Leadership Lessons Learned from "The Pentagon Wars"

SGT Ben Keen — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 08:55:10 -0400

"The Pentagon Wars" first came out in 1998 on HBO and is the somewhat true story of the development behind the Bradley Fighting Vehicle. From a simple idea to have a quick moving vehicle with light armor and a small weapons platform to the tank-like vehicle we all know today, the Bradley's development starting in 1968 and resulted in the first Bradley being delivered in 1981.

The movie is based on the book of the same name written by Air Force Colonel James G Burton who was assigned to the Pentagon in the middle of the Bradley's development to over the test of new technology. He quickly found himself surrounded by men more concerned with getting anything out the door that tests were not conducted up to wartime specifications. His main objective was simple, to put the men that would be using this new vehicle first ahead of the equipment.

This "men first, vehicle second" mentality is one that I can easily relate to. As a leader, at any rank, you are charged with not only the maintenance of millions of dollars of equipment but you are more importantly entrusted with the care of the military's most valuable resource, the Service Members below you. While it is not always easy, enjoyable or fun, their care and welfare must come first. This continues into life outside the military as well.

I have held many titles in my 34 years of walking this earth. Two of them are the ones I'm most proud of, Soldier and Dad. As those that are parents now can relate, the world flips upside down when you find out that you are going to be a parent. And while we should never treat the service members assigned to our control as children, the same sort of attention you would give your child you must give to them. Be proud and share in their accomplishments, be supportive through their difficulties and be there with an outreached hand to help them up when they fall. And this must continue throughout the transition from the military.

We have all seen the stories of the VA's 'shortcomings'. How Veterans new to the transition are struggling with the miles and miles of red tape in order to just get the basic support needs in place. Veterans struggling to find a job but are really in need of someone showing them how to write an effective resume. Veterans who find themselves on the verge of being homeless but could truly benefit from sitting down with someone to discuss proper money management. While some of the responsibility rests on the shoulders of the VA, we as Veterans must be willing to foster a good and meaningful relationship with the Veterans around us. We must be willing to once again put aside our own wants for a minute and tend to the needs of another. "Men first, vehicle second" is not just a motto for your time in but rather it can be a leadership lesson given to you in the form of entertainment that could have some of the largest impact on those around you.

Response by SMSgt Tony Barnes made Sep 15 at 2015 8:56 AM

SMSgt Tony Barnes — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 08:56:48 -0400

Great words...great focus.

Response by PO1 William "Chip" Nagel made Sep 15 at 2015 8:59 AM

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 08:59:42 -0400

Should be interesting. The Inside the Beltway Political Battles to include inside the Pentagon can be quite fascinating.

Response by SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL made Sep 15 at 2015 9:00 AM

SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 09:00:08 -0400

SGT Ben Keen thanks for sharing, very intriquing article. Its all about the Soldier, I agree, equipment second. I know the pentagon has a lot of stuff to worry about, but they must take care of pupil first. Its the only way for success!

Response by SrA Daniel Hunter made Sep 15 at 2015 9:02 AM

SrA Daniel Hunter — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 09:02:16 -0400

Wise words and a bad-ass machine!

Response by MAJ Anthony Henderson made Sep 15 at 2015 9:05 AM

MAJ Anthony Henderson — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 09:05:56 -0400

Great message!!! Thanks for your words of wisdom!!!

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 15 at 2015 9:09 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 09:09:04 -0400

That is what an NCO is supposed to do, take care of their soldiers, and ensure that personnel get proper training and know their jobs. We are the balance between officers that are willing to do all sorts of operations in order to satisfy the demand of the higher ups, and the lower enlisted. As such you need to be honest when giving a chance to say your opinion or recommendations to your chain of command. In war is even more complicated as the commander has the final authority, as it should be, but as an NCO you can make your observations known. This is sometimes not done at any level, which deteriorates moral within the ranks. IMHO.

