PFC Shania Woodhurst, paralegal specialist, 30th Medical Brigade, receives grid coordinates during the land navigation event on day two of the USAREUR Best Warrior Competition at U.S. Army Garrison Hohenfels Training Area, Germany, in July 2020. (Credit: SPC Kaden D. Pitt)
Practice Notes
Tactically and Technically Proficient
Balancing Lethality with Technical Competence in a Comprehensive Field
By Command Sergeant Major Michael J. Bostic
The title of this article remains a constant aspiration for many military paralegals within our Corps. We must find ways to remain ready in our field craft as Soldiers and noncommissioned officers (NCOs) just as much as we need to remain relevant in our technical trade as paralegal specialists.1 This article explores a Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps paralegal’s participation in both technical and tactical assignments; how those two proficiencies relate to each other; and why paralegal leaders must be, know, and do both kinds of work in order to achieve legal mastery and career success. I use examples from my own career to illustrate my belief that technical competence and tactical proficiency go hand-in-hand in every paralegal assignment, no matter what level of tactical, operational, or strategic job is involved. Building on all types of experiences at each of these levels results in a true dual professional—the Soldier-paralegal—who enhances any type of mission with both technical and tactical skills.
From junior enlisted to senior NCO, we have creeds, mottos, reference doctrine, and organizational experiences that we leverage to aid us in our journey of service in the U.S. Army. However, in a highly technical field, most do not get opportunities to experience broadening assignments that test our leadership and competency in Soldier skills. As dual professionals, we need to leverage our experiences, training, and technical expertise—as well as our education—to support lethality. Simply being familiar in one discipline will not suffice in a new generation of talent management.
We follow organizational leaders toward one common goal—mission success. We recite: “I will always maintain my arms, my equipment, and myself”2 or “I will strive to remain technically and tactically proficient.”3
These two stanzas provide expectations—starting a career as a junior
Soldier or NCO with an enlisted culture that runs deep with
expectations. Regardless of our technical Military Occupational
Specialty (MOS), our field craft is our foundation for service. We serve
to fight and win our Nation’s wars. Whether or not that opportunity
presents itself, our day-to-day constant is our technical trade, which
is our vehicle to service.
The Army sets out tactical and technical knowledge in its doctrine, Army
Doctrine Publication (ADP) 6-22,
Army Leadership and the Profession.4 The section discussing expertise is worth reading in its entirety for a better understanding of how the two work together toward our professional goals as experts in our dual-professional field of Soldier and paralegal:
Army leaders must know the fundamentals of their duty position related to warfighting, tactics, techniques, and procedures. Their tactical knowledge allows them to employ individuals, teams, and organizations properly to accomplish missions at least cost in lives and materiel.5
In contrast to tactical knowledge, the same doctrine discusses technical knowledge:
Technical knowledge relates to equipment, weapons, systems, and functional areas. Leaders need to know how the equipment for which they are responsible works and how to use it. Subordinates generally expect their organizational leaders to be technically competent, and their direct leaders to be technically expert.6
I firmly believe that you must understand technical knowledge in order
to apply and develop tactical knowledge in every job the Army assigns
you. Take me, for instance: One morning, in April 2017 at Fort Bragg, my
phone rings as I sit in my office; it is Sergeant Major (SGM)/Command
Management branch on the line. I am told that I am to assume duty as a
battalion command sergeant major (BN CSM) at Fort Drum with a June 2017
report date. About a week prior, the published CSM slate revealed my
initial assignment would be October 2017—so you can imagine my surprise.
That day, I had a long phone call with my wife, spoke with my rater, and
later called my mentor.
The next day, we contacted a realtor, and I started preparations to
achieve better technical proficiency that I knew I would need in this
new challenge. I began studying Army programs, refreshing my Military
Decision Making Process (MDMP) awareness, and reviewing my knowledge of
Soldier Warrior Tasks and Battle Drills (WTBD). I would not be the first
27D SGM to be a unit CSM, just the first to serve in the specific type
of unit I was designated for. This was daunting and exciting at the same
time. This was also not the first time I had to serve outside of the
normal 27D key and developmental assignments; but this time, it mattered
more—at the organizational leadership level, more peoples’ lives would
be my responsibility. I would have an important role in a garrison
environment and an even more impactful role if we ever needed to operate
in a tactical environment. Beginning this assignment with as much
technical knowledge as I could gather in the little time I had to
prepare to move was pivotal, I felt, to mission success.
