CSM Phillips assumes Pa. National Guard senior enlisted leader role

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Zane Craig | Command Sgt. Maj. Shawn Phillips was recently selected to be the state's 10th senior enlisted leader. The senior enlisted leader is the most senior noncommissioned officer in the Pennsylvania National Guard, acting as an adviser to the adjutant general and serving as a link between the adjutant general and the thousands of enlisted Guardsmen serving under his command. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Zane Craig)  

FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, PA, UNITED STATES

09.18.2023

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Zane Craig 

Joint Force Headquarters - Pennsylvania National Guard

FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. -- The Pennsylvania National Guard has a new senior enlisted Leader.

Command Sgt. Maj. Shawn Phillips was recently selected to be the state's 10th senior enlisted leader. He succeeds Command Sgt. Maj. Jon B. Worley, who retired Sept. 15, 2023, after serving as the SEL since 2020.

The senior enlisted leader is the most senior noncommissioned officer in the Pennsylvania National Guard, acting as an adviser to the adjutant general and serving as a link between the adjutant general and the thousands of enlisted Guardsmen serving under his command.

Prior to assuming the role, Phillips served as the operations sergeant major for the Pennsylvania National Guard Joint Operations Center at Fort Indiantown Gap.

“I definitely want to continue to uphold the standards and enforce the standards throughout the formation,” said Phillips, emphasizing that appearance and discipline matter, and that the Pennsylvania National Guard as a force needs to continue to step up its game as professionals.

Phillips said he wants to continue to change and improve, build on his predecessor’s legacy, and use his own background and knowledge to benefit the entire Pa. Guard.

“I’ve been in the field, I understand the field, I don’t think I’m disconnected from the formations out there,” he said.
Recruiting is still going to be an issue for the foreseeable future, and leadership must find new ways to attract new Soldiers and Airmen, he said.

Phillips was born in Fort Devens, Massachusetts, and graduated from Northern Lebanon High School in 1988. He entered the Pennsylvania National Guard in 1988 and activated for duty in support of Desert Shield/Desert Storm in January 1991, deploying to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq.

In 2004, he deployed to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom II and III under the presidentially mandated Iraq Survey Group as a motor sergeant.

Phillips' awards include Bronze Star Medal, three Meritorious Service Medals, Army Commendation Medal with three Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters, among many others.

• Date Taken: 09.18.2023
• Date Posted: 09.18.2023 16:02
• Story ID: 453685
• Location: FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, PA, US