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| 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.”
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