Empowering Change: The Role of Non-Commissioned Officers in Implementing Transformation in Contact
The Army’s recent reframing of the transformation strategy into three distinct time horizons, being driven by Army Futures Command, marks a change in the language used to inform the Army of transformation efforts which ensure the Army remains agile, efficient, and ready to meet the demands of modern warfare. Army Futures Command is aggressively pursuing transformation opportunities and priorities across these three-time horizons: Transformation in Contact (18-24 months), Deliberate Transformation (2-7 years) and Concept-Driven Transformation, while protecting key capabilities from strategic competitors.
Continuous Transformation’s first time period, Transformation in Contact, encompasses a broad range of initiatives designed to enhance operational effectiveness, from advanced weapon systems to cutting-edge communication and technological integration. During this time period, the Army will deliberately and systematically order select units to begin incremental changes in organization or equipment. We rely on Transformation in Contact units to gather lessons learned to implement during each iteration so we can transform faster and make immediate tactical adjustments to maintain land dominance.
At the heart of Transformation in Contact lies the pivotal role of non-commissioned officers, whose leadership and expertise are crucial for the successful implementation of these changes. We, the Command Sergeants Major of both Army Futures Command and the 25th ID, 2nd Light Brigade Combat Team (Prototype), have unique perspectives from our foxholes. While Army Futures Command is the enterprise answer to Army transformation, the tactical solutions manifest within Transformation in Contact units, like the 25th ID, 2nd Light Brigade Combat Team (Prototype). Their hands-on experience reveals potential doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership and education, personnel, facilities, and policy (DOTMLPF-P) implications which accompany Army transformation objectives. The unique positions we hold in these organizations enable us to highlight the critical role non-commissioned officers play across all three time horizons, with a particular focus on the execution of Transformation in Contact.
Understanding Transformation in Contact:
Transformation in Contact is being pursued through multiple integrated and mutually supporting lines of effort. One of the primary Army efforts is ‘organizational change,’ which aims to empower commanders and ensure the readiness of formations to support combatant commander requirements. Additional efforts include the development and upgrade of command-and-control systems, unmanned aerial systems, electronic warfare, acceleration of the next-generation squad weapons rifle and automatic rifle, counter-small unmanned aerial systems tactics, human machine integrated-formations, increased lethality, and more.
As the Army Future Command’s Command Sgt. Maj., I can attest that feedback from units executing the first steps of Transformation in Contact aligns with “Soldier-Centered Design” experimentation. Soldiers are placed into development and iterative improvement efforts to capitalize on the collective scientist, engineer, and unit Soldier, non-commissioned officer, and officer expertise. This development design delivers the best recommendations to improve Transformation in Contact change implementation, enhancing lethality and protection in the 18 to 24 months’ time frame from the practical guidance of those on the ground.
Non-commissioned officers often serve in leadership roles within their formations for extended periods, providing stability, mentorship, and continuity. Their experience and longevity in these positions, in garrison or deployed, afford them a unique vantage point to see gaps and opportunities in capabilities as they execute Transformation in Contact. Indeed, solutions to our tactical challenges often come from the non-commissioned officers that lead squads, sections, and teams. They are at the tactical edge, rendering their feedback as essential, some might say lifesaving, with regard to fighting in high-intensity conflict.
In the context of Transformation in Contact, non-commissioned officers play a crucial role in ensuring that their units adapt to new technologies and operational procedures. They are responsible for training and mentoring Soldiers, fostering a culture of innovation, and maintaining high-level standards of readiness and Soldier task performance.
The concept of operations for Transformation in Contact emphasizes the synchronization of efforts through the ‘organizational change’ line of effort via separate execution orders. For instance, the order for executing disposition of the RQ-7 Shadow Drone systems and associated equipment involves coordination with various Army Commands, demonstrating the comprehensive and multifaceted nature of even these first execution stages of Transformation in Contact. Every change ripples across the entire enterprise effecting doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership and education, personnel, facilities, and policy. Every aspect must be considered for each incremental change made through transformation.
For example, the 25th ID, 2nd Light Brigade Combat Team (Prototype) execution in divesting the RQ-7 Shadow Drone systems had effects on those Soldiers assigned as drone operators and maintainers. The leadership recognized an opportunity however, to harness their talents and develop subject matter experts in building, repairing, and operating any small unmanned aerial system or first-person-view drones. The unit acquired commercially available systems and gave these techcraft savvy Soldiers the freedom to experiment and solve unit problems.
One focus has been to overcome distance disadvantage in the Pacific environment. For example, we have looked at employing drones to expand resupply options at the company level. Commercial digital trackers on the aerial resupply drops offer a capability to assist end users locate their items in various terrain. Critically, these novel and creative applications are captured, under the Soldier-Center Design methodology, and routed back to Army Futures Command for further system and tactic refinement in development and integration.
