Photo By Sgt. Chandler Coats | U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Stephen G. Smith, Commanding General of 7th Infantry Division,...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash.-- U.S. Army senior leaders and their spouses from across the 7th Infantry Division attended a Senior Leader Seminar Sept. 9, 2022 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord led by 7ID Commanding General, Maj. Gen. Stephen G. Smith.
The goal of the all-day event was to foster esprit-de-corps among senior leaders as well as to “increase preparedness and understanding of the future of warfare in large-scale combat operations,” according to information from the 7th Infantry Division’s concept of operations document for the event.
Approximately 85 senior leaders and spouses met on Rose Field on JBLM early Friday morning to conduct team-building physical training, after which they reconvened at McChord Club for a day of presentations on topics including the future of warfare, historical lessons from U.S. operations in the Pacific during WWII, and plans for the Division’s operations and deployments into fiscal years 2023 and 2024.
U.S. Army Col. John F. Antal (Ret.) gave a virtual presentation via video conference titled “Changing Methods of War,” concerning the ways in which the modern battlefield is evolving as new technologies emerge and enemy capabilities increase. Antal used the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war between Azerbaijan and Armenia to illustrate key points about strategic and tactical war-fighting concepts. These included the transparency of the modern battle space, importance of gaining the first strike advantage, and the tempo of war, among others.
Next, John C. McManus, Ph.D., military historian and author of Island Infernos: The U.S. Army’s Pacific War Odyssey, 1944, presented the leaders with a lecture on his book concerning the lessons learned by U.S. Army leaders about combat operations in the Pacific campaign during WWII. McManus detailed how those lessons apply to potential modern-day scenarios involving near-peer competitors in the Asia-Pacific region.
After the presentation, Maj. Gen. Smith presented McManus with a commemorative bayonet award on behalf of the 7th Infantry Division and thanked him for his contributions as a historian that will help U.S. military leaders be better-prepared for the future of warfare.
“These lessons are timeless,” Smith said. “Thank you for not just reminding us of our lineage, but educating us and teaching future generations. You’re making us better.”
The leaders were then given an update and overview of the 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade’s operations in the Indo-Pacific region by 5th SFAB’s commander, Col. Jonathan Chung. Chung emphasized the importance of land power and strengthening U.S. partnerships with our military allies in the Indo-Pacific region such as Thailand and Indonesia.
“The greatest counterweight to the current threats or any security operation in this area is building a relationship with a network of allies,” Chung said.
Maj. Gen. Smith then provided closing remarks on the events of the day.
“Never forget how special you and your families are to our nation for what you do each and every day,” Smith said. “We are in the most consequential time, focused toward the most consequential region in history. We can learn a lot by looking back at our history to shine a light towards the future.”
| Date Taken: | 09.09.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 09.19.2022 14:21 |
| Story ID: | 429350 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 158 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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