News From USJFCOM: Combatant command senior enlisted leaders gather for first conference

Senior enlisted leaders of United States unified combatant commands recently attended the first Combatant Command Senior Enlisted Leader Conference at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. Left to right are Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. William Kinney of U.S. Pacific Command, Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Bartelle of U.S. European Command, Command Sgt. Maj. Mark Ripka of U.S. Joint Forces Command, Chief Master Sgt. Curtis Brownhill of U.S. Central Command, Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Balch of U.S. Southern Command, Master Chief Petty Officer William Nissen of U.S. Strategic Command and conference host Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. D. Scott Frye of North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command. (Click on this official U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Gail Braymen to get a high quality version.)

Combatant command senior enlisted leaders gather for first conference

U.S. Joint Forces Command's top senior enlisted leader was among a host of the military's top enlisted leaders who gathered for a historic first meeting at U.S. Northern Command headquarters in Colorado.

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Gail Braymen
NORAD–USNORTHCOM Public Affairs

(PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. - June 10, 2005) -- Several of the U.S. military’s highest-placed enlisted war fighters recently met here for the first Combatant Command Senior Enlisted Leader Conference.

Senior enlisted leaders from United States unified combatant commands attended the conference, which was themed “Layered Global Defense” and hosted by Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. D. Scott Frye, senior enlisted leader of North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. Attendees represented U.S. Strategic Command, U.S. Central Command, U.S. European Command, U.S. Joint Forces Command, U.S. Pacific Command and U.S. Southern Command. The senior enlisted leaders of U.S. Transportation Command and U.S. Special Operations Command were unable to attend.

Frye said that, while the members of this group often see each other at various events and meetings, this was the first conference held just for them.

“This crowd has never, ever gotten together just solely as a group of combatant command senior enlisted (leaders),” he said. “This is a historic event. It is the very first conference of its kind for this particular group.”

The conference was designed “to share in great detail the mission sets associated with both NORAD and USNORTHCOM and, at the same time, be able to get theater updates” from each of the command enlisted leaders, Frye said.

Five of the nine U.S. combatant commands are “regional,” that is, they have geographical areas of responsibility. The lines where those geographical areas come together – for instance, where the eastern edge of USPACOM meets the western edge of USNORTHCOM – are called “seams.”

It’s important to understand those seams, said Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. William Kinney of USPACOM. “Of course, USNORTHCOM’s our “ally” over here on the eastern side,” he said. “It’s probably the least-known of all the combatant commands, and I think it was very beneficial for all of us to actually come here.

“Any chance we can get together, any chance we can learn about another (combatant command) is beneficial to us all,” he said.

The senior enlisted leaders come from every branch of the U.S. armed forces and their duty stations are as geographically and culturally varied as, for example, USSTRATCOM in Nebraska and USEUCOM in Germany. Yet the individuals themselves are “very much interconnected, especially with the Global War on Terror,” said Chief Master Sgt. Curtis Brownhill of USCENTCOM.

“We’ve got a pretty tight group,” agreed Master Chief Petty Officer William Nissen of USSTRATCOM. “We talk, we see each other, we get together in each other’s (areas of responsibility).

“We’re pretty close-knit and we have a pretty good working relationship.”

The enlisted leaders believe in continually working to improve those relationships.

“Just because we have 30 years in the Army or the Navy or the Air Force or the Marines, doesn’t mean we know everything,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Balch of USSOUTHCOM. “It’s vitally important that we communicate with each other and see each other and share ideas.”

The conference helped to “build mutual understanding and a unity of effort between all the combatant commands,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Mark Ripka of USJFCOM.

Although six of the leaders at the Colorado conference already knew each other, USEUCOM’s Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Bartelle just took over his position in February and was meeting everyone for the first time.

“It was very educational for me, especially being new in the business,” he said. “I was able to garner a great deal of information from my peers.”

During the final briefing of the conference, NORAD-USNORTHCOM Commander Adm. Timothy Keating thanked the senior enlisted leaders for the support they provide to their commanders, using his relationship with Frye as an example.

“The advice, counsel and friendship that I share and enjoy with Scott Frye is of inestimable value,” he said. “Although he is a Marine Corps sergeant major, his blood runs joint. That’s very beneficial and helpful and valuable to us in this position.

“I’m sure your bosses feel the same way about you.”