Transformation in Contact efforts have fielded the 25th ID, 2nd Light Brigade Combat Team (Prototype) numerous new technologies, equipment, weapons, and vehicles with no formal doctrine on how to use or employ in conflict. It is left up to the non-commissioned officers within the formation to develop these critical standards, through the concept we on the team call: ‘Try, fail, then try again.’
First into the Deep End: 25th ID 2nd Light Brigade Combat Team (Prototype) begins Transformation in Contact:
In February 2024, the 25th ID, 2nd Light Brigade Combat Team (Prototype) was notified they were selected as one of the first overseas units to undergo organizational and technological updates encapsulated within the Transformation in Contact stage of Continuous Transformation. They were first directed to convert from two infantry battalions and one cavalry squadron, into three infantry maneuver battalions. The brigade’s trajectory had to critically shift in preparation for the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center rotation scheduled for October 2024. The Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center is the overseas Combat Training Center. Exercises are conducted in a complex and realistic environment to help build readiness and proficiency in the tasks the unit is expected to execute in combat. The new organizational structure would need to be solid, cohesive, and prepared if they were to be successful in one of the most difficult exercises the Army offers.
After the initial notification, 25th ID, 2nd Light Brigade Combat Team (Prototype) leaders immediately began the deliberate, iterative, and systematic process the Army uses to make decisions, called the Military Decision-Making Process. A pathway was set for the way ahead between February and March 2024. Then, on 2 April 2024, marking the first step of change, the unit held its last formation as an Infantry Brigade Combat Team and ceremonially transitioned to its first formation as a new Light Brigade Combat Team (Prototype) construct. Between April and May, the non-commissioned officers and Soldiers rapidly progressed through the stages of team development, re-establishing cohesion and expected performance levels.
Due to the organizational changes, the brigade now had to re-execute squad, platoon, and company live fire exercises. For the new organization to be effective with the added technologies and capabilities ordered within Transformation in Contact, the development of standard operating procedures and tactics, techniques, and procedures was critical. Non-commissioned officers shouldered the bulk of this development burden, particularly in testing, refining, and training. To date, with the amount of newly integrated technology, equipment, and vehicles, over twenty programs of instruction, standard operating procedures, and tactics, techniques, and procedures documents have been published by 25th ID, 2nd Light Brigade Combat Team (Prototype) non-commissioned officers. Perhaps even more importantly, these on the ground lessons learned are now informing Army-wide DOTMLPF-P development and are increasing in utilization within the U.S. Army Infantry School, and across National Guard and Reserve units.
25th ID, 2nd Light Brigade Combat Team (Prototype) work stood up to the test. Between May and June, the brigade executed a series of live-fire exercises certifying nine maneuver companies and three Cross Domain Effects companies. The complex levels of integration were exceptional in the culminating exercise which included fires, maneuver, breach, short range reconnections drones, silent tactical energy enhanced dismount military carts, electronic warfare environmental complications, and counter-small unmanned aerial systems assets.
July was spent refining documents and implementation, informed by the lessons learned from each exercise. Non-commissioned officers continued to provide the most critical and practical experiences, optimizing the ‘how to fight’ with the new brigade formations. In August, the brigade executed a competitive field training exercise against their sister brigade. Now up against a free-thinking enemy at peer capability, the 2nd Light Brigade Combat Team (Prototype) procedures and tactics were put through their most strenuous trials yet, emerging from the exercise postured to succeed at the imminent rotation at the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center.
In just under eight months of preparation, the newly organized, trained and equipped brigade validated the entire formation during the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center rotation in October 2024.
Strategies for Transformation Success:
#1: Discard the Obsolete, Adopt the Innovative
To effectively implement Transformation in Contact, non-commissioned officers can employ several strategies and tactics. Foremost, efficient management of resources, including personnel, equipment, and time, is vital for successful implementation. Obsolete equipment collecting dust needs to be divested of properly, and immediately.
Transformation in Contact takes all four Army Commands, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology (ASA-ALT), and the Army Service Component Commands to execute. Army Futures Command must get the requirements right, ASA-ALT acquires the materials, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command develops leaders and doctrine, U.S. Army Forces Command and the Army Service Component Commands build readiness with the new material and organizational changes, and Army Materiel Command delivers and sustains this effort.
All these organizations must work in concert to divest legacy capabilities and invest in transformation. For example, the delivery of the Next Generation Squad Weapons will trigger the M4 Carbine rifle divestment. Delivery of Infantry Squad Vehicles means the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, or HMMWV, must find a new home. Our units can’t maintain multiple sets of equipment, nor maintain training proficiencies on multiple systems. Non-commissioned officers will be pivotal in the execution of disposing of legacy equipment, allowing the unit to be free to innovate with their new capabilities.
