WEBVTT 00:07.130 --> 00:09.186 Good day , listeners , and thank you 00:09.186 --> 00:11.352 for joining us for the 16th episode of 00:11.352 --> 00:13.130 our podcast , A Nickel for your 00:13.130 --> 00:15.880 Thoughts . I am Master Sergeant James 00:15.880 --> 00:18.280 McVeigh from Class 76 of the Sergeant 00:18.280 --> 00:20.819 Major Academy , deeds , not words . 00:21.399 --> 00:23.455 Today , I have the distinct honor of 00:23.455 --> 00:25.579 speaking with the United States Army 00:26.120 --> 00:28.459 European Command Sergeant Major , CSM 00:28.459 --> 00:31.610 TJ Holland . So Major Holland , welcome . 00:31.659 --> 00:33.900 We appreciate you taking the time out 00:33.900 --> 00:35.900 of your very busy schedule to speak 00:35.900 --> 00:38.229 with us today . So before we begin , 00:38.380 --> 00:40.213 Sar Major , um , do you have any 00:40.213 --> 00:42.869 opening remarks for our listeners ? You 00:42.869 --> 00:44.925 know , what I'd like to first say is 00:44.925 --> 00:47.036 thanks for having me . It's , it's an 00:47.036 --> 00:49.091 honor to join the team here at the , 00:49.091 --> 00:51.313 the academy . Uh , everybody here knows 00:51.313 --> 00:53.480 I like to come back and , and talk and 00:53.480 --> 00:55.480 engage with the students because it 00:55.480 --> 00:57.480 just warms you , right ? Fills up , 00:57.480 --> 00:59.591 fills up that reservoir of leadership 00:59.591 --> 00:59.490 to kind of be around , uh , hungry 00:59.490 --> 01:01.712 junior leaders that are ready to go out 01:01.712 --> 01:03.823 there and kind of shape the future of 01:03.823 --> 01:05.990 the army . And then the other part too 01:05.990 --> 01:05.930 is I get to represent the more than 01:05.930 --> 01:08.430 90,000 service members that are 01:08.569 --> 01:10.791 constantly in the daily grind out there 01:10.791 --> 01:13.349 in USUCO and . Uh , to be able to have 01:13.349 --> 01:15.460 the honor to represent them and , and 01:15.460 --> 01:17.627 be here and discuss what they're doing 01:17.627 --> 01:19.793 every day and what those professionals 01:19.793 --> 01:21.682 are doing to deter aggression and 01:21.682 --> 01:23.738 defend America and , and its liberty 01:23.738 --> 01:25.989 that we hold dear , it's great . We 01:25.989 --> 01:28.045 really appreciate it . And for those 01:28.045 --> 01:30.430 who may not be familiar , what is US 01:30.430 --> 01:32.069 Army Europe's role and their 01:32.069 --> 01:34.419 significance in the European theater ? 01:34.709 --> 01:37.180 OK . Um , well , I'll take it from the 01:37.180 --> 01:39.389 context of not , uh , specifically US 01:39.389 --> 01:41.690 Army Europe . I'll look at it , uh , 01:41.809 --> 01:44.031 I'll talk about them , but I'll look at 01:44.031 --> 01:46.087 it from the holistic role of US Army 01:46.087 --> 01:48.142 UCO because on one hand , you know , 01:48.142 --> 01:50.253 the Army Europe is just one component 01:50.253 --> 01:52.420 with one mission that ties in with the 01:52.420 --> 01:54.642 overall theater campaign plan of , of , 01:54.642 --> 01:56.642 of the combatant command that is US 01:56.642 --> 01:58.531 UCOM . You know , the , the , the 01:58.531 --> 02:00.642 nuance and interesting thing about US 02:00.642 --> 02:02.753 UCOM is I have one commander with two 02:02.753 --> 02:04.790 commands . He's the commander of US 02:04.790 --> 02:06.699 UCOM and he's the Supreme Allied 02:06.699 --> 02:08.588 Commander of Europe . So that's , 02:08.588 --> 02:10.699 that's interesting in of itself . And 02:10.699 --> 02:12.921 the other part where there are only two 02:12.921 --> 02:14.977 combatant commands with assigned and 02:14.977 --> 02:17.759 forward stationed or forward rotated 02:17.759 --> 02:21.350 forces . In the AOR that do the daily 02:21.350 --> 02:23.572 ins and outs of deterring , defending , 02:23.572 --> 02:25.739 and projecting combat power in and out 02:25.739 --> 02:27.910 of the theater , those 90,000 people 02:27.910 --> 02:29.966 that are already either stationed in 02:29.966 --> 02:32.132 Europe or forward deployed in Europe , 02:32.229 --> 02:34.118 they're a credible combat capable 02:34.118 --> 02:36.630 formation that presence reassures our 02:36.630 --> 02:38.649 allies . It complicates our 02:38.649 --> 02:40.979 adversaries' decision making and it 02:40.979 --> 02:43.470 enables rapid reinforcement , whether 02:43.470 --> 02:45.910 again . Projecting that combat power in 02:45.910 --> 02:47.779 and around the theater for a new 02:47.779 --> 02:50.550 emerging requirement or globally , and 02:50.550 --> 02:52.606 a great example of that is Operation 02:52.606 --> 02:54.470 Midnight Hammer , a fantastic 02:54.470 --> 02:56.550 Department of War operation that 02:56.550 --> 02:58.439 required accessing , basing , and 02:58.439 --> 03:00.606 overflights and a lot of combat powers 03:00.606 --> 03:02.772 in Europe , and not to mention some of 03:02.772 --> 03:04.717 the other combatant commands . But 03:04.717 --> 03:06.550 those things just reinforces our 03:06.550 --> 03:10.300 ability where we reinforce and enable 03:10.300 --> 03:13.240 our allies to take on that collective 03:13.240 --> 03:15.529 responsibility for Europeans defense 03:15.529 --> 03:17.696 because that's what we want them to do 03:17.696 --> 03:19.696 so we can defend America's homeland 03:19.770 --> 03:21.970 forward . The other part about that 03:21.970 --> 03:25.520 simply is . We're there to 03:25.820 --> 03:28.160 prevent any type of future conflict . 