WASHINGTON, D.C. —
“Why are you here at KEYSTONE,” asked Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman (SEAC) U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Troy Black in delivering opening remarks to U.S., partner, and allied senior noncommissioned officers and petty officers attending KEYSTONE, the world’s premiere Enlisted Joint Professional Military Education (EJPME) course taught by the National Defense University, during the class’s visit to the Pentagon.
“You’re here to learn how general officers think—not to learn to think like them.” Black explained that their job as enlisted advisors to the military’s top commanding officers included understanding the mental framework for officers’ decision-making so they can better anticipate outcomes and provide trusted counsel based upon their enlisted experiences.
“Don’t forget you’re there for your enlisted perspective, for your ground-level truths, to say, ‘Sir/Ma’am, I’ve seen this before, my recommendation is…’” Black said.
The SEAC went on to underscore the importance of reading, especially the subjects their bosses read.
“Carl von Clausewitz, Sun Tzu, Freedom’s Forge. I’m an audiobook guy! Put it on 2.5 speed, you’ll get used to it,” Black laughed.
He then read an excerpt from Dear General, General Eisenhower’s letters to his superior officer and mentor General Marshall during World War II. One letter from early 1943 noted that operations orders had become too complex and upwards of 30-40 pages. Eisenhower contrasted the orders given by the Nazi Germany generals he was fighting against in North Africa as “brief and usually pretty oral.” Black tied this to the newly adopted orders process, known today as the Five Paragraph Order, and the resurgence of mission type orders.
“The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is studying these and many other texts from World War II right now. Why do you think that is?”
Black emphasized that the group must understand the scope and scale of true war.
“Do not take this as an insult: none of us in this room or serving in uniform today have been to war.”
He continued, “you may have heard that before from [Sergeant Major of the Army Weimer] and I like what he added: ‘I’ve been to war in a combat zone, but I haven’t been to combat in a war zone.’ We’re experts at defeating terrorists, but enemy hypersonic missiles, twenty-four seven [surveillance], and nuclear deterrence are completely different.”
The SEAC stressed understanding war’s persistent nature, changing character, and the difference between the defense industrial base and the national industrial base.
“By the way, if you have not read the interim National Defense Strategy, you are already behind,” Black said. “To succeed, we have to be able to cite these things and quote the regulations on demand so we can better educate the force to think, train, and act above our typical level of experience. Preparedness and understanding of large scale combat operations requires a certain retooling of the force.”
He made clear that he had no doubts in “the fighting capabilities of our service members. We have the finest warriors on the planet. Rather, the scope and scale of protracted, simultaneous, large-scale operations in multiple theaters demands adjustment to how we think about fighting at the scale of war.”
The SEAC also spoke about the level of scrutiny faced at the general and flag officer level, saying, “be prepared to have every word you and your commander say—or don’t say—hyper-analyzed, quoted, misquoted, or a million other things you have yet to expect.”
It’s not always a bad thing, he went on to say, explaining that delivering a correct message, even if unpopular, is more important than avoiding backlash or embarrassment. “Right or wrong, there will now always be a finger pointed at you. Keep communicating, moving forward, and doing what’s best for those who get the mission done.”
Following the SEAC’s opening remarks, the KEYSTONE class received briefs from the Sergeant Major of the Army, Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force, Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, and representatives from the offices of the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard, and Joint Staff Legislative Affairs.
As the principal enlisted advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and most-senior enlisted service member by position in the U.S. Armed Forces, the SEAC provides critical guidance on joint and combined total force integration, enlisted development, force health, and readiness. The SEAC serves as a direct link between the Chairman and the Joint Force, ensuring perspectives are represented at the highest levels, observing training and education, and addressing issues impacting active, Guard, Reserve, retired service members, and military families.
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