LJWorld.com

Posted by Joel Mathis August 28, 2007 at 9:30 a.m.

Fort Leavenworth's new commander meets the press

Here are recent headlines about the military in Kansas:Fort Leavenworth[(LJWorld.com) Fort Leavenworth commander outlines objectives:][1] The new commander at Fort Leavenworth wants the military and government agencies to become more adept at working together. Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV said military officers need to be comfortable working with civilians, especially with those working at the federal level, such as at the U.S. State Department. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan involve more than just military operations, he said. "The U.S. government is in the lead," said Caldwell, who supervised Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in New Orleans and once worked in the White House. Caldwell also said he encourages other agencies, such as the FBI and the State Department, to send employees to study at the fort's Command and General Staff College and interact with military personnel. Only four of 799 students in the latest class are civilians, he said.[(AP) Caldwell shares vision for young officers:][2] The new commandant of the Army's Command and General Staff College said Monday that broadening the experiences and education of talented young officers could help the Army keep some of its best and brightest in uniform. Lt. Gen. William Caldwell spent 19 months as spokesman for the military in Iraq. Along with gaining intimate knowledge of what was happening in that country, Caldwell said he saw young officers showing good leadership skills in a difficult environment. And, he said, those techniques should be institutionalized by the Army, and more should be done to encourage those officers to stay in uniform. He said young officers need to see that senior leadership understands that the path to senior-level command has changed and that the Army is welcoming the change. "That's why if they don't believe that we understand the need for adaptiveness and creativeness, then they will leave," Caldwell said.Fort Riley ¢ 1st Infantry Division[(1st Infantry Division public affairs, via Argghh! blog) 'BANDITS' ADAPT TO DEPLOYMENT CHANGES:][3] The unit shifted to a new region of southern Baghdad's Rashid District shortly before their commander, Capt. J.J. Simonsen, relinquished command to Capt. Spencer Rogers of Fort Riley, Kan. Rogers came to the troop after serving as the logistics officer for 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 4th IBCT. In his first command position, Rogers has followed the counter-insurgency strategy laid out by the commander of Multi-National Forces - Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus: empowering his Soldiers "If they're just going out on patrol, sitting at a checkpoint and guarding it, they're not going to fare very well, but if they go out on a mission and you tell them why they're out there, you empower them with information," Rogers said. "If you let them play an active role in intelligence gathering, you give them pictures of ... known insurgents and you introduce them to people and you let the Soldiers get engaged with the community, they'll be fine. The Soldiers have done a great job of it." [1]: http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2007/aug... [2]: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/08/ap_caldwell_070827/ [3]: http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/08/official_spokes.html