WEBVTT 00:07.000 --> 00:09.056 Good morning , everyone . I'm Master 00:09.056 --> 00:11.167 Sergeant Catlin Dannik , a student of 00:11.167 --> 00:13.389 the Sergeant Major Academy , Class 76 . 00:13.389 --> 00:15.556 I'm joined today by United States Army 00:15.556 --> 00:15.430 Special Operations Command Command 00:15.430 --> 00:17.670 Sergeant Major David Waldo . Sergeant 00:17.670 --> 00:19.781 Major , thank you for taking the time 00:19.781 --> 00:21.837 to join us for the 18th episode of A 00:21.837 --> 00:23.892 Nickel for Your Thoughts . Before we 00:23.892 --> 00:22.909 begin , would you like to tell the 00:22.909 --> 00:25.131 listeners a little bit about yourself ? 00:25.131 --> 00:26.742 What an absolutely wonderful 00:26.742 --> 00:28.853 opportunity . Really , really excited 00:28.853 --> 00:31.187 to be , to be able to sit down with you . 00:31.187 --> 00:33.076 And Dave Waldo , I'd like to tell 00:33.076 --> 00:32.639 people I was born and raised in the 1st 00:32.639 --> 00:34.750 of the 509 Pute dementia . Regiment , 00:34.750 --> 00:36.917 but that's hyperbolic . I was actually 00:36.917 --> 00:38.972 born in Northern Michigan and joined 00:38.972 --> 00:41.306 the army right out of high school , and , 00:41.306 --> 00:43.472 and really it's been a , just a joyful 00:43.472 --> 00:45.306 acceptance of responsibility and 00:45.306 --> 00:47.361 service and , uh , really a labor of 00:47.361 --> 00:46.724 love . So we're really excited . I know 00:46.724 --> 00:48.891 we've got thoughtful stuff we're going 00:48.891 --> 00:50.946 to talk about . So thank you . We'll 00:50.946 --> 00:52.724 get right into it . So . You've 00:52.724 --> 00:54.891 obviously been on a couple of podcasts 00:54.891 --> 00:54.869 and your first formation speech you 00:54.869 --> 00:56.980 were highly talked about and on every 00:56.980 --> 00:58.980 YouTube video that , you know , you 00:58.980 --> 01:00.758 could search , um , extremely , 01:00.758 --> 01:02.869 extremely motivational and refreshing 01:02.869 --> 01:04.980 views on , you know , this generation 01:04.980 --> 01:07.202 and how we're getting after it . One of 01:07.202 --> 01:09.313 the podcasts I was listening to , one 01:09.313 --> 01:08.790 of the things you said that stuck with 01:08.790 --> 01:10.901 me was , you know , if it's important 01:10.901 --> 01:13.179 to my boss , it's important to me . Um , 01:13.179 --> 01:15.346 and as we reflect on that , you know , 01:15.346 --> 01:17.234 what advice would you give to new 01:17.234 --> 01:19.457 Sergeant Major who are ready to make an 01:19.457 --> 01:21.623 impact , been sitting here in class or 01:21.623 --> 01:23.846 distance learning , uh , Sergeant Major 01:23.846 --> 01:26.179 Academy , and had this time to , to get , 01:26.179 --> 01:25.800 you know , ready to go back to the 01:25.800 --> 01:27.856 active force and get back after it . 01:27.970 --> 01:31.050 What would be your advice to make sure 01:31.050 --> 01:32.939 that , You can go out and make an 01:32.939 --> 01:35.161 impact , but also making sure that what 01:35.161 --> 01:36.939 we're doing is aligned with our 01:36.939 --> 01:38.883 commander or officer counterpart . 01:38.883 --> 01:40.828 Thank you for , for looking at the 01:40.828 --> 01:42.994 YouTube video thing . I , I thought it 01:42.994 --> 01:42.879 was just my mom that was ranking up all 01:42.879 --> 01:44.879 those views . So that's , uh , it's 01:44.879 --> 01:46.990 nice to know . So thank you for doing 01:46.990 --> 01:49.101 that . But yeah , when you get into , 01:49.101 --> 01:51.101 uh , if it's important to my boss , 01:51.101 --> 01:53.323 it's important to me . I like to , to , 01:53.323 --> 01:53.120 to zoom that way out and if you think 01:53.120 --> 01:55.398 about who's the , the president's boss , 01:55.398 --> 