The Allied Land Command For the Soldier !
Chief Warrant Officer Stephen A . Rice Commander Senior Enlisted Leader
Prior to sitting down to write the Command Sergeant Major Message for the 5th edition of LAND POWER magazine , I could not help myself in reading past messages in the archives . It is evident that much work has been done in promoting the NCO corps , describing Command Senior Enlisted Leader ( CSEL ) focus areas and being an advocate for the Command Team concept . These are all things that institutional leaders do in order to better the NCO corps and strengthen the Alliance . Obviously much work has been done and it would be wrong not to recognize my predecessor CWO Daniel Moyer who has truly set the bar high for me to follow . Dan , you have left a strong impression with many national CSEL ’ s and many junior leaders during your numerous speaking engagements supporting NATO ’ s intermediate and advance level leadership courses . Your work has not gone unnoticed and I would like to recognize you for your efforts and for a job well done .
With only two months in the chair , I have yet to find my comfort zone . As with any new leader , I have spent the first couple of months traveling and establishing contacts up and out within the NATO Command Structure , which will provide huge dividends while I try to establish my own NCO network , down and in . Attending the International Senior Enlisted Seminar in Garmisch , and the CSEL course at the NATO School in Oberammergau , I have met all of the key players that will set the stage in filling my new role as LAND COMMAND Senior Enlisted Leader . Concurrently , I have been building a relationship with the
Commander as I am afforded the rare opportunity into his personal space . Establishing and finding my new role within the HQ and the Commander ’ s battlespace will be my next bound as I establish trust with the Commander and this will pave the way forward to where I can provide the most value . I look forward to the 9th Land Commanders conference in November to be held in Strasbourg , France . This will be the first time for myself to gather the Corps CSEL ’ s . Topics that I see beneficial are promoting LANDCOM and NCO Corps social media , NATO Protocol and parade standardization / data bank , and CSEL visits to other Corps exercises which will promote the power of Senior Enlisted Leaders .
In closing I am truly honored to have the opportunity to fill the Land Command Senior Enlisted Leader position . I look forward to my new role and will be focused on ensuring and enabling the NCO corps to be a postured and ready force , which is interoperable and able to adapt to the current complex environment . I ’ m also excited to assist in the development of a resilient NCO corps , while promoting quality of life for our soldiers and their families .
For the Soldier !