From the R-CSM

By CSM Giancarlo Macri

Article published on: July 1, 2024 in the 2024 Issue 1 Edition of the Air Defense Artillery Journal

Read Time: < 6 mins

First to Fire! First and foremost, I want to let the Soldiers, Families, Civilians and Contractors of the Air Defense Artillery (ADA) Branch know that I am honored and humbled to be your Regimental Command Sergeant Major. I take this position and opportunity to make things better for our branch and the people in it seriously. I will listen to you and be your voice, not only for issues that need to be fixed, but for innovative ideas that will make the culture better and enhance our ability to execute our air and missile defense (AMD) mission.

As we move into this unprecedented time of growth and transformation, I need every member of the AMD Team to know that they are important. Not just our Soldiers and Families in Career Management Field (CMF) 14, but every Soldier from each of the CMF’s that are in our AMD formations. Without them we would not be able to perform our core air defense tasks. As we struggle to bring people into the Army, it is crucial that every Soldier currently serving understands their importance in the Army’s mission of fighting and winning our nation’s wars. Let there be no doubt that any war we fight will start with missiles and it is crucial that every Soldier on our Team understands that our branch motto “FIRST TO FIRE” not only sounds cool but is exactly what we will do. Air Defense Artillery will enable victory on the battlefield in every domain!

In the upcoming years we will field the Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS), field and stand up Indirect Fire Protection Capability (IFPC) battalions, grow and modernize our Short Range Air Defense (SHORAD) battalions, continue to develop and integrate Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-sUAS) into the ADA and Army formations and start testing new capabilities like high power microwave (HPW) and high energy lasers (HEL).

As the capabilities and equipment transform and modernize, so must the education of our enlisted Soldiers. There will be a focus on transforming advanced individual training, master gunner courses, advanced and senior leaders’ courses in order to ensure that our enlisted Soldiers’ knowledge stays relevant. The United States Army Air Defense Artillery School (USAADAS) and Noncommissioned Officer Academy will SUPPLEMENT and not RETEACH the knowledge learned in the operational domain. Self-development will also be necessary as these courses will no longer be a “check the block” course for promotions. The goal is to produce a more tactical and technical Soldier and leader. This means that the leaders in the units must ensure that they are placing our Soldiers and NCOs in their correct positions and rotating them through a variety of positions throughout their careers in order to gain all the knowledge they need to develop and learn.

We will also start focusing on bringing Noncommissioned officers with relevant knowledge and skills to Fort Sill in order to fill key positions that will be crucial in helping our branch transform and grow. DA Pam 600-25 will go through a revision so that there will be no guessing on how long you need to perform in a career development (CD) position and what broadening assignments will be looked at favorably for promotion. We must incentivize the positions that will enable all parts of doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership and education, personnel, facilities and policy (DOTMLPF-P) to transform at a similar pace.

I will continue to regularly update the ADA force through face-to-face engagements, social media and our professional journal. I also encourage feedback and recommendations from the force as you are the people who are executing the largest transformation of our branch since World War II. Thank you for all you do for Soldiers, Families, Civilians, Contractors and our country. “FIRST TO FIRE!”