Top Challenges For Commanders in Iraq

[tomahawk6]

Company Command is a great series that AUSA takes from the Company Command web site. This particular article discusses the problems that commanders encounter during a deployment. It runs the gambit on how to avoid burnout of the commander and his troops, the grieving process, coaching a struggling subordinate and one really interesting account of a battery commander transforming his unit to an infantry role.

http://www.ausa.org/webpub/DeptArmyMagazine.nsf/byid/TWAH-765RPD/$File/CompanyCommand.pdf?OpenElement

Jayson Morgan
B/2-32 FA
Performing non-METL missions
The most significant experience I have had so far was converting
a field artillery battery to an infantry company in the
weeks immediately before, during and after our deployment.
This was not very difficult for the platoon leaders, but the
NCOs were a different story. In artillery, NCOs are more technically
oriented. They take great pride in knowing everything
possible about their weapon system, and they work diligently
to get their crew drill down to as fast as possible. But they are
used to taking all orders from an officer. For every fire mission
executed, there are several checks, all of which are blessed
off by an officer. It was very difficult to get some of the more
experienced NCOs out of this mind-set. Developing squad
leaders and team leaders proved to be most challenging. In
the past months the battery has become very good at its role.
But this is at a cost. If we were asked to fire artillery today, it
would be very difficult and time-consuming to execute. I think
our technical mind-set has led us to be very successful with
the non-kinetic missions. This, in turn, has led to successful
kinetic missions. Overall, while challenging, this change of
mission has been a positive experience for the battery.

Carl Dick
C/9 EN
Working with ad-hoc task organizations
Commanding an ad-hoc company team of 190+ Soldiers,
Marines and Seabees while building COP Firecracker
for the Marine Corps. We constructed the largest
COP in Ramadi in four days—working 24/7 and emplacing
approximately 100,000 sandbags. The Marine task
force had a great plan and provided great support.
My company and I showed up two days before the operation
kicked off, and as soon as the site was seized, we became the main effort, leading attached platoons of
Marines and Seabees.