While staying current with new technologies and operational procedures is critical, the non-commissioned officers charged to lead and train Soldiers will always be successful if they stay brilliant at the basics. Non-commissioned officers should continuously leverage available training resources to keep their team skilled at their warrior tasks and drills, while also seeking opportunities for deliberate and incremental introduction of new and experimental tactics and equipment.
As changes are introduced to the unit, non-commissioned officers should ensure that their Soldiers are adequately equipped and that resources, like ranges, are allocated to support rapid and fluid adaptation. 25th ID, 2nd Light Brigade Combat Team (Prototype) has established accommodations for rapid integration. A dedicated ‘Ready Range’ has been allocated to the unit, complete with permanent restricted airspace for testing unmanned aerial system tactics and simulating denied environments. This allows non-commissioned officers, down to the squad level, to drill on the basics and also creatively test new systems or tactics with a focus on warfighting readiness. This asset continues to develop Soldier fieldcraft and techcraft but has also had positive impact on unit cohesion. These field training’s have generated valuable insights regarding lethality and survivability in a technologically saturated combat environment.
#2: Communication is the Language of Transformation Leaders
Non-commissioned officers serve as the rational, Soldier-wellbeing-focused, conscience of the Army; uniquely capable of supplying the necessary context for raw data or tactical information. Non-commissioned officers must maintain open lines of communication with their superiors and subordinates, ensuring that everyone understands the goals of Transformation in Contact, and their roles in achieving them. Non-commissioned officers that clearly outline the impact of the change to their Soldiers, will be successful in motivating them and preparing them to frame directives into a larger strategic context. Relaying key feedback of the results of integration effort to superiors, can inform the Army’s larger efforts in fielding during this horizon of transformation.
The profound effect of a non-commissioned officer that understands the ground tactical plan, the capabilities and limits of new technologies or resources, and the desired end state of the commander has been tested and proven within the 25th ID, 2nd Light Brigade Combat Team (Prototype). They are exposed to a singular pragmatic and utilitarian viewpoint on the ground and are postured to recommend and implement the most impactful ideas driving change. Today’s non-commissioned officers are writing our future and changing the way the Army will fight in future conflicts through realistic rigorous training, doctrine development, and realistic feedback drawn from experience and relayed to senior leaders.
Non-commissioned officers contribute to Transformation in Contact by developing and sharing their lessons learned. By writing and publishing articles, refining procedure and manuals, submitting feedback to the Center for Army Lessons Learned, and sharing developed documents with other units, non-commissioned officers ensure that the Army is prepared to meet the challenges of modern warfare. Non-commissioned officers are the backbone of the Army, responsible for translating high-level directives into actionable plans on the ground. Their unique position allows them to bridge the gap between strategic vision and tactical execution.
#3: What Gets Measured, Gets Done
At the outset of the 25th ID, 2nd Light Brigade Combat Team (Prototype) rotation at the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center, Gen. Randy A. George, Chief of Staff of the Army challenged the team to answer three Transformation in Contact questions: ‘Are you more mobile,’ ‘are you more lethal,’ and ‘how do you know.’
The long-term impact of Continuous Transformation will be significant, reshaping the Army’s operational capabilities and strategic posture. As we incorporate known technologies such as the semi-autonomous robotic platform, low-altitude stalking and strike ordnance program, and orbital drop drones, non-commissioned officers will set the conditions to assess both measures of performance and effectiveness. Indeed, non-commissioned officers will continue to play a vital role in this ongoing transformation process, leveraging their expertise to navigate the complexities of modern warfare and dexterously adapting to the increasing levels of technology on the battlefield.
Army Futures Command capitalizes on the knowledge of the non-commissioned officer in the near-term through its persistent Soldier-centered experimentation. Non-commissioned officers bring their wealth of experience, practical knowledge, and an intimate understanding of their Soldiers’ capabilities and needs, making them indispensable in the change implementation process.
Conclusion
Army Continuous Transformation represents a bold vision for the future, one that relies heavily on the leadership and expertise of non-commissioned officers. By embracing their immediate role in the change process, they can drive successful implementation and ensure the Army remains ready and capable in an ever-evolving operational landscape.
Non-commissioned officers play a critical role in all horizons, but Transformation in Contact is happening right now. Immediately, Army leaders must understand and communicate the changes Soldiers are going to see and the purpose of them. Non-commissioned officers must facilitate the integration of new equipment and procedures based on organizational change orders. Everyone plays a part in the creation and refining of unit documentation, but non-commissioned officers carry a significant portion of that development. Due to their unique position, they are the most qualified to do so.
The successes experienced in Army Futures Command experiments and the 25th ID, 2nd Light Brigade Combat Team (Prototype) Combat Training rotation are positive proof that Transformation in Contact is possible and flourishes when placed into the hands of our extraordinary non-commissioned officer corps.
Non-commissioned officers will remain at the forefront of positive change, guiding their units through the challenges and opportunities of continuous transformation, and ensuring the Army remains the world’s premier land force.
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