FORT GORDON, Ga. (Aug. 12, 2011) "We have to have a revolution in the way we do business."
This was the message Gen. Robert Cone, commanding general of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), gave the students of Signal Captain's Career Course (SCCC) during his Aug. 11 visit to Fort Gordon, his first to the post.
While on Fort Gordon, Cone met with the command staff and toured several key locations on post including the SCCC, General Dynamics, and the Fort Gordon Battle Lab.
"General Cone visits so many Centers' of Excellence, that it was important for him to see what's different about us. Fort Gordon is not just a TRADOC post- it's a joint post. We support war fighters from all branches, as well as the NSA and one of the Army's premier medical centers," Maj. Gen. Alan Lynn, U.S. Army Signal Center of Excellence and Fort Gordon commanding general, said.
One of the things that set Fort Gordon and the Signal Center apart is their role in the future of Army Communications, which Cone said is a big part of TRADOC's Profession of Arms study.
"Signal is a key element of the Profession of Arms and a big part of the Army's future," he said.
The Profession of Arms came about last year when, after the nine years of combat operations, Army leadership began to ask, "What are the Army's current strengths and weaknesses as a profession and as professionals?"
To answer that question TRADOC was assigned the task of launching a study to determine what it means to be a professional Soldier. Cone told the officers attending the SCCC that they would play a large role in answering this question as future leaders.
"The reality is, we're going to ask you to do more than you ever have before," he said. "You adapt, you change, and you make our Army better."
During his visit, Cone also discussed the future of training and the modernization of the Army, both of which were on display during the tour of the General Dynamics facility and the Battle Lab where the subject of connecting to Soldiers to digital applications was demonstrated.
"We're creating a competitive learning environment here by building an accessible, responsive, career-long continuum of learning," explained Lynn. "We are leveraging the preferences of digital age learners for relevance, feedback, and collaboration in accordance with the Army Learning Concept for 2015."
Cone also took time to present an Outstanding Employee with a Disability Award to Kelly Human, a Fort Gordon employee.
During the visit, Cone's wife Jill and Lynn's wife Brook were joined by the spouses of several installation commanders, international liaison officers and command sergeants major on post during a "Meet and Greet" luncheon held in the Myer Conference Room on the 10th floor of Signal Towers followed by a windshield tour of key sites on post. The tour included visits to the Soldier and Family Assistance Center and the Family Outreach Center. The spouses later attended a Family Forum made up of battalion command spouses and TRADOC Family Support Assistants.
Cone said he found the post and its staff to be, "absolutely impressive," and called Fort Gordon an example of, "a unique, professional environment."
Lynn believes that's because Fort Gordon plays such an active role, not just in the military, but in the surrounding area as well.
"We are uniquely tied to the local community as we are the largest employer to the Central Savannah River Area, and it's an honor to support them as much as they support us," he said.
Overall, Cone said his visit had been an extremely positive one.
"It's impressive to see what a great, professional example Fort Gordon is setting," he said. "It's taken me a while to get here but I'm definitely looking forward to coming back."
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