01:57.509 well , that's the people . You know , 01:57.509 --> 01:59.453 who's the sec ward's boss ? Well , 01:59.453 --> 01:59.160 that's the president , and who's our 01:59.160 --> 02:01.382 boss ? Well , that's the sec ward . And 02:01.382 --> 02:03.216 there's this great , when you're 02:03.216 --> 02:05.216 solving your boss's problems , it's 02:05.216 --> 02:07.327 just wonderful mechanism to , to , to 02:07.327 --> 02:09.382 great success . As soon as you start 02:09.382 --> 02:11.549 realizing that , OK , I'm actually not 02:11.549 --> 02:13.716 solving my boss's problem , I'm trying 02:13.716 --> 02:15.938 to have my boss solve my problems now , 02:15.938 --> 02:17.827 and then that starts to erode the 02:17.827 --> 02:20.049 construct a little bit . And so clearly 02:20.049 --> 02:22.216 the boss , if it's important to him or 02:22.216 --> 02:24.493 her , then it's incredibly vital to me . 02:24.493 --> 02:26.604 But that also goes the other way . If 02:26.604 --> 02:28.660 you look and then it's also your NCO 02:28.660 --> 02:28.399 chain of command , are you , are you a 02:28.399 --> 02:30.455 person that's constantly coming with 02:30.455 --> 02:32.788 problems or are you just solving things ? 02:32.788 --> 02:34.677 You know , a lot of times you can 02:34.677 --> 02:34.130 ignore those kind of folks because 02:34.130 --> 02:36.463 they're just solving things and uh that , 02:36.463 --> 02:38.519 that's what I would say . When you , 02:38.519 --> 02:40.630 when you get into , if it's important 02:40.630 --> 02:42.797 to my boss , it's actually critical to 02:42.797 --> 02:42.660 me . And the other thing that was 02:42.660 --> 02:44.493 brought up out there a couple of 02:44.493 --> 02:46.660 minutes ago was , you know , there's a 02:46.660 --> 02:48.882 general officer that said , hey , asked 02:48.882 --> 02:48.740 the audience , where should my sergeant 02:48.740 --> 02:50.940 Major be ? And the answer to that was 02:50.940 --> 02:53.107 wherever the organization needs him to 02:53.107 --> 02:55.218 be is where he ought to be . And that 02:55.218 --> 02:57.496 goes back to those kinds of things too . 02:57.496 --> 02:59.662 So , my advice is , well , there's a , 02:59.662 --> 03:01.718 there's a couple of things of advice 03:01.718 --> 03:01.259 here . I'm gonna steal it from my boss , 03:01.289 --> 03:03.400 and that's number one , always find a 03:03.400 --> 03:05.511 way to take a rock out of your boss's 03:05.511 --> 03:07.740 rucksack . Number 2 , make sure you're 03:08.039 --> 03:10.261 projecting his message or her message . 03:10.261 --> 03:12.261 And the third thing , don't , don't 03:12.261 --> 03:14.372 outshine the shadow , you know what I 03:14.372 --> 03:14.139 mean ? They're the boss for the reason , 03:14.320 --> 03:16.431 and if you find yourself trying to do 03:16.431 --> 03:18.542 your own , uh , agenda , then it gets 03:18.542 --> 03:20.653 back to where you're not solving your 03:20.653 --> 03:22.931 boss's problem . Awesome stuff , Major . 03:22.931 --> 03:22.479 I appreciate that . So yeah , as , as 03:22.479 --> 03:24.701 we're all sitting here and Nancy to get 03:24.701 --> 03:26.812 back into it and , you know , make an 03:26.812 --> 03:28.868 impact , um , it's important that we 03:28.868 --> 03:31.090 take that pause and in order to realign 03:31.090 --> 03:30.639 it with our commander , you know , 03:30.759 --> 03:32.981 officer command counterparts priorities 03:32.981 --> 03:35.092 and ensure we're actually helping and 03:35.092 --> 03:36.926 not hindering . So thank you for 03:36.926 --> 03:39.148 sharing that . The force as a whole and 03:39.148 --> 03:41.203 the army really is shifting back its 03:41.203 --> 03:43.481 focus to large scale combat operations . 