidance from the commander, it also serves as a morale booster."
For three solid days, the NCOs toured and talked to personnel to gain a better situational understanding of the affects of RDECOM on training here. The opportunity was also used to increase the NCOs awareness of the role of program manager.
"We're not a conventional unit," said 1st Sgt. James Laverty, Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center, Aviation Applied Technology Directorate, Fort Eustis, Va. "Meetings like this helps tremendously. It helps the organization because we are so fragmented and located in so many different areas. These meetings bring our senior NCOs together and help to prevents us from getting stove piped.
"In some instances a center or lab might only have one or two NCOs. Coming to these training sessions provides them with a broader scope of what our capabilities are as a command and not just as an individual lab or center. That information alone is priceless," he said.
Command Sgt. Major Coleman, Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, Natick, Mass. Talked to the NCOs on their value in the development and acquisition process.
It is crucial that NCOs articulate their mission within the command to program managers and program executive officers. Providing a clear understanding of their goals to the PMs and PEOs will help in the decision making process when it comes to funding and fielding various initiatives, he said.
Social Sharing