JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas –
Maj. Gen. Mark R. Stammer, U.S. Army South commanding general, is trying to enlighten, invigorate and empower his leaders and addressed them during the annual Army South Offsite Conference at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston Jan. 18-19.
The conference included the commander’s staff and directorates, subordinate commands and representation from U.S. Special Operations Command South; U.S. Marine Corps Forces South and U.S. Southern Command. It was the first opportunity for Stammer to inform those in his command on his mission, vision and intent.
The mission is a new one for U.S. Army South, as the command takes on the role as U.S. Southern Command’s Joint Force Land Component Command, or JFLCC, in addition to continuing as an Army Service Component Command, or ASCC.
In this new role, Army South will conduct security cooperation and respond to contingencies, as part of a whole-of-government approach, in conjunction with partner nations in U.S. SOUTHCOM’s area of responsibility. This is a joint effort with U.S. land forces.
“The goal is to synchronize all the activities, such as Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), that are current on the land domain,” said Lt. Col. Michael Long, U.S. Army South policy and strategy chief.
To “keep from wasting precious resources,” Long said there are now effective ways for Army South and the Marines to synchronize efforts.
The commanding general used the conference as a forum to explain what those efforts look like. Stammer envisions Army South personnel performing double duties, while assigned to both an ASCC and JFLCC. Educating the leaders of the command and passing that knowledge down to the Soldiers brings fruition to his vision.
In this time of transition, the empowerment of leaders is key. For success of the command and mission, Stammer wants his leaders to “post signs,” an analogy he made comparing leader guidance with traffic signs.
“How often do you need to post signs to attain the initiative without ever losing confidence of Soldiers? You need to figure out how frequently you provide those posts and for who,” Stammer said.
“It is your responsibility to manipulate your leadership style to accommodate all of the learning styles in your formation.”
Stammer practices what he preaches. He visits the directorates and checks on the welfare of Soldiers and civilians. He observes and listens to the day-to-day occurrences of the unit.
During the conference, Stammer relayed similar intentions for the senior leaders in attendance. “It is your responsibility to make sure that understanding is achieved, not from the sender, but from the receiver,” Stammer said. “You’ve got to know your people.”