General officers and senior executive service personnel learned to become better leaders during the GO/SES Force Integration Course at the Army Force Management School on Fort Belvoir, Dec. 2-6.
The quarterly course, designed help students understand how the Army operates at a senior level, hosted 31 leaders.
According to Lt. Col. Albert Benson, Jr., deputy commandant of AFMS, students generally do not learn the information taught in the class before assuming their new leadership roles.
"It is an opportunity to be able to hear from the Army's top leadership about things they have on their desks and what is going on throughout the Army," Benson said. "Very few people, probably less than 2 percent of all of the people in the Army, have that privilege to hear firsthand, from a very senior level, what is moving and shaking throughout the Army."
The students learn about strategy within the Army and how it is used to develop requirements, as well as the organizations that support the service. They also learn about how to conduct operations within the limits that are imposed by Congress.
Students attended various sessions throughout the 5-day course, which consisted of leadership presentations followed by student questions and discussion.
Many distinguished guests taught the classes, including Lt. Gen. William Grisoli, Director of the Army staff; Maj. Gen. Judd Lyons, Deputy Director of the Army National Guard; and Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Talley, Chief of the Army Reserve.
Talley said that one reason the GO/SES course is important is because it helps to teach how all of the components of the Army work together to support the total force.
"It is critical to have National Guard and Reserve Soldiers integrated into all levels of training and planning as an operational reserve," he said via email.
Brig. Gen. Ural Glanville, chief judge of the Army Court of Criminal Appeals, said it felt great to participate in the course with fellow servicemembers and Defense Department civilians. Whenever you bring a lot of senior leaders together, there is a lot of synergy because they share many similar experiences.
"I think it is a great course in terms of teaching how the Army runs," Glanville said.
Col. William Mason, 350th Civil Affairs Command, said that he learned about how the Army is organized, financed and resourced. He also found out more information about how the service interacts with Congress.
"I thought it was a fantastic course," Mason said. "It really opened my awareness of how the Army runs." For more information on AFMS, visit www.afms1.belvoir.army.mil.
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