Corps of Cadets' top NCO not ready to take a knee

By Mike Strasser, West Point Public AffairsAugust 18, 2011

Focus on cadet training
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

WEST POINT, N.Y. (Aug. 18, 2011) -- By the time Army Football plays its historic rival Navy at FedEx Field in December, Command Sgt. Maj. Todd Burnett could have stowed away his boots, uniforms and PT gear for good and enjoyed the game from the comfort of his home.

Instead of retiring, Burnett wanted nothing more than to be a part of that action.

And he has, as the new Corps of Cadets command sergeant major and senior enlisted advisor to the commandant.

"This is a place where you can mold and impact our future Army," Burnett said. "I pulled my retirement and competed for this job. That's how important I feel the mission is here, and that's how thrilled I am to be here. Where else but here could I train with cadets every day; I've lifted weights with a Division I football team and played soccer with a Division I team. I think this is a great environment and I'm excited to be here."

A month into his arrival, Burnett said he has acclimated well to his new post. Not that he hasn't had experience with PCS moves, transitions and deployments. Burnett enlisted in 1986 as a combat engineer and has served at Fort Campbell, Ky., Fort Bragg, N.C., Fort Bliss, Texas, and Fort Lewis, Wash. He deployed to Iraq as the 20th Engineer Brigade CSM and before that as the 14th Engineer Battalion sergeant major.

Normally, Burnett said he would spend much more time at a new duty station observing and evaluating, but here, it was more suitable for him to get a hands-on perspective.

"With a major training event like CBT going on, all I did was engulf myself in it," Burnett said. "I just jumped right in and saw what the cadets were doing, did PT with them every day of CBT since I've been here. I just wanted a better understanding of how we're ramping them up to be better future lieutenants."

At the same time, Burnett was meeting the tactical officers and NCOs of the Brigade Tactical Department. Some face time with this group allowed him to present his leadership philosophy.

"To put it as simply as I can, my philosophy is about maximizing Soldiers' time to make sure they're getting quality training; and that you have done everything you're asking your Soldiers to do, which goes back to my No. 1 principle of leading from the front," he said.

Burnett said when new lieutenants depart West Point and meet their platoon sergeants for the first time, they should want their NCOs to be just like their TACs.

"Every NCO they come in contact with here should be the epitome of the NCO Corps," Burnett said.

The Corps of Cadets runs itself, Burnett said, and the challenge for the NCOs is to step back and allow cadets to take charge while providing mentorship and guidance when needed.

"My three words here have been 'coach, teach and mentor' and we want to make sure we're doing that and highlighting the different leadership styles. Every position I've been in, my commanders have expected me to have some input into the tactical, be the standard bearer and be the senior trainer in the organization. That's what we're supposed to do."

Burnett said there's a great opportunity at West Point for the Brigade Tactical Department to demonstrate how officers and NCOs work together.

"They can show cadets the relationships they will have with NCOs later on." Burnett said. "I view TAC NCOs and TAC officers like first sergeants and company commanders, and they're a company command team. Cadets will see those relationships and bonds; in some cases, they will see good and, in some cases, they will see bad."

His last mission was one that has risen to the forefront since operations began in Iraq and Afghanistan"the defeat of the roadside bomb, or IEDs. The Joint IED Defeat Organization was relatively unknown among many enlisted Soldiers, so Burnett's first assignment there was to promote their mission and explain what they do. Later, his focus shifted to training.

"JIEDDO has three lines of operation: attack the network, defeat the device and train the force," Burnett said. "So we had a real unique mission within the Department of Defense. We made the training resemble exactly what we were seeing in every theater of operation, and we did that through simulations and from getting feedback from our teams in Iraq and Afghanistan."

It's not generally headline news, but Burnett said every month there's 400-600 IEDs detonated outside of Iraq and Afghanistan. Burnett himself has been involved in nearly 40 IED attacks.

"At least once a quarter, if not every other month I was in Iraq and Afghanistan riding patrols looking at technologies and tactics, techniques and procedures," Burnett said. "I've been in my share, both when I was deployed and while at JIEDDO."

After nearly three years at JIEDDO and almost a decade serving in support of the Global War on Terror, Burnett brings this specific skill set to West Point.

"I'm going to make sure we're doing realistic training and giving them realistic leadership opportunities to get them ready for when they become lieutenants," Burnett said. "Make no mistake about it, they are going into the field of battle and they'll go to combat. The IED is not going away. It's a weapon of strategic influence and the enemy knows it. They'll be somewhere for the rest of our lifetime."

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