Response by PO3 Steven Sherrill made Sep 15 at 2015 10:31 AM

PO3 Steven Sherrill — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 10:31:54 -0400

SGT Ben Keen that movie was hilarious. Then it was sad. It does seem like there are those who are more interested in the flashy new technology than the people who will operate the equipment (F-35 anyone? Anyone?)

You make so many good points here. During the Viking Age, a young person could be fostered to another family. When that foster comes into that family, they would be treated as a member of the household. They would work, they would learn, and they would grow to become a stronger individual in the tribe. This would in turn make the tribe stronger. The military is a family. You may not get along with everyone in your command on a personal level. When the bullets start flying none of that matters. It is a simple matter of we protect each other, or we die with each other. That is family. Whether we admit it to ourselves, like it, or even accept it is irrelevant. When you are in a command, you are family. The CO is mom, the XO is Dad, and everyone else falls into place. We should absolutely continue this through life. I have seen many posts on RP with sentiment to the effect of "I took an oath, and there was no expiration date. Even if my service time expired, my oath did not." That sentiment could be applied here. We as veterans are the older brothers and sisters of those who are transitioning. We need to support each other. The universe knows that Washington is not going to, unless it serves them politically. So that leaves us to watch out for each other. It has taken me fifteen years to come to this epiphany. So the question becomes what do I have to offer by way of helping a fellow veteran? That is the hard question.

Response by SGT William Howell made Sep 15 at 2015 10:52 AM

SGT William Howell — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 10:52:39 -0400

Just a couple thoughts. First an Air Force Colonel helped the Army get one bad ass fighting vehicle. It says a lot about him taking seriously the job given to him and putting his heart into giving the Army what it needed.

Second, the Marines have always held this doctrine. They always seem to do more with less. They focus on the Marine and making him a warrior then giving him/her what tools they have to make him more effective. The basis that all Marines can be infantry, officers and enlisted, gives them the ability to serve multi roles as needed and quickly change rolls.

I was a MP. I was trained as an MP and that was my job. Once we hit Iraq my unit needed the skills that the infantry had as we filled in some of those rolls as needed. We adapted and were combat effective, but those small squad tactics could have been taught early in the game and made us better, quicker.

Response by MAJ Alvin B. made Nov 19 at 2015 11:23 AM

MAJ Alvin B. — Thu, 19 Nov 2015 11:23:55 -0500

I have always been a firm believer in people first. It does not matter the mission, time or place, if you have not taken care of your people (soldiers, employees, family, etc..) they will be exposed to undue risk. I believed that when I wore the uniform daily, i believe it today in my private life, work life and volunteer service life.

Response by MAJ Alvin B. made Nov 19 at 2015 11:56 AM

MAJ Alvin B. — Thu, 19 Nov 2015 11:56:16 -0500

As I recall there was also an issue with "mission and scope creep" for the vehicle performance requirements in addition to a desire/pressure to simply get something to the field.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 19 at 2015 12:39 PM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 19 Nov 2015 12:39:54 -0500

Focus is important. Unfortunately, sometimes this gets lost the higher up the food chain people get. Nothing is more aggravating to see than a senior NCO or a field grade officer that does not put the service member first. That is one of the responsibilities of their rank. It takes a one star or above to take their rank so they should not be fearful of repercussions for doing the right thing. At this stage of their career they have the rank and experience to stand up for those that are entrusted to their charge. The tag line above should read: "Mission first, service member always!"

Response by CPT Jack Durish made Apr 22 at 2020 9:12 PM

CPT Jack Durish — Wed, 22 Apr 2020 21:12:57 -0400

I loved this movie. It was the best portrayal ever of mission creep on steroids

Response by SGT Steve McFarland made Apr 22 at 2020 9:36 PM

SGT Steve McFarland — Wed, 22 Apr 2020 21:36:47 -0400

I learned back in the early 80's that team-building may be as simple as cold drinks and snacks when you are miles from anything. The miles from anything was in a dusty canyon in White Sands Missile Range, with not even a water fountain close by. My teammates worked their butts off because they knew that I valued them.