Volunteer Brigade commander gives command philosophy and priorities

Photo By Maj. Bryant Wine | U.S. Army Col. Jason Baker, incoming commander of the Macon-based 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, give remarks during the brigade change of command ceremony Oct. 17, 2021, at Volunteer Headquarters in Macon, Georgia. Baker became the 29th commander of the Volunteer Brigade. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Capt. Bryant Wine)  

MACON, GA, UNITED STATES

11.09.2021

Story by Capt. Bryant Wine 

48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team

U.S. Army Col. Jason Baker, commander of the Macon-based 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Georgia Army National Guard, took command on Oct. 17, 2021. It didn’t take him long to provide the Volunteer Brigade his command philosophy and priorities.

Baker wrote a memorandum dated the same day of his assumption of command in which he established his top priorities: Soldier and family readiness, leadership development and building lethality.

The brigade operations section distributed Baker’s command philosophy in a weekly fragmentary order days later on Oct. 21, 2021. Soon after that, Baker initiated a social media campaign to communicate to the force his top priorities.

“We will take a multipronged informational approach to communicate relevant information to our Soldiers and families,” said Baker. “My intent for the combination of these communication measures is to ensure maximum Soldier availability and participation in training by keeping them informed.”

Soldier and family readiness.

“Individual Soldier readiness is the foundation of collective success,” said Baker.

In his philosophy, Baker emphasized that every Soldier must treat each other with dignity and respect. With that, Soldiers must maintain an environment that emphasizes safety and free of sexual harassment and assault.

Baker wants resiliency to be an organizational characteristic. He intends implementation of initiatives and resources to ensure Soldier and family mental, physical, and spiritual fitness.

By putting readiness as the primary task of the 48th IBCT, the brigade will be a dynamic, deployable force ready to defeat any adversary, anywhere, whenever called upon, under any condition.

Leadership development.

“Leader development ensures our long-term success and the brigade’s future relevancy,” said Baker. “It is our professional responsibility to develop Soldiers as leaders.”

Baker stated his intent for leader development in his philosophy to create competent and confident leaders who act decisively, accomplish missions, and care for Soldiers and their families.

To accomplish this, leader development must be deliberate, continuous, sequential and progressive. Leader development will be centered on goal setting and will utilize troop leading procedures to ensure every operation is a leader development opportunity.

Build lethality.

“Winning matters,” said Baker. “Winning will be the 48th IBCT attitude and our behavioral norm.”

Baker emphasized using tough, realistic training to perfect fundamentals so that platoons and companies are proficient in their warrior tasks and skills.

The 48th IBCT must apply training concepts not only towards weapons proficiency and tactical operations, but also to digital systems and non-kinetic operations.

Baker ended his philosophy memorandum with the emphasis on trust.

“Trust is the bedrock of our profession. Trust will be our foundation,” said Baker. “There is no substitute for trust. It is the glue holding cohesive teams together.”

Baker believes each of his command priorities builds, tests and solidifies trust across the brigade. Trust is essential for enabling effective mission command, mutual respect, shared understanding and common experience.

One way Baker intends to build trust with his Soldiers is through communication via social media posts that he calls, “command posts.”

“Command posts” are messages from Baker addressed directly to the Volunteer Brigade about events and topics important to him and the brigade.

Baker also utilized social media to give his first address to the 48th IBCT where he explained his priorities, philosophy and excitement to command the brigade.

“I am humbled to be the brigade’s senior servant,” said Baker in his first social media message to the force. “I look forward to and welcome everything that comes our way and becomes a part of our collective success.”

• Date Taken: 11.09.2021
• Date Posted: 11.09.2021 14:08
• Story ID: 409021
• Location: MACON, GA, US