FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. -- Three Battalion Commanders and two Command Sergeants Major assigned to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence (USAICoE) participated in a Senior Leaders Panel in three, one hour-long sessions with officers attending the Military Intelligence Captains Career Course (MICCC) on Aug. 8.
The Senior Leaders Panel, which is a part of the leadership development portion of the MICCC course, provides a small group forum in which students can ask specific questions on a myriad of topics from leadership, unit training, the development of subordinates, and career management.
A question from 1st Lt. Catherine Beckman opened the session. "What have been your toughest decisions in your career," Beckman asked?
Lt. Col. Paul Oh, 304th Military Intelligence Battalion Commander, responded. "Personally, I think some of the toughest decisions I have had to make in my career have been involved balancing my career and my family life. Deciding what positions or opportunities to take and managing the impact of those decisions on my career and my family. Professionally, as an Army leader I think some of the toughest decisions I have had to make have involved the recommendations I have had to make to the Commanding General on the future of young officers' careers…balancing standards, the Army values, and empathy while weighing the pros and cons in developing my recommendation."
Command Sgt. Maj. Thomas Donehue, 304th Military Intelligence Battalion Command Sgt. Maj. said, "The toughest decisions I have made involved Soldier issues. We love our Soldiers and sometimes, when they make mistakes, weighing what is best for the Army and the good order and discipline of unit is sometimes tough."
Capt. Tim Brooks asked, "Have there been broadening opportunities you wish you would have known about coming out of your KD (Key Developmental Position) time?"
Lt. Col. Mark Denton, 309th Military Intelligence Battalion Commander, responded. "You need to focus on getting as much KD time as possible. Seek out 24-30 months of KD time and getting good solid OERs (Officer Evaluation Reports) in those positions…that will set you apart from your peers. Once you have completed that, then you can start looking at broadening assignments."
Capt. Michael Noronha shifted the conversation to training management. "Where would you assume risk and where is the balancing point between building digital proficiency verses tradecraft fundamentals when training our Soldiers."
Lt. Col. Julie Kellum, 305th Military Intelligence Battalion Commander, responded. "Every time you jump your TOC (Tactical Operations Center), you are going to be switching from digital to analog, and you are going to have to continue to track the battle and synthesize information on what the enemy is doing the entire time. So every time you are setting up the TOC, use that time to train your Soldiers by running a scenario in analog and once the TOC is set up, switch to the digital systems. Then practice going back and forth between the two throughout the exercise. This will help keep you and your Soldiers proficient."
The students who participated in the panel felt they gained some valuable insight during the panel session.
"After pre-commissioning training, junior officers rarely have opportunities interact with senior officers outside their brigade or division, which limits the diversity of MI technical and career advice available to them. This panel helps captains by allowing them to connect with officers who have significant experience in different corners of the MI community," said Noronha.
The commanders and command sergeants major who participated also felt the time was very worthwhile.
"The Senior Leaders Panel allows us to gain tremendous insight into the concerns of the captains attending the course and provides us an opportunity to impart some of our experiences and wisdom to the next generation of MI leaders," said Oh.
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