03:28.699 --> 03:30.643 We're there to make sure the joint 03:30.643 --> 03:32.699 force , uh , is trained and ready to 03:32.699 --> 03:34.532 fight tonight if called upon and 03:34.532 --> 03:36.421 required . OK , so it sounds like 03:36.421 --> 03:38.532 there's , there's a lot and there's a 03:38.532 --> 03:40.588 lot of people involved in that , not 03:40.588 --> 03:42.643 just from the US Army , but from the 03:42.643 --> 03:44.755 joint force in total . So , uh , when 03:44.755 --> 03:46.810 we talk about the , the evolving NCO 03:46.810 --> 03:49.339 Corps , uh , from your vantage point , 03:49.449 --> 03:52.380 Star Major , as a US Army Europe , how 03:52.380 --> 03:54.500 do you feel the role of the NCO Corps 03:54.500 --> 03:56.779 evolving as the Army and the Joint 03:56.779 --> 03:59.410 Force adapts to large scale combat 03:59.410 --> 04:01.660 operations and rapidly changing 04:01.660 --> 04:04.880 security environment across Europe ? So , 04:04.960 --> 04:07.182 in this case , I'll , I'll kind of zero 04:07.182 --> 04:09.516 in on , on , on the first part of right , 04:09.516 --> 04:11.349 the , the US Army soldier , um , 04:11.349 --> 04:13.404 because , because that's one where I 04:13.404 --> 04:15.460 think we're all most familiar with , 04:15.460 --> 04:17.627 and , and that's the NCO that's living 04:17.627 --> 04:19.738 in an army that's in transformation , 04:19.738 --> 04:21.738 right ? And , and that's in the NCO 04:21.738 --> 04:23.849 corps that I think's at an inflection 04:23.849 --> 04:25.793 point . The last time that uh RNCO 04:25.793 --> 04:28.000 Corps was faced with an error of this 04:28.000 --> 04:30.880 much uncertainty and this much conflict 04:30.880 --> 04:33.559 around the globe , um , and this much 04:33.559 --> 04:36.470 rush to transform , to modernize the , 04:36.640 --> 04:38.640 the , the , the army that the joint 04:38.640 --> 04:40.696 force needs to , to fight and win in 04:40.696 --> 04:43.200 the future was Valley Forge , right ? 04:43.279 --> 04:45.279 The continental Army marched in the 04:45.279 --> 04:48.309 Valley Forge , um . It felt defeated , 04:48.429 --> 04:50.596 but it was still together and that's , 04:50.596 --> 04:53.350 that was the will for those states to 04:53.350 --> 04:55.683 still fight on to , to ultimate victory . 04:55.829 --> 04:57.551 But that , that young fleeting 04:57.551 --> 04:59.273 continental Army had a , had a 04:59.273 --> 05:01.329 relatively junior NCO Corps , but it 05:01.329 --> 05:03.470 wasn't the NCO Corps that we all kind 05:03.470 --> 05:05.899 of hail back and remember fondly . The 05:05.899 --> 05:07.899 NCO Corps that was forged at Valley 05:07.899 --> 05:10.010 Forge was built on the back of a blue 05:10.010 --> 05:12.121 book , and that blue book . Really it 05:12.121 --> 05:14.343 was the first document that empowered a 05:14.343 --> 05:16.566 non-commissioned officer that gave them 05:16.566 --> 05:18.788 authorities to do things in our army to 05:18.788 --> 05:21.459 train people to make decisions , right ? 05:21.820 --> 05:24.100 That was a true transformation of what 05:24.100 --> 05:26.019 was our continental Army and that 05:26.019 --> 05:28.339 transformation similarly is happening 05:28.339 --> 05:31.899 right now , uh , in US Yukon and in US 05:31.899 --> 05:34.179 Army Europe because the , the 05:34.179 --> 05:36.401 confrontation that we have right now is 05:36.401 --> 05:38.401 what happens if we have to do large 05:38.401 --> 05:40.623 scale combat operations . Well , that's 05:40.623 --> 05:42.679 gonna demand leaders . To operate at 05:42.679 --> 05:44.735 speed , integrate new technologies , 05:44.735 --> 05:46.679 make decisions under conditions of 05:46.679 --> 05:48.568 uncertainty , and a NCOs that are 05:48.568 --> 05:50.735 masters of the fundamentals and fluent 05:50.735 --> 05:52.950 in modernization , right ? You gotta 05:52.950 --> 05:55.006 understand sensors , data , unmanned 05:55.006 --> 05:57.609 systems , the effects they create . But 05:57.609 --> 05:59.609 the core remains the same , right ? 05:59.609 --> 06:01.831 What NCOs always be no do , enforce the 06:01.831 --> 06:04.570 standards , build cohesive teams , and 06:04.570 --> 06:06.570 prepare soldiers to fight tonight , 06:06.570 --> 06:08.903 right ? The environment's changing fast . 06:09.299 --> 06:10.855 But the expectations of our 06:10.855 --> 06:12.966 non-commissioned officers have always 06:12.966 --> 06:15.132 endured . We are the connecting tissue 06:15.132 --> 06:16.910 between concept and execution . 06:17.040 --> 06:18.873 Ensuring that our formations are 06:18.873 --> 06:21.769 trained , disciplined , and lethal . Um , 06:21.929 --> 06:24.369 so when it comes to leadership in a 06:24.369 --> 06:26.591 multinational environment , so you work 06:26.591 --> 06:29.049 closely with NATO partners and allied 06:29.049 --> 06:31.450 militaries , what leadership qualities 06:31.450 --> 06:33.839 do you think and believe that American 06:33.839 --> 06:36.369 NCOs must strengthen in order to be 06:36.369 --> 06:39.829 effective in a multinational coalition 06:39.829 --> 06:42.179 driven environment ? That's a really 06:42.179 --> 06:44.339 good question . Um , I often think 06:44.339 --> 06:47.980 about , uh , my time serving , um , in 06:47.980 --> 06:49.924 Europe because this is my 4th time 06:49.924 --> 06:52.036 stationed there , you know , I got 15 06:52.036 --> 06:54.202 years of experience . Um , the , the , 06:54.202 --> 06:56.258 the NCO Corps of our NATO allies and 06:56.258 --> 06:58.480 our partner nations have grown in those 06:58.480 --> 07:00.739 15 years and even longer since I've 07:00.739 --> 07:02.906 been in service of the nation and then 07:02.906 --> 07:04.739 serving in the army . I think to 07:04.739 --> 07:06.628 survive and thrive in a coalition 07:06.628 --> 07:09.100 environment . What makes our NCO corps 07:09.480 --> 07:11.730 so special is they're trusted , 07:11.959 --> 07:15.089 empowered and valued . And that trust 07:15.089 --> 07:17.145 is earned every day because we build 07:17.145 --> 07:19.145 tactical and technical competence . 07:19.145 --> 07:20.867 That's the baseline of any NCO 07:20.980 --> 07:23.202 regardless . Doesn't matter if you're a 07:23.202 --> 07:25.424 sergeant , staff sergeant , or sergeant 07:25.424 --> 07:27.829 major . What sets that American NCO 07:27.829 --> 07:31.350 apart ? And what they must continue to 07:31.350 --> 07:33.572 strengthen , right ? Never rest on your 07:33.572 --> 07:35.794 laurels , right ? Always strive to be a 07:35.794 --> 07:38.017 better version of yourself is remaining 07:38.017 --> 07:40.200 adaptable , have humility , and have 07:40.200 --> 07:42.089 the ability to build trust across 07:42.089 --> 07:44.200 cultures , not just networks , that's 07:44.200 --> 07:45.978 what NCOs do holistically solve 07:45.978 --> 07:48.089 problems , but also across cultures . 