Developing the Pentathlete: The Army Congressional Fellowship Experience
Abstract
The Chief of Staff of the Army briefed the Army War College Class of 2006 and described his vision of strategic Army Leaders in the 21st century. He envisions leaders as pentathletes, which serves as a metaphor for officers who are multi-skilled. These officers must be adaptive and innovative in everything from warfighting to enterprise management skills. This paper focuses on three critical leadership skills: governance, statesmanship, and diplomacy. The Army Congressional Fellowship Program (ACFP) is capable of contributing to the Chief of Staff's vision of developing pentathlete leaders by providing selected Army officers with practical experience in working with Congressional leaders and the legislative process. The ACFP experience develops a core of Army officers capable of advising the Army's senior leadership on legislative issues of strategic importance to the Army and the Department of Defense (DoD). Given that warfighters tend to fill the higher ranks, fellowships such as the ACFP and the White House Fellowship Program should be directed at the operational (warfighter) officers who have the potential to achieve senior leadership positions in the Army. These are the leaders who might not otherwise get the opportunity to develop those skills solely through operational assignments. The paper highlights modern day senior military leaders who exemplify these skills (e.g., Generals Colin Powell and Wesley Clark), and describes how they developed them. The paper includes information on the value of the ACFP from the perspectives of the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), congress, and military leaders who have experienced it. It also includes information on other congressionally related venues that develop governance, statesmanship, and diplomacy.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 15, 2006
- Accession Number
- ADA449164
Entities
People
- Jimmie Keenan
Organizations
- United States Army War College