03:43.481 --> 03:45.703 So , uh , being in that of EIO , how do 03:45.703 --> 03:47.759 you balance the emphasis on the soft 03:47.759 --> 03:47.630 core functions and supporting those 03:47.630 --> 03:50.190 combat operations while maintaining 03:50.190 --> 03:52.357 proficiency in what we have been doing 03:52.357 --> 03:53.746 for the last 20 years of 03:53.746 --> 03:55.968 counterinsurgency and coin operations ? 03:55.968 --> 03:58.134 You know , there's some , there's some 03:58.134 --> 04:00.134 virtuous cycle stuff in there , you 04:00.134 --> 04:02.357 know , you're seeing now . With some of 04:02.357 --> 04:01.669 the targeting and even large scale 04:01.669 --> 04:03.725 combat operations , we're taking the 04:03.725 --> 04:05.336 best of what we did , fusing 04:05.336 --> 04:07.502 intelligence and those kinds of things 04:07.502 --> 04:09.669 in large scale combat operations , but 04:09.669 --> 04:11.780 it's also a big message that you with 04:11.780 --> 04:13.891 Special Operations Command , it's all 04:13.891 --> 04:16.225 about crisis response , global presence , 04:16.225 --> 04:18.336 and with the army and our warfighting 04:18.336 --> 04:20.669 focus of warfighting , providing combat , 04:20.669 --> 04:22.891 credible forces , and then transforming 04:22.891 --> 04:24.836 continuously and strengthening the 04:24.836 --> 04:27.058 profession . Sometimes those can be two 04:27.058 --> 04:26.450 separate things and you , you really 04:26.450 --> 04:28.672 gotta do them both . And I think we are 04:28.672 --> 04:31.006 balancing that well as far as how do we , 04:31.006 --> 04:33.061 we do what we do best , which is our 04:33.061 --> 04:35.172 core activities , but then we're able 04:35.172 --> 04:37.660 to apply those and NTCs and the JRTCs 04:37.660 --> 04:40.940 and the CTCs to be able to solve some 04:40.940 --> 04:43.107 of those really hard problems , but at 04:43.107 --> 04:45.107 the end of the day when it comes to 04:45.107 --> 04:47.273 large scale combat operations , SOF is 04:47.273 --> 04:49.273 going to enable our army's decisive 04:49.273 --> 04:51.496 effects , and we're proud of that , and 04:51.496 --> 04:53.496 that means a lot to us . So I think 04:53.496 --> 04:55.607 there's a virtuous cycle in there for 04:55.607 --> 04:57.829 those things . Moving down to more kind 04:57.829 --> 04:59.884 of modernization and what the Army's 04:59.884 --> 05:01.607 looking to do . So as the Army 05:01.607 --> 05:01.190 continues to integrate advanced 05:01.190 --> 05:03.412 technologies such as unmanned systems , 05:03.412 --> 05:05.670 autonomous platforms , the demand for 05:05.670 --> 05:07.614 traditional rotary wing and manned 05:07.614 --> 05:09.869 aviation assets remains critical for 05:09.869 --> 05:11.980 extraditionary operations . From your 05:11.980 --> 05:13.813 perspective , how should leaders 05:13.813 --> 05:15.813 balance these enduring requirements 05:15.813 --> 05:17.925 with modernization efforts to sustain 05:17.925 --> 05:17.429 current readiness while advancing 05:17.429 --> 05:20.100 future capabilities ? Well , I'm gonna 05:20.100 --> 05:22.433 say something that's clearly I'm biased , 05:22.500 --> 05:24.167 but I'm also saying it with a 05:24.167 --> 05:26.278 completely full heart and my eyes are 05:26.278 --> 05:28.222 wide open . But particularly , our 05:28.222 --> 05:30.278 aviators are the best in the world , 05:30.278 --> 05:32.278 and we've , we've proven that a lot 05:32.278 --> 05:34.278 recently . But with that mindset of 05:34.278 --> 05:36.500 problem solving and everything , you're 05:36.500 --> 05:36.500 seeing how that's , that's leading in 05:36.500 --> 05:38.660 to , to dancing in and coming into a 05:38.660 --> 05:41.500 new era with robotics and AI and all . 