Retired Brig. Gen. Martin P. Schweitzer visited Fort Benning April 15 to speak about leadership as part of the Combat Leader Speaker Program.
Schweitzer served 29 years in the Army from 1985-2012 in combat operational capacities during Operation Just Cause, operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield, and Operation Enduring Freedom, and as the deputy commanding general for the 82nd Airborne Division.
"Having been a student here through every piece of my military education program, we had speakers come in all the time and they were imparting great things," Schweitzer said. "But truthfully as a student here, as a lieutenant and a captain, and through the precommand course, for me the most important things that I got from speakers were things I was going to be able to use in my next assignment. So, what I wanted to do was provide them tangible pieces of feedback that I thought they needed to focus on or address as they get ready to go into this next assignment."
To do this, Schweitzer reached out to maneuver brigade combat team commanders, command sergeant majors and key trainers from two training centers to get feedback about trends, issues, challenges and practices that should be sustained or improved at the company level.
Schweitzer discussed several topics ranging from the importance of personal fitness to the need for improving accountability. He also spent time discussing Army Regulation 385-63 Range Safety.
AR 385-63 is the Army's only collaborative document with the Marine Corps, which prescribes range safety policies and responsibilities for firing ammunitions, lasers, guided missiles, demolitions, explosives, rockets and the delivery of bombs.
"We don't put enough emphasis on that," Schweitzer said. "Every Soldier should be reflexively competent (about AR 385-63). You need to know what you're dealing with. This can't be something that's only left at the leader level; you can't gamble (with your Soldiers') lives."
Schweitzer also gave advice regarding the future of leadership in the Army and the changes they will continue to see.
"Don't get caught up in it," he said. "Outside of the chief of staff of the Army, no one else is authorized to provide their input to policy. We execute policy ... whatever the policy changes are, our job is to implement it. When those changes happen - just do it."
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