Photo By Sgt. Roger Houghton | The Eighth Army hosted the "Fires University", a two-day professional development...... read more read more
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U.S. Army fires personnel bring a number of valuable assets to the operational table. Besides air defense and artillery, they offer unwavering leadership skills and professionalism. Before giving the command to fire, leaders must be trained, competent and knowledgeable in order to excel when carrying out the duties for which they are responsible.
Eighth Army Soldiers from various echelons of leadership gathered at Camp Humphreys, Republic of Korea to share their knowledge, maintain proficiency in their duties, and further their professional development during the Pacific Victors Fires University, July 31, 2018.
“The dialogue is more important than anything else,” said Col. Matthew Shane Mullins, chief of fires for Eighth Army. “We all have to understand each other. You are all subject matter experts in this room. Everybody has a role to play, but where do you fit in that role?”
Fires leadership from Eighth Army hosted the two-day marathon of briefings to give higher-echelon leadership, as well as their subordinates, the chance to break away from their day-to-day environments and interact with fellow members of the fires community.
Leaders were able to discuss issues and consult with their peers, as well as leaders from Eighth Army to major subordinate commands, and 7th Air Force who are involved with influencing decisions that affect their operations.
“About fifty percent of the time here is spent on the actual briefs,” said Lt. Col. Matt Schoenfeldt, Eighth Army targeting branch chief. “The other fifty percent is actually spent on questions and people interacting with each other. That’s probably where the learning happens.”
For U.S. Army leaders on the Korean peninsula, coming together to meet face-to-face is a rare chance to network that is usually considered infeasible due to busy schedules as well as the long distances between U.S. Army garrisons. The Eighth Army ‘Pacific Victors’ Fires University afforded leaders the ability to close the gap.
“It stimulates conversation,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Joshua Shackelford, Special Operations Command Korea targeting officer. “You start to identify your knowledge gaps. If you go to Fires University and you see something that was presented that is in your lane, you can quickly identify: ‘I don’t know this information, maybe I need to seek this information out.’”
For soldiers and airmen who normally spend most of their workdays in the operational force, professional development is crucial not only for advancement, but also for a better understanding of their career fields.
Staff Sgt. Timothy Lhota, a Tactical Air Control Party Airman with the 604th Air Support Operations Squadron said that Fires University helps soldiers maintain proficiency through ‘several different dynamics.’
“Everyone’s going to be on the same page,” said Lhota. “Not only are we following the same lesson plans, but it also helps with the discussion and diversity of thought and the discussion and networking asset, where you have people sitting around you in all directions. You can hear their ideas, and you can also connect for follow-on afterward.”
| Date Taken: | 07.31.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 08.14.2018 02:03 |
| Story ID: | 288619 |
| Location: | CAMP HUMPHREYS, KR |
| Web Views: | 92 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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