05:41.625 --> 05:43.347 These things , but part of the 05:43.347 --> 05:45.458 presentation I just did a few minutes 05:45.458 --> 05:47.569 ago , you saw when you relied on AI , 05:47.569 --> 05:49.625 there's a lot of holes in that where 05:49.625 --> 05:49.265 you still need to keep a human in the 05:49.265 --> 05:51.376 loop . Everything from just how we're 05:51.376 --> 05:53.487 structured to incorporate a new era , 05:53.487 --> 05:55.432 and you'll see when you're getting 05:55.432 --> 05:55.214 ready to go back to your battalion , 05:55.244 --> 05:57.411 how those things are leaning forward . 05:57.411 --> 05:59.411 But when you've got the best in the 05:59.411 --> 06:01.411 business , you're going to need our 06:01.411 --> 06:03.577 pilots to do what they do best . We're 06:03.577 --> 06:02.505 going to need our crew dogs to do what 06:02.505 --> 06:04.561 they do best . You know , humans are 06:04.561 --> 06:06.727 always going to be more important than 06:06.727 --> 06:08.727 hardware . When you have that human 06:08.727 --> 06:08.545 element of now we're all one , as the 06:08.545 --> 06:10.767 pilots , there's nothing more important 06:10.767 --> 06:12.767 than my crew . And when you got the 06:12.767 --> 06:12.690 crew dogs , there's nothing more 06:12.690 --> 06:14.579 important than my crew . That's , 06:14.579 --> 06:16.634 that's a powerful , powerful thing . 06:16.634 --> 06:18.634 And then you're just gonna see that 06:18.634 --> 06:18.130 accelerated when you incorporate 06:18.130 --> 06:20.799 robotics and technology . So my , uh , 06:20.880 --> 06:22.880 my heart is full going forward with 06:22.880 --> 06:25.047 that , especially the brilliant people 06:25.047 --> 06:27.158 we have there that are 10 years ahead 06:27.158 --> 06:27.010 of where we're thinking . Awesome , so , 06:27.209 --> 06:29.542 yeah , it's an incredible balance , and , 06:29.542 --> 06:31.765 uh , I think we're doing an outstanding 06:31.765 --> 06:31.369 job at it right now . It's just one of 06:31.369 --> 06:33.536 those things as a future leader , uh , 06:33.536 --> 06:35.647 we got to keep our eye on . So , um , 06:35.647 --> 06:37.758 to segue off and to steal some of the 06:37.758 --> 06:39.869 thunder from , you know , you quoting 06:39.869 --> 06:41.980 one of the soft truths , so . Another 06:41.980 --> 06:44.091 soft truth is most special operations 06:44.091 --> 06:46.369 require non-special operations support . 06:46.369 --> 06:48.480 Um , and moving into the enablers and 06:48.480 --> 06:50.480 direct support for use of SOC , how 06:50.480 --> 06:52.536 does UIOC approach talent management 06:52.536 --> 06:54.313 for direct support and enabling 06:54.313 --> 06:55.869 personnel to ensure they're 06:55.869 --> 06:57.702 contributing effectively to soft 06:57.702 --> 06:57.630 lethality and capabilities ? Such a 06:57.630 --> 06:59.686 thoughtful question and . You know , 06:59.686 --> 07:01.852 the old , what keeps you up at night . 07:01.852 --> 07:04.019 For soft , the onus is on us to know , 07:04.019 --> 07:06.130 let's get with our Army teammates and 07:06.130 --> 07:08.297 make sure we're doing right . And it's 07:08.297 --> 07:10.519 going into a virtuous cycle where we're 07:10.519 --> 07:10.010 proud of our Army teammates . Our Army 07:10.010 --> 07:11.899 teammates are proud of their soft 07:11.899 --> 07:14.232 brethren , and we're doing those things . 07:14.232 --> 07:16.232 More specifically though , let's be 07:16.232 --> 07:18.232 serious about our AR 600-25 . Let's 07:18.232 --> 07:20.343 make sure our PD models are aligned . 07:20.343 --> 07:22.621 We're , we're talking the same lexicon . 