Fort Bliss, TX –
At the Sergeants Major Academy Proponent Week is a valuable opportunity for Sergeants Major Course students to interact with their branch or career management field (CMF) Command Sergeants Major (CSMs) before being reassigned to new units as freshly promoted Sergeants Major. The senior enlisted leaders for each branch visited the Noncommissioned Officer Leadership Center of Excellence (NCOLCoE) and Sergeants Major Academy (SGM-A) for five days beginning March 31.
Sgt. Maj. Bill Ferguson, Instructor for the Department of Force Management led the effort to make this year’s proponent week possible and described it as “An opportunity for the Branch Sergeant Major to give students updates on changes in the field and a chance to build mentorship connections as well as relationships and set the students up for a successful follow-on assignment.”
The student leadership facilitated the event in which a student representative from each CMF coordinated the visit with their respective branch. The NCOLCoE cadre provided a venue for each branch to host visiting Command Sergeants Major and the student population in that CMF. Classrooms, conference rooms, and auditoriums were filled with curious students and engaging discussions. This visit provided an opportunity for the students to listen to the latest updates, ask questions, and receive mentorship. Many branches hosted physical training events in the morning and held social events after academic hours, providing an opportunity for students to get the most out of the visit.
Some of the Army’s other Centers of Excellence and many Command Sergeants Major from Divisions were in attendance to speak to their future Senior NCO’s. Master Sgt. Henry Uribe, a student attending class 75 who has orders to the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky had a chance to sit in on a brief from Division Command Sgt. Maj. Charles Walker. Uribe shared “I have never been there, so having a division representative travel here to brief us helped get me in the mind set of what I am going to be in for and what the job entails among my peers was a good opportunity.”
Uribe, who has been assigned to TRADOC units for last few years says a lot has changed in that time. “I realize I need to study up on aspects of technical expertise needed to increase my knowledge. Working with drone and counter drone or operations and cyber operations are things I need to add to my skill set to be prepared for deployments.”
Overall, the annual event was a success, providing each student several opportunities to engage with the senior enlisted leaders in their CMF. In many cases the leaders they meet are representative in their next unit with a wealth of knowledge to share therefore allowing service members to feel a sense of familiarity about their next assignment.