07:48.160 --> 07:50.600 Allies watch how we lead . That's how 07:50.600 --> 07:52.767 they learn . Surprisingly , that's how 07:52.767 --> 07:54.989 our junior NCOs learn from us as senior 07:54.989 --> 07:56.822 leaders too . They notice how we 07:56.822 --> 07:58.933 communicate , how we solve problems , 07:58.933 --> 08:00.989 how we treat others . Effective NCOs 08:00.989 --> 08:03.000 understand those things and the 08:03.000 --> 08:04.944 operational objectives . They also 08:04.944 --> 08:07.111 understand the human terrain , right ? 08:07.111 --> 08:09.333 That's what's so great about us because 08:09.333 --> 08:09.209 we've walked a mile in those boots 08:09.209 --> 08:11.098 already , and that's how we bring 08:11.098 --> 08:12.931 nations together toward a common 08:12.931 --> 08:15.153 purpose . Interoperability , we like to 08:15.153 --> 08:17.098 talk about as equipment . But it's 08:17.098 --> 08:19.510 really it's relationships . And NCOs 08:19.510 --> 08:21.566 are really , are the people who make 08:21.566 --> 08:23.470 relationships real . Yeah , so it 08:23.470 --> 08:25.692 sounds like , uh , trust is , I think , 08:25.692 --> 08:27.803 is , is one of the key points there . 08:27.803 --> 08:30.026 That , that's how you build that , that 08:30.026 --> 08:32.081 interoperability and not just from , 08:32.081 --> 08:34.081 you know , those that we lead , but 08:34.081 --> 08:36.200 with , uh . The , the partners that 08:36.200 --> 08:38.440 multinational coalition , uh , in order 08:38.440 --> 08:40.440 to build that trust is key . I like 08:40.440 --> 08:42.384 that . Um , OK , so technology and 08:42.384 --> 08:44.940 lethality , uh , as new technologies 08:45.119 --> 08:47.599 like unmanned systems , AI enabled 08:47.599 --> 08:50.179 tools , advanced sensors , when all , 08:50.210 --> 08:52.479 as those things enter the force , what 08:52.479 --> 08:54.535 responsibilities do non-commissioned 08:54.535 --> 08:57.479 officers have in ensuring soldiers 08:57.479 --> 08:59.799 remain both tactically and technically 08:59.799 --> 09:03.130 proficient and lethal ? I love that 09:03.130 --> 09:05.297 question . You know , I love lethality 09:05.450 --> 09:08.419 and , and , uh , you know , technology 09:08.419 --> 09:10.197 is accelerating faster than our 09:10.197 --> 09:12.252 doctrine can keep up , right ? And , 09:12.252 --> 09:14.363 and that's what's great about these , 09:14.363 --> 09:16.530 uh , the combat training centers and , 09:16.530 --> 09:18.586 and all the , all the stuff that the 09:18.586 --> 09:17.780 army's doing in the transformation 09:17.780 --> 09:19.724 initiative , right , those , those 09:19.724 --> 09:21.780 field experiments we're doing in the 09:21.780 --> 09:23.836 dirt , all of that technology , that 09:23.836 --> 09:26.450 fast adaptation , it puts a unique 09:26.450 --> 09:28.394 responsibility in non-commissioned 09:28.394 --> 09:30.617 officers . They have to ensure soldiers 09:30.617 --> 09:32.672 are technically proficient , right ? 09:32.672 --> 09:34.894 Brilliant at the basics . I know you've 09:34.894 --> 09:36.839 heard this before , but tactically 09:36.839 --> 09:39.006 grounded . Because you have to be able 09:39.006 --> 09:41.172 to fight with and without technology . 09:41.172 --> 09:43.283 What happens if you're operating in a 09:43.283 --> 09:42.880 detail environment when the lights get 09:42.880 --> 09:45.960 turned off ? Audacity , take initiative . 09:46.119 --> 09:48.599 That's what NCOs are about unmanned 09:48.599 --> 09:50.840 systems , AI enabled tools , advanced 09:50.840 --> 09:52.989 sensors expand our reach , but they 09:52.989 --> 09:56.109 don't replace NCO judgment , discipline , 09:56.359 --> 09:59.179 field craft . NCOs have to train 09:59.179 --> 10:01.401 soldiers leverage technology , but also 10:01.401 --> 10:03.457 retaining the ability to operate and 10:03.457 --> 10:05.380 degrade , denied or contested 10:05.380 --> 10:07.436 environments , right ? That detail I 10:07.436 --> 10:09.380 mentioned , the goal is simple , I 10:09.380 --> 10:11.436 think technology should make us more 10:11.436 --> 10:14.859 lethal but not more dependent . I see 10:14.859 --> 10:16.637 technology as an additive force 10:16.637 --> 10:18.470 multiplier . It wraps around and 10:18.470 --> 10:20.637 enables that that young soldier at the 10:20.637 --> 10:22.748 tip of the spear , not encumbersome , 10:22.748 --> 10:24.859 so they can't execute their mission , 10:24.859 --> 10:27.026 right ? So they've , they've got to be 10:27.026 --> 10:29.137 able to be masters of the basics , be 10:29.137 --> 10:31.303 able to incorporate those technologies 10:31.599 --> 10:33.821 and in order to make them more lethal , 10:33.840 --> 10:35.840 but they , they , they've got to be 10:35.840 --> 10:37.951 grounded in , in doctrine and able to 10:37.951 --> 10:41.150 be . To be lethal , uh , but still be 10:41.150 --> 10:43.489 adaptable and use those things , um , 10:43.669 --> 10:45.869 so , uh , in , in your AOR , the 10:45.869 --> 10:48.030 challenges in Europe , uh , with the 10:48.030 --> 10:50.197 current strategic tensions in Europe , 10:50.270 --> 10:52.381 what are the most pressing challenges 10:52.381 --> 10:54.429 you see for enlisted leaders on the 10:54.429 --> 10:57.190 ground , where logistical , cultural , 10:57.210 --> 10:59.710 or even operational , uh , and how are 10:59.710 --> 11:02.270 you preparing the force to meet those 11:02.270 --> 11:04.619 challenges ? Yeah , sure thing . I , I 11:04.619 --> 11:06.979 think , uh , the European environment , 11:07.340 --> 11:09.507 the , the whole theater is dynamic and 11:09.507 --> 11:11.507 complex . As you kinda highlight in 11:11.507 --> 11:13.507 your question , you know , enlisted 11:13.507 --> 11:15.451 leaders , they're navigating those 11:15.451 --> 11:17.562 challenges and , and , you know , and 11:17.562 --> 11:19.673 I'll , I'll zero in on what you asked 11:19.673 --> 11:19.260 me , the operational , the logistical , 11:19.289 --> 11:21.400 and the cultural , but if you look at 11:21.400 --> 11:23.400 the operational environment , you , 11:23.400 --> 11:25.622 that it's a contested environment where 11:25.622 --> 11:27.678 speed , mobility , and survivability 11:27.678 --> 11:29.900 matter every day . If you just peel any 11:29.900 --> 11:31.799 lessons learned from Gaza or even 11:31.799 --> 11:33.966 what's going on in Ukraine , you're in 11:33.966 --> 11:35.910 a persistent degraded and and on a 11:35.910 --> 11:38.000 persistent observation in , in that 11:38.000 --> 11:40.489 Ukrainian environment between that that 11:40.489 --> 11:42.400 conflict with with RGF and the 11:42.400 --> 11:44.640 Ukrainian forces . You have to be able 11:44.640 --> 11:46.751 to fight , win , survive and thrive . 