Connecticut Army National Guard gets first female Command Sergeant Major

Photo By Maj. David Pytlik | Command Sgt. Maj. Amber Selko receives the 118th Multifunctional Medical Battalion's colors during a change of responsibility ceremony on Oct. 30, 2020 in Niantic, Conn. Selko became the Connecticut National Guard's first female Command Sergeant Major. U.S. Army photo by Capt. Dave Pytlik.  

CT, UNITED STATES

12.08.2020

Story by Capt. David Pytlik 

Connecticut National Guard Public Affairs Office

Author’s note- The interview for this article was conducted in March 2020. COVID-19 delayed the Change of Responsibility ceremony from March until October.

Hartford, Conn -- On Friday, Oct. 30, 2020, Command Sgt. Maj. Amber Selko completed Change of Responsibility for the 118th Multifunctional Medical Battalion with the outgoing Boyd Dunbar, making her the CT Army National Guard's first female Command Sergeant Major.

Command Sgt. Maj. Selko began her military career in 1999 as a 91B Combat Medic in the 141st Medical Company, then stationed in New Britain, Conn., and held various leadership roles throughout the units of the 118th MMB during her career before moving to the 169th Regional Training Institute as the First Sergeant for the unit.

Prior to assuming the responsibility, Selko expressed a clear vision for the impression she wanted to leave on the formations and the road of how to get there, “My primary responsibility is to be the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the commander. In order to do that effectively I have to know this organization and its Soldiers. I need to have a solid grasp of what our strengths and weaknesses are as an organization and of the individuals that comprise that organization. Fortunately, this is my “home” unit; I have spent the vast majority of my Army career (about 14 years out of 20) in this battalion. I am thoroughly familiar with the organization’s mission, how it operates in garrison, in combat, where we historically have done well, and where we’ve struggled. Most importantly, I know many of the people, especially those in many of the key leadership positions across all three Companies. However, I have been out of this formation for the last four years, so one of my first goals is to reacquaint myself with the key people and leaders in this organization, and get to know the Soldiers. Our Soldiers are the most important element and if I don’t know them I can’t properly advise the commander. My goals for the Battalion are to continuously increase Readiness. I want every Soldier in this formation to be as lethal and prepared for combat as they can be. That means everything from individual physical fitness and MOS skills to family care plans, to unit and BN level interoperability. So my second priority is to take a comprehensive look at how the BN is functioning in those areas, evaluate how we are measuring and planning for improvement, then make adjustments where they are needed.”

When asked what it meant to be the Connecticut Army National Guard’s first female Command Sergeant Major, she said that she was grateful for the opportunity, but was shocked that it has taken until 2020 to see a female in that role. “It’s not about me, it’s about the Soldiers and the organization, I’m just a Soldier in a position of responsibility with a job to do,” said Selko.

Currently, her full time position is with the U.S. Army’s Asymmetric Warfare Group. “I am an Operational Advisor for AWG. AWG’s mission is to advise Army commanders on current and emerging asymmetric threats to the force. As an OA I travel and embed with Army units both to scout for those emerging threats and to advise commanders on a variety of topics,” said Selko. “It has provided me the opportunity to learn firsthand about aspects of our Army and our military that I never would have otherwise. It has put me on the forward edge of where our Army is going and allowed me to have a say in some aspects of how we do business. First and foremost the organization is about increasing Soldier lethality and survivability, those two concepts are irrevocably interwoven and there is no greater purpose or pursuit in my opinion. As an NCO that has always been my job – make Soldiers better. AWG allows me to take that to an entirely different level.”

When looking at the average age of Command Sergeants Major across the state, Selko is among the youngest, “I believe I am on the young end of the spectrum for CSM. Again though I don’t think that is because of “me” as much as it’s about timing and the people around me. I joined in 1999, a few years later 9/11 happened and we all know the effects that had on the Army. One of those effects was National Guard deployments at levels we hadn’t seen in decades. Soldiers served their time, did their deployments, and then got out. I think the tumultuous nature of the last decade plus allowed those of us who stayed in to see more upward mobility faster.”

The author did not believe Command Sergeants Major believed in fun or outside hobbies, but Selko offered a different picture, “My life has been fairly military-centric due to being on active duty orders the last few years. (I enjoy) reading and Wa Shin Ryu jujutsu, although I have not been able to practice as much as I’d like these last few years being away from my dojo at UCONN.”

• Date Taken: 12.08.2020
• Date Posted: 12.08.2020 13:36
• Story ID: 384475
• Location: CT, US