Regimental Command Sergeant Major
Command Sergeant Major William M. Shoaf
By CSM William M. Shoaf
July 1, 2025 | Military Police, 2025 Annual Issue
Read Time: < 3 mins
Greetings once again from Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri! It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as the 16th Regimental Command Sergeant Major for the last 2 years. As a Regiment, we have experienced significant change while navigating the U.S. Army transformation to fight and win on the future battlefield. I am proud of the leadership, professionalism, expertise, and competence that every Soldier, leader, and Civilian exemplifies each day. The Regiment continues to prove why we are the premiere dual-purpose formation of the Army. As we embrace change and transformation, the Regiment is positioned to lead the protection warfighting function from every camp, post, station, and forward line of troops in all operational environments.
As colors and guidons of historically significant organizations are cased across the Regiment, we pause and reflect on their contributions to our Regimental history, the important roles they played in our Army history, and the ways they continue to shape the future of the Regiment. The reduction of combat support for military police formations has been challenging, but it has also provided opportunities to expand our law enforcement expertise through the establishment of law-enforcement-centric organizations across Army installations. Professional policing and protection of support areas will increase the ability of the Army to maintain readiness and project combat power when required.
What was once old becomes new again. Maneuver support, support area protection, and detention in large-scale multidomain warfare will continue to drive how we approach upcoming strategies and innovations to best support the Army of the future. Many of us old timers remember a much smaller Regiment. Combat support formation relied upon great leaders, Soldiers, and tactical/technical expertise to win. Those things are still the foundation of military police formations. Modernization and experimentation with the addition of human-machine integration, artificial intelligence, next-generation combat platforms, unmanned aircraft systems, and counter-unmanned aircraft systems will offer smaller formations a greater range of operational reach and lethality. When combined with continuously updated doctrine and professional military education, leaders at echelon will continue to excel as experts in their field.
As the Regiment celebrates 84 years of dedicated service to the Army, the Regimental team is preparing for the traditional Regimental Week events. The honors board has convened, and soon the commandant will announce the winners of the Regimental Command Sergeant Major James W. Frye Noncommissioned Officer of Excellence Award and the Chief Warrant Officer Five Philip E. Tackett Excellence in Law Enforcement Award, as well as the nominees for the Regimental Hall of Fame and the Distinguished Members of the Corps. We are excited to once again host our honored guests, the Warfighter Competition, the Senior Leader Forum, and multiple events throughout the week and to celebrate the Regiment at our traditional Military Police Ball.
As I conclude my final entry for the Military Police Professional Bulletin, I want to extend my sincere gratitude to each of you for all that you do for our Regiment and our Army. To the entire team here at the U.S. Army Military Police School (USAMPS), Fort Leonard Wood—you have gone above and beyond to turn the Commandant’s vision into reality. While there is still much progress to be made, the assembled team is poised to shape the future of the Regiment. To the leaders, Soldiers, and civilian partners of the Military Police Corps Regiment—it has been an honor to serve with you. My Army journey is taking me to the Army Training Center, Fort Jackson, South Carolina. I am excited about this new chapter, and I look forward to being closer to home.
Assist, Protect, Defend!
#16 . . . signing off.