My first 100 days as a BN CSM were very stressful, and I realized how
much I would rely on the technical skills I attempted to refresh prior
to taking on this job. Since we supported brigade and division elements
throughout the world, I averaged about four hours of sleep most
nights—keeping a turbulent organizational operational tempo. We found
ourselves with a potential U.S. Central Command deployment on the
horizon and countless field exercises (company, battalion, brigade, and
division level) every other month. I had to leverage my tactical field
craft often. Officially, I was the senior trainer and enlisted leader in
the battalion. I was trusted to know what right looked like in terms of
setting up unit assembly areas, operator level maintenance of equipment
and vehicles, professional development of NCOs, company sergeants’ time
training, WTBD, unit mission essential task list training, and mentoring
first sergeants (1SGs) to run life support operations in a field
environment. I was supposed to know exactly where to place everyone on
the battlefield in support of Reception, Staging, Onward-Movement, and
Integration (RSOI). I recount all this in an effort to explain the
technical knowledge I had to have (and build from scratch) as a
foundation to ensure my unit and I could be tactically successful at our
mission.
Because of the type of unit that I was assigned to, I was required to be
an advisor to a battalion and brigade staff—I was expected to know MDMP
and ensure courses of action met the commander’s intent or end state
long before he could make a decision. We had many junior officers with
between two and three years of service, and our battalion had over sixty
different MOSs assigned. I found myself creating binders with MOS charts
and information that I would study prior to any office calls or open
door sessions with leaders and Soldiers. I used a miniscule amount of my
1SGs’ time in meetings and required them to be out with their platoons
and squads rather than in an office. I had information everywhere to
enable me as a leader to ensure my organization could achieve success. I
empowered the staff NCOs to support their officers in charge and quickly
reach shared understanding of the mission. I made it my purpose not to
miss an opportunity to learn about everyone and offer advice or
influence a decision.
These technical-type practices helped me to improve upon my role as an
organizational leader and fulfill most of my responsibilities to my
commander and my organization. At my level, I shared counsel and best
practices with my 1SGs, platoon sergeants, and staff section NCOs in
charge. It is no secret that most units are manned below seventy-five
percent—thus, many times, I was called to serve at the operational level
as the brigade CSM. And, due to our operational tempo and requirements,
one of my 1SGs or platoon sergeants would follow suit and serve in a
higher capacity. We had a “next man up” mentality, a practice of “train
your replacement,” which allowed us to eliminate most of the single
points of failure within the organization. There was typically a primary
and alternate for every additional duty and responsibility on the books.
I practiced many of these functions long before I ventured into a
broadening position as a BN CSM. Technical versus tactical has always
been part of our dual professional. In some assignments, you might begin
to wonder, “Which side am I on?” Service in the Army in a technical
leader capacity can include some tactical leader roles. A senior
paralegal NCO serving at a brigade combat team (BCT) legal office or a
senior or chief paralegal NCO serving at an office of the staff judge
advocate (OSJA) still has to get to know their Soldiers. They still have
to ensure training happens; they have to assist the unit commander and
1SG with personnel readiness of everyone in the BCT legal office or
OSJA. Many times, I have heard of legal office personnel not attending
unit training events because there is so much work to be done; yet, most
times, unit leaders try to micromanage legal personnel because of this
exact assumption. They want ownership because they are not sure of the
availability and readiness of the legal team.
27D Advanced Individual Training students put their new knowledge into
practice under the supervision of NCO paralegals at the JAGEX in June
2021 at The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School in
Charlottesville, Virginia. (Credit: Jason Wilkerson, TJAGLCS)
Senior paralegal NCOs are primarily enablers to the unit leadership.
They provide progressive reports of the readiness of their small team
and they must fulfill training requirements. They share the
responsibility with the OSJA leadership on a technical level since they
are usually the liaison to the operational unit. However, these
technical roles sometimes go ignored. I served and liaised with many
units in my career. Most unit leaders appreciate our technical
(advisory) role. Yet we add more value when we can share more in common
with our unit (client). When assigned to the 82d Airborne Division, jump
and run often; at the 101st Airborne Division, complete air assault
school; at the 10th Calvary Division, complete your spur ride . . . the
list goes on and on. We have to embrace organizational culture,
regardless of the type of unit or role we serve in. So the answer to
where you belong—technical versus tactical in our dual profession—is, of
course, both. You may combine those roles at times, you might
exclusively do technical work for a period of time, but then switch to a
more tactical role. The ability to combine these approaches is the
embodiment of our role as paralegal
and Soldier/NCO.
