CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait – For Col. Rocco Antonio De Lume', deputy chief of staff of Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR), CJTF-OIR is a mission built on people; the mission begins not with strategy alone, but with leadership grounded in connection, care, and collaboration.
De Lume', the Corigliano d'Otranto, Italy native, reflects and shares how he uses a human-centered approach to help CJTF-OIR’s operational success.
While his responsibilities include supporting the chief of staff and the commanding general through a full slate of meetings and planning efforts, he makes it a priority to move beyond his office walls.
“In the morning, I start by looking at my daily agenda to see what the tasks and meetings are for the day. Then, often I like to go up and down our building and talk to our people and our personnel. And at the end of the day, I often go to an afterwork event celebrating someone who’s about to leave our mission,” he said. “It’s important to listen to our people, to talk with them, and take care of them.”
By staying engaged with personnel across the headquarters and throughout the area of operations, De Lume' ensures that service members are supported both professionally and personally, guaranteeing they remain focused and effective in carrying out the mission.
“In my opinion, the best way to accomplish our mission is to fix all of our [internal] issues, so that we can work on our mission as effectively as we can,” De Lume' explained. “If I can help someone with their issues, then they are more able to do their best at their job.”
De Lume' also highlights how the deployed environment differs from his role back home.
“Back home, I often am behind a desk doing the average work most people do, sitting for most of the day. Here, I am often out of the office, visiting people in different bases [across the area of operations] and checking in on them, getting to see how they operate, and most importantly, I get to make sure my subordinates are doing ok.”
De Lume' continues.
“Another thing that's different is being away from family. Back home, we’re with our families. Here, obviously not the case, and that's why it's so important to build and create a family here composed of people like us away from their families.”
De Lume’ explains why that’s important.
“The best way to improve yourself is to interact with other people, because their points of view are different,” he said. ”Here we are in an environment where that's possible, not just with other ranks, but other countries. That's why ‘One mission, Many Nations’ means so much to our mission.”
For De Lume', the coalition environment meant a lot to him for his improvement as well.
“I'm not a young guy like most of the military members here, but every time I speak to my family back home, I tell them that the experiences here have been the most valuable thing ever”, he said. “The distance from home can be difficult, but because I interact 24/7 with different coalition members I have shoulders to lean on from people I never would have before. I've learned so much from so many new people, and most importantly, I have found an incredible extended family.”