Thirteen NATO Brigade non-commissioned officers complete battle staff course

Photo By John Wollaston | Sgt. 1st Class Jay Drucas, 773rd Civil Support Team, 7th Civil Support Command, accepts his certificate of graduation from the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy battle staff non-commissioned officer course during a ceremony held at Tompkins Barracks. Sgt. 1st Class Drucas was one of 15 non-commissioned officers who participated in the class, conducted by the U.S. Army NATO Brigade and the sergeants major academy. The five-week course prepared the soldiers to serve as a battle staff non-commissioned officers and manage the day-to-day operations of corps, division, regiment, group, brigade and battalion and squadron command posts.  

SCHWETZINGEN, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY

04.13.2012

Story by Sgt. 1st Class John Wollaston 

U.S. Army NATO

TOMPKINS BARRACKS, Germany – Thirteen non-commissioned officers from the U.S. Army NATO Brigade including soldiers from the Brigade’s SHAPE Battalion in Mons, received diplomas as graduates of the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy non-commissioned officers battle staff course.

The five-week course taught the non-commissioned officers the finer points of map overlays, operational orders and taskings and prepared the soldiers to serve as battle staff non-commissioned officers and manage the day-to-day operations of corps, division, regiment, group, brigade, battalion and squadron command posts.

“You couldn’t have taken this course at a better time in your careers,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Phillip Dixon, command sergeant major for the NATO Brigade’s SHAPE Battalion and guest speaker. “The level of professionalism you project isn’t any different than that expected of professionals at this point in your careers and now that you’re masters of staff preparedness and effectiveness, you are ahead of the pack.”

This class was made possible thanks to video teleconferencing with the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy at Fort Bliss, Texas. A video teleconferencing classroom was utilized at Coleman Barracks in Mannheim, Germany, where instructors at Fort Bliss taught not only the NATO Brigade students but classrooms at four other installations in Germany, allowing the students to receive valuable instruction without the expense of traveling to the U.S.

In addition to the 13 soldiers from U.S. Army NATO Brigade, two non-commissioned officers from the U.S. Army Reserve’s 7th Civil Support Command in Kaiserslautern, Germany, participated in the course.

For more information, contact the U.S. Army NATO Brigade PAO DSN 314-496-5326

• Date Taken: 04.13.2012
• Date Posted: 04.25.2012 06:49
• Story ID: 87300
• Location: SCHWETZINGEN, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, DE