CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait -- U.S. Army Sustainment Command's top noncommissioned officer held a professional development session with 401st Army Field Support Brigade NCOs, here, July 13.
Command Sgt. Maj. Anthony Bryant, command sergeant major, ASC, gathered about 45 NCOs in the Zone One movie theater to address NCO issues and offer guidance from ASC headquarters.
"First and foremost, and I'm talking active and reserve, you have to keep leaning forward," Bryant said. "This is a pretty senior bunch, so commanders' expectations are higher for you senior noncommissioned officers. But you have to make sure you're setting higher expectations for yourself, too."
Topics covered include personal readiness, changes in the Army's force structure, command climate, and administrative challenges Soldiers face while serving overseas.
"It's a changing Army," Bryant said. "The Army is only going to select and promote the best. People aren't going to be guaranteed career progression just for showing up and staying out of trouble. You have to set goals for yourself, and whatever it is that you do, you really have to do it well."
The 401st AFSB has many senior NCOs, and very few young, or junior, NCOs.
Staff Sgt. Brittney Sickmann, chaplain's assistant, 401st AFSB, attended the event.
"I am glad I was given the opportunity to participate," Sickmann said. "Getting the chance to hear directly from a command sergeant major that knows more about what's going on from the top is always better than waiting for information to travel down the pipeline."
Sickmann sat in the front row and studiously took notes throughout the discussion, paying close attention to what Bryant had to say about personal goals and setting one's self apart from peers, said Sickmann.
"Command Sgt. Maj. Bryant cares about Soldiers and wants leaders to know what is going on," she said. "This also gives us an opportunity to ask questions and know that someone well above us knows what our concerns are."
Sickmann is the youngest NCO in the brigade, at 25 years old.
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