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(September 10, 2009) - Throughout the time that
I have been at Third Army/U.S. Army Central, I have learned
building relationships with partner nations plays a key role in
shaping the future.
Third Army's theatre security cooperation events provide the
venue to create and foster these bonds by increasing
interoperability and enhancing partner capacity.
Lt. Gen. William G. Webster, Third Army commanding general,
emphasized this by stating the program "fosters relationship
building across our diverse area of operations and facilitates
bilateral and multilateral dialogue on the complex security
challenges faced by today's armies."
I recently traveled to Ethiopia for one of our TSC events at the
Ethiopian Defense Command and Staff College in Addis Ababa.
While there, I was asked to teach Design to EDCSC students, who
are general and senior field grade officers in the Ethiopian
Military.
Design is an emerging piece of Army doctrine. It offers a way to
enhance a commander's understanding through visuals.
Sharing design concepts with the senior Ethiopian Leaders was
important because they were entering a phase in their studies that
dealt with strategic and critical thinking, which Design supports
remarkably well.
The Design techniques allowed the Ethiopian military to apply
their learning.
Four U.S. Army Reserve lieutenant colonels and one U.S. Air
Force lieutenant colonel led the program. Their mission is to
assist staff, mentor students and offer guidance in curriculum,
which ranges from leadership, joint operations, military
communication, research methods and English.
I learned that the team is building a mentorship program at the
EDCSC which engages senior leaders across the Ethiopian defense
forces, preparing future Ethiopian instructors to take over
instruction duties.
They immediately began to apply Design concepts to issues in
their military and nation. I benefitted from their insights as
much, if not more, than they benefitted from my presentations. But
what was remarkable was what I witnessed, not what I did.
The team utilized the train-the-trainer method. The student
interaction with the U.S. faculty was remarkable. They were clearly
one team working toward a goal. The students seized every moment to
pursue their goal.
The U.S. and Ethiopian officers filled the breaks with heated
debates and discussions on course material. The students challenged
the instructors on key points offering their opinions and
perspectives. At the end of the day it was a professor's dream:
interested, involved students who were aggressively pursuing the
educational process.
In October, Third Army transfers responsibility of the Horn
of Africa to U.S. Army Africa. As a result, AFRICOM will assume
oversight of this program. Third Army/USARCENT will continue to
support this program during the transition and U.S. Army Reserve
officers will continue to staff the advisory team for year-long
assignments.
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