07:22.621 --> 07:22.529 Imagine that . If you all say the same 07:22.529 --> 07:24.473 things and value the same things , 07:24.473 --> 07:26.696 it'll all work itself out . So we're in 07:26.696 --> 07:29.029 the evaluation boards , we're seeing it , 07:29.029 --> 07:31.251 we're valuing it . Uh , part of that is 07:31.251 --> 07:31.079 your generation keeping us honest . We 07:31.079 --> 07:33.429 didn't . We set the table poorly for 07:33.429 --> 07:35.540 you . We didn't cook a very good meal 07:35.540 --> 07:37.651 for you , but eat it anyway . Get the 07:37.651 --> 07:39.818 table reset and , and let's be serious 07:39.818 --> 07:41.873 about it . Saying that , I also feel 07:41.873 --> 07:44.096 very good about where we're going , you 07:44.096 --> 07:46.040 know , we've got the PDSIs and all 07:46.040 --> 07:48.318 these different things to recognize it , 07:48.318 --> 07:50.540 but I think culturally , we got to lead 07:50.540 --> 07:50.190 through this a little bit better , and 07:50.190 --> 07:52.630 that starts with me . Absolutely segue 07:52.630 --> 07:54.630 kind of into what advice would you 07:54.630 --> 07:56.869 offer on developing these soldiers 07:56.869 --> 07:58.536 professionally so they remain 07:58.536 --> 08:00.536 competitive with their . You know , 08:00.536 --> 08:02.702 career fields for promotion and future 08:02.702 --> 08:04.702 assignments beyond UCR . Outside of 08:04.702 --> 08:06.869 tangible things that have hitting , it 08:06.869 --> 08:08.925 goes to 600 , your PD models , those 08:08.925 --> 08:10.758 are laid out for you . Those are 08:10.758 --> 08:12.869 written by , well , number one , be a 08:12.869 --> 08:14.869 part of that process , get with the 08:14.869 --> 08:14.589 proponents or get with the folks and , 08:14.600 --> 08:16.933 and make sure you have a voice in there . 08:16.933 --> 08:19.044 It should mean something to you , but 08:19.044 --> 08:21.156 intangibly , when it comes to the two 08:21.156 --> 08:23.378 things I , I value . A lot , and that's 08:23.378 --> 08:25.600 number 1 , when you're , you find great 08:25.600 --> 08:27.933 joy in the acceptance of responsibility , 08:27.933 --> 08:30.100 you find great pride in , in , in your 08:30.100 --> 08:32.267 craft . But number 2 , when you derive 08:32.267 --> 08:34.211 meaning from your work without the 08:34.211 --> 08:36.378 expectation of credit . Now some folks 08:36.378 --> 08:35.979 are , and it's rightly , hey , if I 08:35.979 --> 08:38.201 don't get credit , how am I gonna , how 08:38.201 --> 08:40.368 are people going to know ? Yeah , it's 08:40.368 --> 08:42.590 a virtuous cycle , it's a cultural sort 08:42.590 --> 08:44.701 of thing . So , number one , your job 08:44.701 --> 08:46.979 means something to you . Be good at it , 08:46.979 --> 08:49.090 be humble about it , make your battle 08:49.090 --> 08:50.979 buddy the honored rad , and those 08:50.979 --> 08:50.718 things will start to , so that's my , 08:50.828 --> 08:53.106 that's , that's really my advice there . 08:53.106 --> 08:55.388 Know what your PD model is , and don't , 08:55.598 --> 08:57.654 you know , let's get rid of divisive 08:57.654 --> 08:59.398 words like they , them , we're 08:59.398 --> 09:01.620 teammates here . And when it , and when 09:01.620 --> 09:03.787 it goes loud , And our nation needs us 09:03.787 --> 09:05.620 to be together . We've got to be 09:05.620 --> 09:07.842 stronger than ever before , and we will 09:07.842 --> 09:09.954 be . I , I , you can see it now , and 09:09.954 --> 09:09.799 it's , it's , it's beautiful . That , 09:09.880 --> 09:11.658 that's my advice for that one . 