11:46.751 --> 11:48.751 So how , how do you , how do you do 11:48.751 --> 11:50.696 those brilliance at the basics and 11:50.696 --> 11:52.918 maintain survivability , build mass for 11:52.918 --> 11:55.719 purpose . It , it all builds on that 11:55.719 --> 11:57.719 simple block and tackling , right ? 11:57.719 --> 12:00.052 Knowing the fundamentals , logistically . 12:00.052 --> 12:02.275 We have to move forces across sovereign 12:02.275 --> 12:04.275 borders at scale , right ? I talked 12:04.275 --> 12:06.552 about access basing and overflight for , 12:06.552 --> 12:08.608 for Midnight Hammer . Like we have , 12:08.608 --> 12:10.608 when we build mass for purpose , we 12:10.608 --> 12:12.663 have to have mobility corridors . We 12:12.663 --> 12:14.886 have to be able to rapidly build a mass 12:14.886 --> 12:17.108 that combat power for purpose , right ? 12:17.108 --> 12:19.052 It requires precision and a lot of 12:19.052 --> 12:21.369 coordination . If we are left of 12:21.369 --> 12:24.039 conflict . We just can't roll across 12:24.039 --> 12:25.872 borders without respecting other 12:25.872 --> 12:28.206 nations or sovereignty and other things . 12:28.206 --> 12:30.150 That's that goes back to the trust 12:30.150 --> 12:32.261 that's right . That's right . When we 12:32.261 --> 12:34.206 build and we have to maintain that 12:34.206 --> 12:36.317 trust in , in every day to be able to 12:36.317 --> 12:35.919 do the things we have to do to maintain 12:35.919 --> 12:37.960 our lethality and deterrence on the 12:37.960 --> 12:40.159 European continent culturally . Just 12:40.159 --> 12:42.270 working , interacting with allies and 12:42.270 --> 12:44.048 partners every day , we have to 12:44.048 --> 12:46.103 understand each one has their unique 12:46.103 --> 12:45.630 capabilities , authorities , and 12:45.630 --> 12:48.469 expectations . Um , you can't cookie 12:48.469 --> 12:50.636 cut one thing . I like to say if you , 12:50.636 --> 12:52.913 if you've trained with one ally nation , 12:52.913 --> 12:55.025 you've trained with one ally nation . 12:55.025 --> 12:57.247 They're all unique , and we know that . 12:57.247 --> 12:59.025 And we're preparing to force by 12:59.025 --> 13:01.247 emphasizing that readiness at echelon , 13:01.247 --> 13:03.525 right ? Strengthening interoperability , 13:03.650 --> 13:05.372 we're training under realistic 13:05.372 --> 13:07.530 conditions that reflect the pace and 13:07.530 --> 13:09.697 complexity of modern conflict . That's 13:09.697 --> 13:11.641 probably the most prescient lesson 13:11.641 --> 13:13.474 learned that we can get from the 13:13.474 --> 13:15.474 Ukrainian battlefield . Our leaders 13:15.474 --> 13:17.308 must be comfortable operating in 13:17.308 --> 13:19.474 ambiguity while maintaining discipline 13:19.474 --> 13:21.419 and standards . If you think for a 13:21.419 --> 13:23.530 moment . As you're doing home station 13:23.530 --> 13:25.752 training , or you're coming out of JRTC 13:25.752 --> 13:27.974 and you're high fiving on the objective 13:27.974 --> 13:30.086 after live fire . That over that time 13:30.086 --> 13:32.141 that when before you went in the box 13:32.141 --> 13:31.940 before you started training your 13:31.940 --> 13:34.051 standards of discipline were low that 13:34.051 --> 13:36.051 they got better during the training 13:36.051 --> 13:38.051 environment you're fooling yourself 13:38.051 --> 13:39.829 like for those of you that have 13:39.829 --> 13:42.051 deployed multiple times and you've seen 13:42.051 --> 13:44.162 that happen , those things degrade we 13:44.162 --> 13:46.384 have to fight complacency . That's what 13:46.384 --> 13:48.107 NCOs also do by holding people 13:48.107 --> 13:50.273 accountable . So if you don't maintain 13:50.460 --> 13:52.682 those standards and discipline from the 13:52.682 --> 13:54.738 jump , it's only going to erode over 13:54.738 --> 13:56.738 time , you know , it just , it just 13:56.738 --> 13:58.349 happens . It's . That , that 13:58.349 --> 14:00.349 battlefield stress and fatigue that 14:00.349 --> 14:02.460 happens , you know , it just , it can 14:02.460 --> 14:04.460 degrade on somebody , and it's that 14:04.460 --> 14:06.460 will to fight . That's what America 14:06.460 --> 14:08.516 brings to bear in the , in its joint 14:08.516 --> 14:10.571 service , the will to fight , and we 14:10.571 --> 14:10.070 have to maintain the highest of 14:10.070 --> 14:12.070 standards and discipline to do so . 14:12.070 --> 14:14.229 With all of that said , uh , to , to 14:14.229 --> 14:16.396 bring it back home , the last question 14:16.396 --> 14:19.159 here . So developing the next 14:19.159 --> 14:21.381 generation of leaders , uh , and senior 14:21.381 --> 14:24.270 leaders , what do you wish that you had 14:24.270 --> 14:27.229 known as an entry-levelA major ? Will 14:27.380 --> 14:29.491 you'd be happy to know that I learned 14:29.491 --> 14:32.239 from my own lesson . Um , so I , I 14:32.239 --> 14:34.739 always do this up front with any new , 14:34.799 --> 14:36.855 new leaders that , uh , come join my 14:36.855 --> 14:39.021 formation . When I left the sergeant's 14:39.021 --> 14:41.440 Major Academy and went out and dove 14:41.440 --> 14:43.551 head first into the , the deep end of 14:43.551 --> 14:45.384 the pool , uh , out there in the 14:45.384 --> 14:47.384 operational force , the one thing I 14:47.384 --> 14:49.496 wish I had was clarity . What were my 14:49.496 --> 14:51.718 expectations ? Of , of me as a sergeant 14:51.718 --> 14:54.630 Major . Like I spent . A long time here 14:54.630 --> 14:56.574 at the academy just like any other 14:56.574 --> 14:58.574 student , right ? And , and I was a 14:58.574 --> 15:00.741 first sergeant before I came here , so 15:00.741 --> 15:00.710 I watched the sergeant Major do conduct 15:00.710 --> 15:03.043 business , had a good op sergeant major . 