The Judge Advocate General recently spoke about principled counsel7 and being able to advise on the law and still provide genuine counsel. Like many of you, I had to learn this technique early in my career. You have likely experienced how unit leaders do not always want to hear the “legal guy” recite black-and-white rules. Sometimes they know you, as the person sharing the law, are not supportive of their risky plans. Most times, they just want to affirm that their gut decision to do (or not do) something that may be supported by another leader—not just negated by law or policy. A prime example of this is unit fundraisers. Units always need more money to support unit activities. When confronted with these questions of what they could or could not do to raise funds, I was the good idea fairy. I sought out my legal team to affirm what I already knew: that the rules were quite restrictive. Yet, through their principled counsel, the legal team understood my dilemma as a unit leader, and we all learned. We pushed the envelope a lot but, because I was technically proficient, I knew where to draw the line.
I recently told a company commander that he could not have Soldiers pay $10.00 to wear civilian clothes to work on Fridays as a fundraiser. My simple response was, “Sir, you are the commander, you can make the uniform of the day whatever you want it. It’s not safe [to your career] to have your Soldiers pay you to make that decision. Go see legal.” Here, I leveraged my technical knowledge to support my organizational leader role. The commander had to listen to me because we shared the same boss—and he wanted to keep his job. A few days later, a member of the legal team told me that they squared the young company commander away.
Throughout our Army, there are highly desired positions that require poise, confidence, tact, knowledge, skills, and a certain level of trust and competence. Whether tactical or technical knowledge, experience incorporates those two types of skills. Our professional development model suggests we should pursue operational assignments, generating force, or broadening assignments. I do not believe there is a balance. I prefer to believe it is exposure.
In our field, we must expose ourselves to all three types of assignments to be better leaders—people who provide tasks, purpose, direction, and motivation to others to accomplish something that they otherwise would not do. A senior paralegal NCO does this as well as a unit platoon sergeant or drill sergeant. Exposure to these different levels and types of leadership allows us, as technical professionals, a better understanding of our organizational leaders as our clients. To that end, master sergeants should have the desire to be 1SGs. Most 1SGs share the responsibility with a company commander to directly lead units and have to know everything about their sixty-five-plus-person company. Most chief paralegal NCOs have to know everything about their forty-five-person office (the OSJA). They are both leaders, yet most times, the 1SG has more opportunities to leverage tactical knowledge and responsibility that is inherent at the organizational level. Exposure at these levels allows one to step out of each role as needed and allows talent managers to assess Soldiers’ potential for future assignments.
Field craft or tradecraft—tactical or technical proficiency. All NCOs need to know both. We need to inculcate in our junior Soldiers the obligation and desire to maintain themselves, their arms, and their equipment. The more that we expose our junior Soldiers to, the more prepared they will be when they fall into roles that influence decisions. When the opportunity arises for them to put on a leader hat versus a legal hat, they will be ready to wear both simultaneously because, through lifelong learning, they get exposure to various opportunities that will build them as multi-dimensional leaders.
Ask yourself—when was the last time you, your junior Soldiers, or your judge advocate actually found a packing list, loaded a tactical vehicle, strapped on a forty-five-pound ruck, drove or walked to a field site, spent at least seventy-two hours without the comforts of garrison to set up a tent, and executed WTBD field craft?8
We owe it to ourselves to practice these perishable skills to maintain
military readiness. We dual professionals need our minds to enable us to
leverage our knowledge, skills, and experiences to enhance lethality
within the Army. Our leadership and technical counsel allow our clients
to focus on their mission while we address the administrative legal
distractions that detract from readiness. We should avoid the potential
identity crisis: “balancing tactical or technical leadership.” Instead,
we should be certain of who we are and create a paradigm of exposure to
leadership in organizational and technical roles that yield lethality
with an appreciation of competence from such a unique and storied career
field. TAL
CSM Bostic is the Command Sergeant Major at The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Notes
1. “Fieldcraft is an essential element of tactical knowledge that leaders must understand, teach, and enforce during both training and operations. Fieldcraft encompasses all of the techniques associated with operating and surviving in austere, hostile field conditions.” U.S. Dep’t of Army, Doctrine Pub. 6-22, Army Leadership para. 4-19. (31 July 2019) (C1, 25 Nov. 2019) [hereinafter ADP 6-22].
2. Soldier’s Creed, U.S. Army, https://www.army.mil/values/soldiers.html (last visited Dec. 4, 2020).
3. NCO Creed, U.S. Army, https://www.army.mil/values/nco.html (last visited Dec. 4, 2020).
4. ADP 6-22, supra note 1.
5. Id. para. 4-18 (describing tactical knowledge).
6. Id. para. 4-20 (describing technical knowledge).
7. Lieutenant General Charles N. Pede, The Judge Advocate Gen., U.S. Army, Address at the Worldwide Continuing Legal Education Course: Principled Counsel (Sept. 28, 2019).
8. ADP 6-22, supra note 1, para. 4-19.