09:11.658 --> 09:13.936 Alzheimer's a great advice . So really , 09:13.936 --> 09:15.936 you know , we're out , the guys and 09:15.936 --> 09:15.640 girls that are enabling support and 09:15.640 --> 09:17.584 doing those things are , are doing 09:17.584 --> 09:19.584 tremendous work that has tremendous 09:19.584 --> 09:21.751 value . It's just making sure that , I 09:21.751 --> 09:23.807 think the biggest takeaway is , like 09:23.807 --> 09:22.950 you said , make sure we have that voice 09:22.950 --> 09:25.260 in the room that , that translate . You 09:25.260 --> 09:27.371 know , what they're actually doing on 09:27.371 --> 09:29.538 both sides . And sure , we're checking 09:29.538 --> 09:31.760 those KD blocks and getting those times 09:31.760 --> 09:31.229 complete with PME . So that's great 09:31.229 --> 09:33.507 advice . You know , here's always , uh , 09:33.507 --> 09:35.507 on a nickel for your thoughts . The 09:35.507 --> 09:37.618 last thing we'll close with is , what 09:37.618 --> 09:37.299 is one thing you wish you had known as 09:37.299 --> 09:39.410 an entry-level sergeant Major ? Man , 09:39.410 --> 09:41.355 I'm gonna give you two . The first 09:41.355 --> 09:43.521 thing I wish I knew more about how the 09:43.521 --> 09:45.799 army ran . There's a tremendous course . 09:45.799 --> 09:48.021 And , and , and you , brace it , you're 09:48.021 --> 09:49.966 going to become a bureaucrat , but 09:49.966 --> 09:52.188 bureaucracy guards against incompetence 09:52.188 --> 09:54.410 and inexperience , and there's a reason 09:54.410 --> 09:54.390 for systems and processes . You can 09:54.390 --> 09:56.612 rage against the machine all you want . 09:56.612 --> 09:58.668 It's a great band . It's not a great 09:58.668 --> 10:00.779 way of being . Uh , so , so learn the 10:00.779 --> 10:02.723 army . The other thing , and I , I 10:02.723 --> 10:02.320 mentioned earlier , when I was a 10:02.320 --> 10:05.030 brigade CSM I was the very best 10:05.030 --> 10:07.479 battalion CSM in my brigade . You know , 10:07.640 --> 10:09.807 take some time to , to , to understand 10:09.807 --> 10:11.973 that and , and have a growth mindset . 10:11.973 --> 10:14.196 We talked a little bit and you had some 10:14.196 --> 10:16.418 time now in between your next job to do 10:16.418 --> 10:18.473 it . We used to , you know , when we 10:18.473 --> 10:20.473 sent old Ben Franklin over there to 10:20.473 --> 10:22.640 France , he had a whole boat ride to , 10:22.640 --> 10:24.973 to reflect and think and study and read , 10:24.973 --> 10:24.659 and nowadays we're popping . You know , 10:24.700 --> 10:26.867 we're , we're expecting folks like you 10:26.867 --> 10:28.978 to come in and lead and make critical 10:28.978 --> 10:30.922 decisions and you're just , you're 10:30.922 --> 10:30.820 overloaded with data and information . 10:31.179 --> 10:33.512 So as much as you can , I'm saying this , 10:33.512 --> 10:35.568 hey , find time to reflect and study 10:35.568 --> 10:37.623 and , and I'm not gonna give you any 10:37.623 --> 10:39.623 time because I'm gonna tell you , I 10:39.623 --> 10:39.530 actually got to come early because we 10:39.530 --> 10:41.752 need you , but I'm , I'm hypocritical , 10:41.752 --> 10:43.863 but , but those are the things . Know 10:43.863 --> 10:45.974 how the army works . Sign up for that 10:45.974 --> 10:48.252 course . It's a wonderful course , and , 10:48.252 --> 10:50.252 uh , and just prepare yourself , be 10:50.252 --> 10:52.419 ready . Also , I made great advice and 10:52.419 --> 10:54.530 I appreciate you taking the time to , 10:54.530 --> 10:56.752 to speak with us . Anything you want to 10:56.752 --> 10:59.030 close with before we close it out here ? 10:59.030 --> 10:58.750 No , the heart is completely full and 10:58.750 --> 11:01.070 I'm just humbled and , and overjoyed 11:01.070 --> 11:03.126 and can't wait to , to get you , get 11:03.126 --> 11:05.181 you and your classmates out and into 11:05.181 --> 11:07.348 our formation . I love to say we don't 11:07.348 --> 11:09.514 really need anybody , but we could use 11:09.514 --> 11:11.459 you . We could use you , and we're 11:11.459 --> 11:13.792 excited about it . And yeah , good luck . 11:13.792 --> 11:13.909 Awesome , Serator . Thank you very much .