I assumed the position as the Armor School Command Sergeant Major (CSM) at the beginning of July and I am extremely humbled and excited for this new role. Following the footsteps of CSM Petty and other legends across our branch is an absolute honor and I am thankful for this privilege. I am grateful for this opportunity and want to thank CSM Petty for all his hard work and would like to wish him and his family the best as he continues to lead in our Army.
This is my first time stationed at Fort Benning and even though I am new here to the community it truly feels like I am home. Some of the best leaders I know also serve here and every day feels like a mini reunion as I reunite with Armor Leaders and Soldiers from across the force. I can honestly say that the Armor School is in good capable hands with the talent we have assembled, and you can trust that the Army put the right leaders here to train our force.
As I assume this role, BG Chalfont empowered me with assisting him with his priorities as we provide the best training for the armored force. A priority for both of us is to ensure we are communicating our initiatives with the force in a consistent manner, there should be no secrets to what we are doing here, and we are all in this together. Throughout my time here I plan to be directly tied in with our Division and ABCT CSMs as well as our nominative leaders across the force and I look forward to working with all of you.
As I contemplated my role as the Armor School Command Sergeant Major, the primary thought remains focused on what the Branch needs the most: dominant leaders in our formations. The leaders that take charge of every situation, that execute their mission violently, they own their battlespace, they are the leaders that are relied upon to lead our Soldiers in combat. When we think of these leaders, they all have different strengths, competencies and attributes, but one thing that sets them apart is their technical and tactical competencies. I believe it is our task here at the armor school to deliver the most trained, lethal and competent soldiers and leaders to your formations. Our leaders should trust that when they receive a Soldier from us, or they send a leader to one of our functional or institutional courses, they leave better than when they came. That they have the skills and knowledge to accomplish their missions and lead their Soldiers.
An immediate priority is to continue our efforts in our Abrams and Bradley master gunner program to ensure we are getting the right MG candidates into school with the right allocations across the force to ensure we are building lethality in our formations.
Our goal is to produce as many highly qualified and trained master gunners each year as allocations will allow. We are looking at ways we can gain proficiency in our teaching methods and how we keep the right people on track as they attend MGPAC at home station and continue to learn the necessary skills to make them lethal.
I have begun to look at our competitions SOP as we begin planning for the 2026 Sullivan Cup. My goal is to ensure we are executing the best competition to select our most lethal tank and BFV crews. In doing this, we ensure this competition tests crews on our standards as well as creates challenging head-to-head competitions in all aspects of lethality. The competition must also showcase the best range capabilities that the Army has to offer. Sullivan Cup 2026 is set for the first week of May, and units should receive invitations later this fall. I look forward to seeing all our lethal crews and units represented.
Once again, I am very excited to serve as the Armor School CSM, and I look forward to hearing from everyone. Thank you all for what you do every day, for your commitment to our Soldiers and our profession.
Treat ‘em Rough! Scouts Out!
Forge the Thunderbolt!
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