15:03.043 --> 15:05.210 But you pay attention , but you're not 15:05.210 --> 15:07.377 like writing a bunch of notes like how 15:07.377 --> 15:09.321 did commander Major Jeremiah Inman 15:09.321 --> 15:11.488 solve that problem ? You know , he was 15:11.488 --> 15:11.429 solving the problem for me cause I 15:11.429 --> 15:13.318 couldn't figure it out as a first 15:13.318 --> 15:15.429 sergeant . I was not paying attention 15:15.429 --> 15:15.150 cause I was off the next fire , right ? 15:15.960 --> 15:17.904 So I was like , what , what are my 15:17.904 --> 15:20.071 expectations ? So when you assume that 15:20.071 --> 15:22.127 responsibility for a new formation , 15:22.127 --> 15:24.127 you'll find the counter fills up so 15:24.127 --> 15:25.960 fast . And like I told the , the 15:25.960 --> 15:28.127 students a little while ago when I was 15:28.127 --> 15:27.729 talking to them , you know , the best 15:27.729 --> 15:29.951 advice I can give you is ride the horse 15:29.951 --> 15:31.951 in the direction that's traveling , 15:31.951 --> 15:34.229 right ? Cause it's a fast-moving train . 15:34.229 --> 15:36.451 If don't , don't be disruptive , but be 15:36.451 --> 15:38.451 additive as a good leader , because 15:38.451 --> 15:40.618 that counter is gonna fill up with the 15:40.618 --> 15:42.618 missions , training cycles , you're 15:42.618 --> 15:44.951 gonna get new guidance , new priorities , 15:44.951 --> 15:47.118 you know , commanders come and go with 15:47.118 --> 15:49.118 new great ideas . Um , it's easy to 15:49.118 --> 15:49.099 assume the commander's intent is 15:49.099 --> 15:51.155 understood because you repeated it a 15:51.155 --> 15:53.321 few times . A good leader told me he's 15:53.321 --> 15:55.266 like , Once you've said it so many 15:55.266 --> 15:57.321 times , you feel like in the back of 15:57.321 --> 15:56.489 your throat , you get that little kind 15:56.489 --> 15:58.433 of nasty taste in the back of your 15:58.433 --> 16:00.433 throat like you're gonna get sick . 16:00.433 --> 16:02.433 You're halfway there , keep talking 16:02.433 --> 16:04.656 about it , right ? Because you know the 16:04.656 --> 16:06.822 deal , every month , about 11% of your 16:06.822 --> 16:08.989 formation changes out , right ? So you 16:08.989 --> 16:08.809 gotta constantly be talking about that . 16:09.010 --> 16:11.121 But the real question is , You know , 16:11.121 --> 16:13.232 because of that turnover and how many 16:13.232 --> 16:15.232 times you communicated it , did the 16:15.232 --> 16:17.177 formation internalize it ? You ask 16:17.177 --> 16:19.232 yourself , did we train and maintain 16:19.232 --> 16:21.343 every day like it was last day before 16:21.343 --> 16:23.399 someone tested us ? It great leaders 16:23.399 --> 16:23.369 don't just set the expectations , they 16:23.369 --> 16:25.489 reinforce them relentlessly , right ? 16:25.570 --> 16:27.681 Consistency is what moves initiatives 16:27.681 --> 16:29.792 across the goal line . And most of us 16:29.792 --> 16:31.792 figure that out when we receive our 16:31.792 --> 16:33.903 next assignment instructions . And we 16:33.903 --> 16:36.126 start reflecting , and we're setting up 16:36.126 --> 16:38.348 that transition folder , whether it's a 16:38.348 --> 16:37.789 3 ring binder , it's a folder on the 16:37.789 --> 16:39.956 desktop for the person that got picked 16:39.956 --> 16:42.011 to replace you . And all of a sudden 16:42.011 --> 16:43.956 you realize like , man , did I get 16:43.956 --> 16:43.590 everything done ? When's the last 2 to 16:43.590 --> 16:45.701 3 things I get finished for the , the 16:45.701 --> 16:47.701 new person shows up to replace me ? 16:47.701 --> 16:49.812 That's a great feeling to , to like , 16:49.812 --> 16:49.500 man , I knocked out a bunch of things , 16:49.619 --> 16:51.786 but it's also a bad feeling to realize 16:51.786 --> 16:53.952 like , I got off track here . I didn't 16:53.952 --> 16:56.119 get this one done the way I wanted . I 16:56.119 --> 16:58.008 just ran out of time . So I think 16:58.008 --> 16:59.786 upfront , like just setting the 16:59.786 --> 17:01.897 expectations , let you know , every , 17:01.897 --> 17:04.063 every day is an opportunity to kind of 17:04.063 --> 17:06.175 drive the formation to , to success , 17:06.410 --> 17:08.989 because it'd be a bad day . To have to 17:08.989 --> 17:11.100 actually get called to the carpet and 17:11.100 --> 17:13.322 the carpet being like , let's go . Oh , 17:13.322 --> 17:15.433 that's right . Right . Your counselor 17:15.433 --> 17:17.767 is the adversary . That's right , right . 17:17.767 --> 17:19.822 No , nobody wants to be counseled in 17:19.822 --> 17:21.933 that manner . You wanna dominate that 17:21.933 --> 17:21.889 session , not get dominated , right ? 17:22.058 --> 17:25.048 That's right . So since , uh , having 17:25.468 --> 17:28.909 done the initial entry SA major , right , 17:28.989 --> 17:31.300 and then you , you've been . Brigade 17:31.300 --> 17:33.359 and Division 18th Airborne Corps and 17:33.359 --> 17:35.526 Force Comp Sar Major and some of those 17:35.526 --> 17:37.760 roles , just to , to follow up on that 17:37.760 --> 17:39.927 one . What were some of the things you 17:39.927 --> 17:42.239 picked up on those that you've learned 17:42.239 --> 17:44.350 along the way that , uh , maybe you'd 17:44.350 --> 17:46.239 wanna share that were , uh , hard 17:46.239 --> 17:48.439 lessons learned or , or worthwhile 17:48.439 --> 17:52.250 speaking about ? I'm empowered by 620 17:52.250 --> 17:54.306 just like you are , general military 17:54.306 --> 17:56.639 authority , right within there it gives , 17:56.639 --> 17:58.750 it gives specific authorities to NCOs 17:58.750 --> 18:00.861 and leaders at certain , certain duty 18:00.861 --> 18:02.917 positions , right ? A lot of times , 18:02.917 --> 18:05.079 you don't really figure out that . If 18:05.079 --> 