Warfighter Wednesday: “The Intangibles That Last a Lifetime”

Filed under DoD News by on November 10, 2010 at 9:05 am {no comments}

Lt. Col. Joshua J. Potter, chief, Iraqi Army Division Stability-Transition Team

By Lt. Col. Joshua J. Potter, an Iraqi Army Division Stability-Transition Team (S-TT) chief with the 1st Advise and Assist Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, currently serving in Baghdad, Iraq. This is his fourth tour in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. This is his sixth overall deployment and he previously was the Civil Affairs officer for the 1st Infantry Division G9 (civil-military officer) and course developer / chief instructor with the Directorate of Cultural Influence and Counterinsurgency training over 8,000 Transition Team members who are inbound in support of the Global War on Terrorism, in Cultural Influence, Counterinsurgency, and the role of the advisor.

We are wrapping-up another tour in Iraq (my fourth) under Operation New Dawn and I was struck by all of the things I will never write on an OER Support Form.

I freely admit of course, we are never as good as our evaluations imply, but we always make some significant contributions.   I was mentored to look for quantitative measurable effects which you can take credit for in your official record.  But, what to do with all of the “other” things you do during the days and long nights?

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Warfighter Wednesday: Heroes

Filed under DoD News by on September 15, 2010 at 9:35 am {3 comments}

Lt. Col. Joshua J. Potter, chief, Iraqi Army Division Stability-Transition Team

Lt. Col. Joshua J. Potter, chief, Iraqi Army Division Stability-Transition Team

Lt. Col. Joshua J. Potter is an Iraqi Army Division Stability-Transition Team (S-TT) chief with the 1st Advise and Assist Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, currently serving in Baghdad, Iraq. This is his fourth tour in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. This is his sixth overall deployment and he previously was the Civil Affairs officer for the 1st Infantry Division G9 (Civil-Military officer) and course developer / chief instructor with the Directorate of Cultural Influence and Counterinsurgency training over 8,000 Transition Team members who are inbound in support of the Global War on Terrorism, in Cultural Influence, Counterinsurgency, and the role of the advisor.

We have turned a corner in our involvement in the Middle East.  We achieved our original objectives of regime change and followed-through the end of combat operations.  Operation New Dawn began on Sept. 1, but something seems hollow as our troops are coming home.  What are we missing in order to declare a true victory?  The answer comes from the common citizens of Iraq.
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Warfighter Wednesday: My Four Responses

Filed under DoD News by on September 8, 2010 at 11:41 am {5 comments}
Lt. Col. Joshua J. Potter, chief, Iraqi Army Division Stability-Transition Team

Lt. Col. Joshua J. Potter, chief, Iraqi Army Division Stability-Transition Team

Lt. Col. Joshua J. Potter is an Iraqi Army Division Stability-Transition Team (S-TT) chief with the 1st Advise and Assist Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, currently serving in Baghdad, Iraq. This is his fourth tour in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. This is his sixth overall deployment and he previously was the Civil Affairs officer for the 1st Infantry Division G9 (Civil-Military officer) and course developer / chief instructor with the Directorate of Cultural Influence and Counterinsurgency training over 8,000 Transition Team members who are inbound in support of the Global War on Terrorism, in Cultural Influence, Counterinsurgency, and the role of the advisor.

Cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York are trained to universally answer any question with one of four responses:

  • Yes, sir.
  • No, sir.
  • No excuse, sir.
  • Sir, I do not understand.

Four responses, that’s all. The purpose of drilling into your brain the simplicity of only four responses is to eliminate the desire to make an excuse or in-depth explanation when the bottom line is sufficient.

The beauty of knowing exactly what to say and when to say it helped guide our understanding of the challenges we faced and meet the challenges appropriately. Accordingly, these four responses have served us well over the past several decades and have been a hallmark of clarity in uncertain times.
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Warfighter Wednesday: Simple Suggestions for Effective Advising

Filed under DoD News by on August 11, 2010 at 8:57 am {no comments}
Lt. Col. Joshua J. Potter, chief, Iraqi Army Division Stability-Transition Team

Lt. Col. Joshua J. Potter, chief, Iraqi Army Division Stability-Transition Team

Lt. Col. Joshua J. Potter is an Iraqi Army Division Stability-Transition Team (S-TT) chief with the 1st Advise and Assist Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, currently serving in Baghdad, Iraq. This is his fourth tour in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. This is his sixth overall deployment and he previously was the Civil Affairs officer for the 1st Infantry Division G9 (Civil-Military officer) and course developer / chief instructor with the Directorate of Cultural Influence and Counterinsurgency training over 8,000 Transition Team members who are inbound in support of the Global War on Terrorism, in Cultural Influence, Counterinsurgency, and the role of the advisor.

We have served for eight months as an Advise and Assist Brigade (AAB). Our Foreign Security Force (FSF) counterparts include the Army, federal police, police services and other security units. As FSF have dramatically increased their capacity over the past few months, we have altered the way we engage with them. Of course, the AAB must remain agile at its core and we believe that dedicated in-progress reviews are important.

In that spirit, this is a short compilation or a “down-and-dirty” guide for incoming S-TT advisors to support their overall mission.
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    An United States Air Force C-130J Hercules cargo aircraft from the 146th Airlift Wing, California Air National Guard, conducts flare training off the Ventura County coast. The flares are used as tactical infrared countermeasures to confuse and redirect heat-seeking missiles.

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    Famed Yankees pitcher “Lefty Gomez” once remarked “I’d rather be lucky than good,” but for one Tuskegee Airman, luck and good combined to make him one of the most successful combat pilots of World War II.

    During the summer of 1944, 2nd Lt. Clarence D. “Lucky” Lester was flying the P-51 Mustang over the skies of Italy’s Po Valley providing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers with cover support on their way to attack airfields in southern Germany.

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