MAGAZINE
SPRING 2021 from the
CSEL
Ground truth
As we head down the road in pursuit of modernization , we must always remember to look in the rearview mirror to be sure we aren ’ t losing track of where we came from . Our own LANDCOM history seems just as applicable today as it did back in 2014 when we declared Full Operational Capacity ( FOC ) in Izmir .
" For the Soldier !" serves as a reminder to the countries that enjoy the protection of the Alliance ’ s collective defence and collaboration that it is essential to train , equip , and prepare Soldiers to conduct the missions they are called upon to do .
NATO Land Forces , comprised of thousands of multinational soldiers from 30 contributing nations , are spread across the totality of Supreme Allied Commander Europe ’ s ( SACEUR ) AOR . Each of our contributing nations bring their own standard operating procedures , equipment and expertise to our operations and activities . The job of providing coherence and unity across Land forces is the privileged responsibility of the Commander , Allied Land Command , as directed by SACEUR . In turn , as the Command Sergeant Major representing NATO Land Forces , I am tasked with advising the commander on the state of the soldiers that make up the ground forces assigned to NATO posts , with a particular focus on the NATO Forces Structure ( NFS ) and partner nation soldiers . A key component to the NFS ’ effectiveness is the empowerment and professionalism of our Alliance NCOs . approaches to problem solving . A humble and open-minded soldier provides for inclusion and respect on the ground , and arguably makes him or her a formidable weapon in the pursuit of excellence and professionalism . Interoperability does not need us to abandon tradition and or national pride . In fact , that tapestry of talents makes us stronger .
Peter Drauker says “ our mission in life should be to make a positive difference , not to prove how right or smart we are .” Command Sergeants Major and the CSEL community are asked to make people their mission and , as such , we are expected to lead the institution in culture awareness , and strive for a heightened emotional and cultural intelligence for our subordinate warriors . By understanding and educating each other , we are then able to ensure our force is ready to contribute to the defence and deterrence of the Euro Atlantic . LC
For The Soldier !
This , the first official motto of Allied Land Command ( LANDCOM ), was established by its first commander , U . S Army Lieutenant General Frederick " Ben " Hodges . His emphasis was for every leader in LANDCOM to be imbued with the ethos that all plans , initiatives , key decisions , and actions developed by this headquarters were ultimately for the accomplishment of the mission by the most basic element of any Army unit : The Soldier . A soldier is therefore the lynchpin for the successful execution of any given mission . " For the Soldier !"
In my opinion , in order to support a maximum level of effort , there is an implied task of acceptance and understanding of each of the domains and country norms which , in turn operationalizes the need for what we call , “ Cultural Intelligence or CQ .” This means , in order to advocate for change and modernization there is a vital requirement to find the common bonds between all the inherent cultural differences of troops from 30 NATO nations . Qualities like humility and patience are key characteristics that enable leaders to be open to concepts and
KEVIN J . MATHERS
LANDCOM Command Senior Enlisted Leader
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