Command Sgt. Maj. David Davenport Sr., U.S. Army Training and Doctrine command sergeant major, will host the second in a series of live Army-wide State of NCO Development Town Halls, June 23.
The event will once again provide Soldiers a chance to get their concerns and questions addressed directly by the leaders charged with revolutionizing NCO development for the force.
“The last town hall was a huge success,” Davenport said. “I received a lot of great feedback, but as I stated in an earlier blog, I felt that the first town hall was too wide in focus.
“So for this town hall, I would like to limit the discussion to the first line of effort of the NCO 2020 Strategy, which is Leader Development.”
To address this line of effort, Davenport has gathered senior leaders from the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center, U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy, Institute for NCO Professional Development and the Training Operations Management Activity to field questions.
“This time, we are going to try some new things, including opening up the chat board at 4 p.m. EDT — one hour before we start answering questions on the panel,” he said. “This way, we can have more questions for our discussion.”
The live panel discussion will run from 5 to 6:30 p.m. EDT however, the chat room will remain open until 7 p.m. to ensure participants have every opportunity to have their voices heard.
“Now, more than ever — and certainly more than when I was a private — Soldiers have the ability to share their perspectives and have their voices heard,” said Master Sgt. Elsi A. Inoa-Santos, INCOPD senior military analyst, in her recent blog post, “A Soldier’s perspective on the NCO Town Hall.”
Inoa-Santos was among the many people working behind the scenes answering questions during TRADOC’s last State of NCO Development Town Hall March 3.
As a senior analyst in TRADOC’s INCOPD, the organization dedicated to the advancement of professional military education for NCOs, she also has a firsthand perspective on how TRADOC is improving NCO education.
“I really believe that TRADOC is on the cusp of the greatest era of change the Army has ever experienced,” she said. “For example, TRADOC is influencing current and future development to our professional military education with efforts like the Master Leader Course and the Executive Leader Course.”
Senior leaders on hand to answer questions on NCO leader development include: Command Sgt. Maj. David Turnbull, USACAC command sergeant major; Command Sgt. Maj. Dennis Defreese, USASMA commandant; Command Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey Huggins, USASMA deputy commandant; Charles Guyette, USASMA director of training; Dr. Aubrey Butts, INCOPD director; Troy Nattress, TRADOC G-3/5/7 deputy chief of staff and TOMA plans officer; and Jeff Wells, TRADOC, G-3/5/7 chief of plans and TOMA plans officer.
Representatives from USASMA will field questions and lead a discussion on the purpose, objectives and methodology of the Master Leader Course, the concept and learning objectives of the Advanced Leader Course and the Senior Leader Course’s Common Core curriculum. The USASMA team will also provide insight on the redesign and learning objectives of all Structured Self Development and the Basic Leaders Course.
Turnbull will field questions and lead a discussion on the purpose of Army University, as it increases the academic rigor of Army education programs through broader accreditation, while also establishing a collaboration with the nation’s premier universities and colleges.
“Be a part of this — your voice and experiences are important to us, and will help shape our efforts. I cannot think of a better way to be heard and share your ideas or concerns. We are listening,” Davenport said.
The State of NCO Development Town Hall 2 is June 23. The chat room is open from 4 to 7 p.m. EDT. The senior leader panel discussion is scheduled from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Watch and participate live in the chat room at www.emc.army.mil/broadcast, or ask questions via social media. Upload your video or typed questions to TRADOC’s Facebook page or post them to Twitter using #TRADOCtownhall.