18:06.912 you got a lot of trust with your 18:06.912 --> 18:09.969 commander , your commander empowers you 18:10.119 --> 18:12.008 through their authorities to do a 18:12.008 --> 18:14.230 little bit more , right ? Once you kind 18:14.230 --> 18:16.230 of figure that out and you become a 18:16.230 --> 18:18.286 force multiplier for the commander , 18:18.286 --> 18:20.452 you're kinda , you're unleashed on the 18:20.452 --> 18:20.359 formation . You got to understand that 18:20.359 --> 18:22.581 you're the non-commissioned officer and 18:22.581 --> 18:24.692 not like your , your , your battalion 18:24.692 --> 18:26.748 commander , your brigade commander , 18:26.748 --> 18:28.859 pick a division . They're not looking 18:28.859 --> 18:30.748 for another field grade . They're 18:30.748 --> 18:30.609 looking for a command star major . You 18:30.609 --> 18:32.442 go places and do things that the 18:32.442 --> 18:34.442 commander can't do because when the 18:34.442 --> 18:36.665 commander shows up , everything stops . 18:36.665 --> 18:36.569 Everybody's rolling out the red carpet . 18:36.689 --> 18:38.856 They're , they're telling all the good 18:38.856 --> 18:41.189 news stories , you know , it's hard for , 18:41.189 --> 18:43.356 for NCOs to also find all the good and 18:43.356 --> 18:45.633 like , oh man , this is great . I mean , 18:45.633 --> 18:45.520 look at my green book . There's some 18:45.520 --> 18:47.742 good stuff in there , but there's a lot 18:47.742 --> 18:49.742 of things I gotta fix , right ? And 18:49.742 --> 18:51.964 that's what we do . We solve problems . 18:51.964 --> 18:51.849 Sometimes we overlook the good stuff 18:51.849 --> 18:53.960 too when we gotta remember to kind of 18:53.960 --> 18:56.127 like tell the commander about the good 18:56.127 --> 18:57.960 stuff . And understand that like 18:58.119 --> 19:00.520 Although those subordinate NCOs don't 19:00.520 --> 19:02.631 work directly for you , they work for 19:02.631 --> 19:04.742 their commanders . They have a boss , 19:04.742 --> 19:06.909 but your commander's probably in their 19:06.909 --> 19:06.839 reigning chain and in their chain of 19:06.839 --> 19:09.339 command , and through that relationship , 19:09.760 --> 19:11.649 you're empowered to develop those 19:11.649 --> 19:13.880 junior NCOs and don't ever forget that 19:13.880 --> 19:16.102 next generation wants to take the title 19:16.102 --> 19:18.324 from you . And your job is to make sure 19:18.324 --> 19:20.560 you've built the best candidates to do 19:20.560 --> 19:22.727 so , whether it's in that formation or 19:22.727 --> 19:26.520 another one . So I've always given back 19:26.520 --> 19:29.760 to the NCO Corps because I had NCOs 19:29.760 --> 19:31.880 ahead of me that , that poured a lot 19:31.880 --> 19:33.991 into me and developed me who I am . I 19:33.991 --> 19:36.102 wouldn't be in the army without a few 19:36.102 --> 19:38.158 of them . I wouldn't have got to the 19:38.158 --> 19:38.020 places I have , have gotten without 19:38.319 --> 19:40.760 good NCOs and officers around me , um , 19:40.959 --> 19:43.126 and , and leverage in that . So I've , 19:43.126 --> 19:45.237 at every echelon , I mean , at , at , 19:45.237 --> 19:47.403 at 4RD and 18th Airborne Corps , I put 19:47.403 --> 19:49.737 out an X order about leader development . 19:49.737 --> 19:52.015 I , I , I didn't leave it up to chance . 19:52.015 --> 19:51.319 I told everybody what they were doing 19:51.319 --> 19:53.652 and what I was doing to support it . Um , 19:53.652 --> 19:55.875 I do it in US UConn for the Joint Force 19:56.089 --> 19:59.290 as an example . So I think a , a lot of 19:59.290 --> 20:01.512 times what you'll discover , you know , 20:01.512 --> 20:03.512 you used to tell us the pre-command 20:03.512 --> 20:05.568 courses at the very end of it , when 20:05.568 --> 20:07.734 General Pappas and I would talk to all 20:07.734 --> 20:09.790 the future battalion brigade command 20:09.790 --> 20:12.012 teams , I would say , hey , when you go 20:12.012 --> 20:14.346 back to your offices , go on , you know , 20:14.346 --> 20:17.040 DTMS . Give yourself credit for one 20:17.040 --> 20:20.250 hour . Here in , like today , like the 20:20.250 --> 20:22.139 master bedroom with all these new 20:22.139 --> 20:24.306 sergeants major , like , give yourself 20:24.306 --> 20:26.472 one hour credit of professional leader 20:26.472 --> 20:28.829 development . By one command Star Major 20:28.829 --> 20:30.829 Holland , and then General Pappas , 20:31.150 --> 20:33.261 right ? Because a lot of time , a lot 20:33.261 --> 20:35.483 of people don't realize they're getting 20:35.483 --> 20:37.706 developed . Unless they're sitting in a 20:37.706 --> 20:37.270 theater or they're sitting in a chow 20:37.270 --> 20:39.381 hall and so it's like , hey , welcome 20:39.381 --> 20:41.714 to our professional development session . 20:41.714 --> 20:43.826 It was on the calendar . ProD happens 20:43.826 --> 20:45.881 every day , right ? And good leaders 20:45.881 --> 20:45.229 understand that , and it's our 20:45.229 --> 20:47.173 responsibility to make sure people 20:47.173 --> 20:48.951 understand that you're actually 20:48.951 --> 20:51.173 developing them and it's for a reason . 20:51.173 --> 20:53.396 And sometimes we miss that a little bit 20:53.396 --> 20:52.589 and then it kind of comes a little bit 20:52.589 --> 20:54.645 later . So I've , I've learned those 20:54.645 --> 20:56.811 lessons over time , um , how to codify 20:56.811 --> 20:58.867 it and how to be a little bit more . 