Team 21 spearheading the "Not in my Squad" campaign

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany -- Thirty eight 21st Theater Sustainment Command Soldiers participated in the "Not in my Squad" workshop, March 15-17 at the Armstrong Club on the Vogelweh Housing Complex.

"Not in my Squad" is a Department of the Army initiative designed to educate junior noncommissioned officers on key leadership skills required to solve unit-level issues or be able to brief issues to someone that has the ability to produce a resolution. The program is in its second year of existence. Team 21 has hosted the workshop both years. Attendees were greeted by Sergeant Major of the Army Daniel Dailey through a video introduction.

"The initiative empowers squad leaders to build mutual trust and cohesion from the bottom up, by leading, training and forcing standards that model the Army ethics for their squad," Dailey said.

During the 3-day workshop, NCOs were asked to work in a group setting to discuss current unit-level concerns and issues. Following the group evaluation of issues, the NCO's were asked to use the leadership skills learned during the workshop to problem solve and come up with a practical solutions to their issues.

Concluding the three days, the group of selected NCO's had the opportunity to brief 21st TSC Command Sgt. Maj. Alberto Delgado, on current issues they were facing in their units and present possible solutions.

"I'm here to make sure that all of the issues you all have; I am here to address them and I potentially fix them," Delgado said. "So that when I leave here today, you are in a better place than when we started".

The NIMS initiative workshop was spearheaded and led by 21st Special Troops Battalion Retention NCO Sgt. Lyndsay Monaco.

"This initiative is really giving a voice back and empowering the NCOs to come up with solutions to common problems we face in the KMC area," Monaco said. "The biggest take-away I want the solider to receive during the workshop is empowerment and passion. So hopefully, the NCOs here leave with a little more understanding of professional development for themselves but also empowerment to take the same initiative and motivation back to their units and start a movement like we are trying to do here in the KMC and in Europe."

Along with Monaco, eight additional NIMS mentors helped run the breakout sessions, including two visitors from the Center for the Army Profession and Ethics located in West Point, New York.

Of the attending NCO's, three confirmed that they too wanted to host the NIMS initiative workshop within the next several months in their own units.

18th Military Police Brigade's Sgt. Sean Anderson expressed how he wanted to implement the initiative within his own unit.

"The entire program I want to take back and have the opportunity to get the program out to the Grafenwoehr area because I don't believe anyone has anything like this," Anderson said. "One of the things that really struck out to me, is that there is a major presence involved from the higher ups, listening to us and really starting to say Hey we want to change the Army for the better, how can we do that?"

For more information on the "Not In My Squad" Army directed initiative, visit: http://cape.army.mil/not-in-my-squad/#