Embracing the future; however, never forgetting the lessons learned from a strong partnership. From the last twenty-nine years, the Sergeants Major Academy (SGM-A) has been receiving Brazilian Army senior noncommissioned officers (NCOs) to attend the Sergeants Major Course (SMC) and to work as instructors of the course. A myriad of challenges has been presented during these years; nonetheless, both Armies know that fostering the development of leaders encompasses an incremental role for the armed forces’ success. This way, SGM-A provides opportunities to Brazilian NCOs to keep working on the institutional domain and reinforcing the Armies’ partnerships.
Leadership is an interpersonal relationship process that underpins the achievements of objectives (Brazilian Army, 2011). With this in mind, the Brazilian Army, in 1993, sent the Brazilian Army Sergeant Major (SGM) Salvador Correa to attend the SMC Class 42. This first Brazilian Army Soldier set the stone of a strong bilateral effort and kept both countries pursuing the same goal, the investment on the development of leaders. The knowledge and experience from the SMC have been leveraging the training and education of the Brazilian Army Soldiers.
Conversely, as result of the Military Personnel Exchange Program (Department of the Army, 2011), and with the purposes of exploit interoperability, and bolster the synthesis of this relationship, in 2012, the U.S. Army assigned one of its senior NCO to work as an instructor in the Brazilian NCO Academy. Command Sergeant Major (CSM) Karin Mella was the first of several American Soldiers who have strengthened this partnership. Thus, it is possible to see how SGM-A has positively influenced the dialogue and cooperation between Armies.
According to the Department of the Army (2019), mutual trust is the confidence between commanders, subordinates, and partners. Hence, in 2012, SGM-A received the first Brazilian Army instructor. SGM Joao Marcelo de Camargo Mota, from SMC Class 58, demonstrated the high level of trust between two nations. Since then, the Brazilian Army has been contributing to the success of this partnership, sending Brazilian Army seniors NCOs to the SGM-A to work as instructors. It is relevant to mention that all the Brazilian Army NCOs who have worked in the SMC as instructors have graduated in the SMC. To participate in the selection to be instructor in the SGM-A, one of the Brazilian Army’s requirements is that the NCO must be a graduate of the SMC, which reflects the leadership excellence provided by the SGM-A.
In twenty-nine years, the SGM-A has graduated thirty-six Brazilian Army NCOs from the SMC. Most of them are Battalion or Brigade Sergeants Major. Moreover, some of them achieved the position of the CSM, a truly remarkable accomplishment. This understanding promotes the vision of how vital the investment in the development of leaders is. Even though process, procedures, and equipment are critical in instilling synergy and achieving success in military operations, they will not prevail on the battlefield alone. Leaders will always transcend as the key enablers in this process, leading by competence, commitment, and character, which are exactly the main pillars that the SGM-A fosters for its faculty, staff, and students.
In essence, the success of the partnership between the Brazilian Army and the SGM-A is in the mutual trust and the ability to adapt and persevere throughout the years, influencing, motivating, and forging Soldiers to fight and win in any operational environment. Soldiers are the most important asset of any Army. This year, when the SGM-A completes fifty years of existence, being a center of excellence that drives NCOs through the Professional Military Education (PME), it is essential to remember its contribution in training senior NCOs; those who are tactically and technically proficient, meeting the complex challenges of the contemporary world, and preparing them to keep providing purpose and motivation; enforcing standards; and modeling characteristics of the Army profession.
Note: This article is a part of the NCOLCoE's 50th Anniversary celebration. The NCOLCoE's mission is to provide professional military education that develops holistically fit, disciplined, well-educated professionals capable of meeting the challenges of large-scale combat operations in a multi-domain environment.
Author: SGM Clayton dos Santos has been serving the Brazilian Army for 23 years. He is currently a Department of Army Operations instructor in the SMC, resident course, Fort Bliss, El Paso, TX. He is a graduate of the Class 66 of the SMC.
References
Brazilian Army. (2011). Military Leadership (C 20-10). https://bdex.eb.mil.br/jspui/bitstream/123456789/302/1/C-20-10.pdf
Department of the Army. (2011). Army military personnel exchange program with military services of other nations (AR 614-10) https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/r614_10.pdf
Department of the Army. (2019). Mission Command: Command and control of Army forces (ADP 6-0). https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/ARN18314-ADP_6-0-000-WEB-3.pdf
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