20:58.867 --> 21:01.089 Outward speaking , not to bang the drum 21:01.089 --> 21:03.311 and say , look at me , look at me , but 21:03.311 --> 21:05.422 by talking about what I was doing and 21:05.422 --> 21:07.700 telling people what they were gonna do , 21:07.700 --> 21:09.922 there was an expectation that they were 21:09.922 --> 21:09.780 in turn gonna pay it forward with the 21:09.780 --> 21:11.900 people in their formation . And , and 21:11.900 --> 21:13.789 that's why I became a little more 21:13.789 --> 21:15.900 outward and a little more specific on 21:15.900 --> 21:18.130 developing others and hold them 21:18.130 --> 21:20.352 accountable to do it and that's what we 21:20.352 --> 21:22.574 do , right ? So and then a lot of those 21:22.574 --> 21:24.630 things is , and when we said it in a 21:24.630 --> 21:26.741 couple of these . Questions here kept 21:26.741 --> 21:28.852 coming back up . Trust , right , that 21:28.852 --> 21:31.109 you were empowered . With all of those 21:31.109 --> 21:33.331 things because you had built that trust 21:33.331 --> 21:35.498 as a senior non-commissioned officer , 21:35.498 --> 21:37.609 so that that was good , right ? And , 21:37.609 --> 21:39.720 and you've heard me say this what , a 21:39.720 --> 21:41.831 million times . Trust is earned every 21:41.831 --> 21:43.998 day , US Army non-commissioned Officer 21:43.998 --> 21:46.339 Corps for like 250 years . An everyday 21:46.339 --> 21:49.349 selection , right , so don't , don't 21:49.349 --> 21:51.329 break that trust , right ? That , 21:51.709 --> 21:54.069 that's not just you , that's every NCO 21:54.069 --> 21:56.489 in your formation that's working hard 21:56.989 --> 21:59.839 to maintain that trust and Make it 21:59.839 --> 22:01.895 stronger . That's right . And one of 22:01.895 --> 22:04.228 the other things that I , I know that I , 22:04.228 --> 22:06.283 I've heard you say a lot , and I , I 22:06.283 --> 22:05.989 really , really liked it , is , you 22:05.989 --> 22:07.711 know , there's no , what's the 22:07.711 --> 22:09.933 difference between you and a sergeant . 22:10.109 --> 22:12.220 You both have sergeant in your name , 22:12.220 --> 22:13.831 and , and you both have that 22:13.831 --> 22:16.165 responsibility to , to build that trust . 22:16.165 --> 22:18.442 So I , I use that in , in the terms of , 22:18.442 --> 22:20.220 of like training , right , um , 22:20.220 --> 22:22.276 inherent roles , responsibility of a 22:22.276 --> 22:24.498 non-commissioned officer , a sergeant . 22:24.498 --> 22:26.442 Our jobs from sergeants to command 22:26.442 --> 22:28.720 sergeant Major is to train individuals , 22:28.720 --> 22:31.390 crews , teams , squads , right ? So , 22:31.500 --> 22:33.556 if we walk around the army right now 22:33.556 --> 22:35.611 and say , man , we just don't have a 22:35.611 --> 22:38.219 lot of proficient rifle squads , or 22:38.219 --> 22:40.275 like people who are not , you know , 22:40.275 --> 22:42.108 they're , we don't have a lot of 22:42.108 --> 22:42.089 experts out there . I'm like , well , 22:42.300 --> 22:43.979 whose fault is that ? Not the 22:43.979 --> 22:46.090 commander's training guidance . Cause 22:46.090 --> 22:48.780 doctor in 620 already says , hey , 22:48.939 --> 22:51.161 non-commissioned officers , that's your 22:51.161 --> 22:53.217 role . So the commander can focus on 22:53.217 --> 22:55.619 the larger collective actions . If you 22:55.619 --> 22:57.730 don't get the building blocks right , 22:57.730 --> 22:59.619 sergeant , and I'm talking to all 22:59.619 --> 23:01.952 sergeants , then we can't do the higher , 23:01.952 --> 23:04.119 cooler , fun things , which is go to a 23:04.119 --> 23:06.230 platoon company battalion live fire . 23:06.230 --> 23:05.819 That's when we're like , yeah , we 23:05.819 --> 23:07.875 built that trust , we're crushing it 23:07.875 --> 23:09.819 now , right ? But we gotta get the 23:09.819 --> 23:11.875 building blocks right . The building 23:11.875 --> 23:11.540 blocks are the individual , the team , 23:11.660 --> 23:13.827 the squad , and that's , that's solely 23:13.827 --> 23:16.099 on our responsibility . I mean , I , I 23:16.099 --> 23:18.155 don't want my company commander , my 23:18.155 --> 23:20.043 battalion commander , my division 23:20.043 --> 23:19.880 commander talking about squads , and 23:19.880 --> 23:22.102 this is an interesting tidbit , you hit 23:22.102 --> 23:24.269 on it . How interesting is it the fact 23:24.269 --> 23:26.213 that when I started off as a young 23:26.213 --> 23:28.213 squad leader , and I progressed the 23:28.213 --> 23:30.269 battalion , the brigades are major , 23:30.269 --> 23:32.324 and , you know , I , I , had an idea 23:32.324 --> 23:34.491 what I was doing . I , I did OK . Look 23:34.491 --> 23:36.658 where I'm , you know , I got here with 23:36.658 --> 23:38.880 a lot of good people helping me , but I 23:38.880 --> 23:38.199 figured it out a little bit , I think . 23:39.040 --> 23:41.050 But when I got the division core 23:41.050 --> 23:44.280 Forcecom . God bless . I talked about , 23:44.300 --> 23:47.930 I was so enamored and so focused on 23:47.930 --> 23:49.819 squad lethality . Like I wrote an 23:49.819 --> 23:52.579 article about it . Why was I so 23:52.579 --> 23:54.690 enamored and focused on that ? That's 23:54.690 --> 23:56.912 the tip of the spear . That's where the 23:56.912 --> 23:59.023 rubber meets the road , right ? If we 23:59.023 --> 24:01.190 don't get that first contact , think , 24:01.190 --> 24:03.357 just think about how much training and 24:03.357 --> 24:05.468 how much investment we put in a young 24:05.468 --> 24:05.099 sergeant in the United States Army . 24:05.329 --> 24:08.209 Think about that , right ? You were a 24:08.209 --> 24:10.376 first arm just like me . Tunser says , 24:10.410 --> 24:13.410 hey , firstar McVeigh . Special Hollins 24:13.410 --> 24:15.577 ready to go to the board , like , ah , 24:15.577 --> 24:17.799 really ? Like , yeah , look , I got his 24:17.799 --> 24:19.910 counseling . He qualified expert . He 24:19.910 --> 24:22.160 got a 495 on his AFT like he's crushing 24:22.160 --> 24:25.479 it . Like , I , this last live fire , 24:25.560 --> 24:27.782 you know , you saw him like , OK , OK , 24:27.782 --> 24:29.949 let's , we'll recommend him . We'll go 24:29.949 --> 24:31.893 to the board . Holland goes to the 24:31.893 --> 24:33.504 board , he gets it , he gets 24:33.504 --> 24:35.671 recommended to go to , goes to BLC and 24:35.671 --> 24:35.510 come back . Now I'm Sergeant Holland in 24:35.510 --> 24:38.300 your formation first sergeant . Look at 24:38.300 --> 24:40.522 all that development you just gave me . 24:40.522 --> 24:42.356 You sent me to school to go be a 24:42.356 --> 24:44.522 non-commissioned officer , right ? I'm 24:44.522 --> 24:46.578 stepping stone to be a good NCO if I 24:46.578 --> 24:48.467 keep doing the things that you've 24:48.467 --> 24:50.578 developed me to do , right ? And then 24:50.578 --> 24:52.800 I'm gonna put you in front of a squad . 