The highest-ranking enlisted leader in the U.S. military lauded the enlisted force as the military's “greatest competitive advantage.”
Army Command Sgt. Maj. John Wayne Troxell, the senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, today kicked off the Defense Department's “Showcasing Lethality Series,” a weekly media briefing in which enlisted members discuss their roles in defending the nation.
Defense Secretary James N. Mattis outlined in the National Defense Strategy that the U.S. military has to build a “more capable and lethal force,” Troxell explained.
The U.S. military has a warfighting advantage in all domains, he said, adding that the greatest edge comes from the trained, educated and empowered enlisted force.
Empowered, Decisive Enlisted Leaders
Troxell said he and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, believe the desired attributes in an enlisted leader include the ability to manage risk and the ability to anticipate, analyze, communicate and mitigate risk.
The nature of conflict will not change, he said, but the character of conflict will change and evolve. Training will transform as well to keep up with the challenges, he said.
Enlisted leaders need the tools to be empowered to execute the commander's intent and act decisively in all…
