By Sarah Morrow
U.S. Embassy, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Lieutenant General Vincent Brooks, the commanding general of the Third army, spoke to students from the War College in Tashkent on November 23. He began by thanking officials for inviting him, calling it "a great honor to come to speak to the future leaders of Uzbekistan." He also congratulated everyone on Uzbekistan's 20 years of independence.
LTG Brooks shared his perspective on combat leadership, citing examples and outlining the lessons learned. In particular, he focused on the role and duties of a leader, noting that the success of soldiers is dependent upon the success of their leaders.
Good leadership is crucial to maintaining morale and having mission success. According to Lt. Gen. Brooks, it is the job of a leader to make sure "soldiers are part of a team," as an important LTG Brooks also discussed how both physical and emotional resilience are important to the United States' experience in war. The physical injuries a soldier incurs are easily found and treated; it is often much more difficult to address the emotional injuries of war.
In fact, it is his opinion that leaders play an important role in emotional recovery: "Our challenge as leaders is to recognize those who are carrying this extra burden in their minds and have an honest conversation with them so they can release it." Leaders are able to help in a way doctors cannot. For example, it is important for a soldier to know that he did all he should have done, and this assurance is the duty of a leader.
However, leaders must also be aware of the emotional tolls of war and know that, particularly due to their increased responsibilities, they may also receive emotional injuries.
Following his talk, LTG Brooks took a number of questions from the audience on topics that ranged from the United States' use of helicopters in Afghanistan to assessing adversaries.
LTG Brooks noted that there are different kinds of enemies: "enemies to the kind of stability we are trying to create in the region" as well as "enemies that are a direct threat to you -- your forces, your bases, these kinds of things." He also said that it is easiest to begin with looking at the desired outcome, then assess what is blocking the outcome and begin addressing those issues.
The general also encouraged everyone in the audience to take time to think about the future of Uzbekistan, the potential challenges it may face, and what role they could play in helping their country. LTG Brooks advised the new generation of leaders: "Be known for the positive things, be known for what you did for your country."
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