24:52.800 --> 24:55.022 In some unfamiliar terrain at dark with 24:55.022 --> 24:57.078 we think some exquisite night vision 24:57.078 --> 24:59.439 device , a good weapon system , and I'm 24:59.439 --> 25:01.280 the guy or gal that's gonna make 25:01.280 --> 25:03.169 contact with the enemy , smallest 25:03.169 --> 25:05.391 element possible , that's me . When I'm 25:05.391 --> 25:07.447 walking in the woods looking for the 25:07.447 --> 25:09.502 adversary , I don't think that for a 25:09.502 --> 25:11.669 moment that First Armor McVeigh set me 25:11.669 --> 25:13.613 up . I'm gonna get killed out here 25:13.613 --> 25:15.669 because I'm the guy who's gonna make 25:15.669 --> 25:17.947 contact . I'm the early warning device . 25:17.947 --> 25:20.002 No , I'm the guy that's like , First 25:20.002 --> 25:22.224 Armor McVeigh got me ready because when 25:22.224 --> 25:24.502 I find the adversary before he sees me , 25:24.502 --> 25:26.724 I'm gonna kill him . That's right . And 25:26.724 --> 25:28.891 I wanna make decisions so the squad of 25:28.891 --> 25:28.599 platoon rapidly builds combat power 25:28.599 --> 25:30.821 behind me . We dominate the adversary . 25:30.880 --> 25:32.991 That's the mindset we gotta have with 25:32.991 --> 25:35.213 when we're starting talking about young 25:35.213 --> 25:35.160 sergeants . So thanks for bringing that 25:35.160 --> 25:37.271 up . I'm passionate about that as you 25:37.271 --> 25:39.271 go . I , I , I know . Well , I like 25:39.271 --> 25:41.271 that because we started off talking 25:41.271 --> 25:43.989 about , you know , where , where you're 25:43.989 --> 25:46.100 at now and , and kind of that journey 25:46.100 --> 25:48.156 and what , what you've gotten out of 25:48.156 --> 25:50.322 that and shared that with us and . The 25:50.322 --> 25:52.489 entry-level star major and all the way 25:52.489 --> 25:54.711 down to the , the young sergeant , kind 25:54.711 --> 25:56.822 of what he needs to begin , he or she 25:56.822 --> 25:58.933 needs to be getting after . So , uh , 25:58.933 --> 26:00.878 and we appreciate that . Uh , so , 26:00.979 --> 26:02.979 sorry , Major , I really appreciate 26:02.979 --> 26:05.201 your time . Uh , we thank you very much 26:05.201 --> 26:07.257 for , for joining us today . Uh , do 26:07.257 --> 26:09.479 you have any thoughts or remarks , uh , 26:09.479 --> 26:11.479 that you'd like to share with us in 26:11.479 --> 26:13.701 closing ? You know , I , I think just , 26:13.701 --> 26:15.923 just a couple , if everybody bears with 26:15.923 --> 26:19.319 me here . Um , I think , and I think 26:19.319 --> 26:21.375 the commander and I both think we're 26:21.375 --> 26:23.430 living the most consequential moment 26:23.430 --> 26:25.597 for European security since the end of 26:25.597 --> 26:27.763 the Cold War . Just think about that , 26:27.763 --> 26:29.875 the end of the Cold War . It's been a 26:29.875 --> 26:31.763 minute . You got the conflicts in 26:31.763 --> 26:33.708 Ukraine , the recent one in Gaza . 26:33.859 --> 26:36.137 They've both showed us that , you know , 26:36.137 --> 26:38.081 the character of war is evolving . 26:38.081 --> 26:39.915 There's new forms of mass on the 26:39.915 --> 26:42.192 battlefield . You've read the articles . 26:42.192 --> 26:44.359 There's new combinations of technology 26:44.359 --> 26:43.859 and doctrine . There's new demands on 26:43.859 --> 26:46.729 our soldier , right ? It's those little 26:46.729 --> 26:48.896 things you got to do to be trained and 26:48.896 --> 26:51.062 ready , and then we're adding all this 26:51.062 --> 26:50.939 new technology and they're telling you 26:50.939 --> 26:53.589 to transform for the next fight . It's , 26:53.709 --> 26:56.550 it's a constant tension to , to make 26:56.550 --> 26:58.606 sure that we're ready to do things . 26:59.119 --> 27:01.640 There's always one thing that I rely 27:01.640 --> 27:03.473 back on , one truth that remains 27:03.473 --> 27:06.510 untrained , people , not platforms , 27:06.599 --> 27:09.770 win wars . Our advantage is the human 27:09.770 --> 27:12.020 dimension . I talked about it , the 27:12.020 --> 27:13.964 field craft , the discipline , the 27:13.964 --> 27:15.964 technical skill , and the cognitive 27:15.964 --> 27:18.076 endurance of our service members , in 27:18.076 --> 27:19.964 this case , young army soldiers . 27:20.160 --> 27:23.900 Although our future is unwritten . Our 27:23.900 --> 27:26.280 mindset is what matters in this case . 27:26.709 --> 27:28.869 We have to train with urgency , think 27:28.869 --> 27:31.150 with creativity , we have to pursue 27:31.150 --> 27:33.530 mastery , not until we get it right , 27:33.819 --> 27:35.763 but until we cannot get it wrong , 27:36.099 --> 27:38.043 right ? That's what training multi 27:38.043 --> 27:40.210 echelon training is about . You know , 27:40.210 --> 27:42.189 and , and being the US UCO command 27:42.189 --> 27:44.189 senior enlisted leader joint term . 27:44.189 --> 27:46.245 It's an honor to serve alongside the 27:46.245 --> 27:49.209 men and women who make doing my job 27:49.510 --> 27:52.390 just awesome . And it just makes the 27:52.390 --> 27:54.859 possibility to serve our nation and , 27:54.869 --> 27:56.980 and represent them just , it makes it 27:56.980 --> 27:58.702 rewarding and I appreciate the 27:58.702 --> 28:00.925 opportunity to talk about them and just 28:00.925 --> 28:03.036 have an engagement with you guys here 28:03.036 --> 28:05.202 today . Well , we certainly appreciate 28:05.202 --> 28:07.425 it . I hope all of our listeners , um , 28:07.425 --> 28:09.758 really appreciate it as well , and they , 28:09.758 --> 28:11.869 and they got , um . Everything we can 28:11.869 --> 28:14.036 out of you . So I appreciate you being 28:14.036 --> 28:13.989 here . I appreciate the time you've 28:13.989 --> 28:16.540 taken . Thank you for joining us on the 28:16.540 --> 28:18.429 16th episode of A Nickel for Your 28:18.429 --> 28:22.390 Thoughts . Uh , be sure to join in for 28:22.410 --> 28:23.339 episode 17 .