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THE CONTEMPORARY operational environment (COE); force design; political and military complexity on the battlefield; joint and combined operations; and mission execution have caused changes that require leaders who can understand strategic implications earlier in their careers than has been required in the past. Therefore, the U.S. Army must begin educating officers for strategic leadership positions earlier in the leader development process. The context within which the U.S. Army executes its responsibility under U.S. Code, Title 10, "Armed Forces, " has expanded in an unprecedented fashion.1
The increase in the number, variety, and complexity of missions places a greater demand on the Army than ever before and creates great ambiguity in the methodology for successful mission accomplishment. Therefore, the Army must redefine its traditional paradigms of leader development associated with traditional echelons of execution. In fact, the boundaries between echelons of leadership have become so blurred that they overlap almost to the point of invisibility.
The need to develop tactical leaders into strategic leaders and to empower them to lead in such a challenging environment has never been more apparent. Strategic leaders responsible for large organizations, thousands of people, and vast resources cannot rely on lower level leadership skills for future success.
Developing strategic leadership skills using a set of finite leader competencies with broad application as a foundation is necessary to provide a common direction that transcends all leadership levels. Broad competencies span boundaries and provide continuity for leaders when they must function at multiple levels simultaneously. The Army needs competent, confident, adaptive thinkers to exercise battle command. Senior leaders must develop the skills and confidence necessary to apply military means in a strategic environment of global economies and instant communications.
Leaders must acquire operational- and strategiclevel skills earlier in their careers to successfully meet future challenges. The Army must begin strategic leader development sooner to prepare leaders to understand and execute successful strategic leadership and to accomplish the mission.
The COE is now more complex and unpredictable, and the future operational environment (FOE) promises to be equally so. The ambiguity of contemporary crises and military events demands that the Army begin developing officers early in their careers who can
* Predict second- and third-order effects.
* Negotiate.
* Understand globalization.
* Build consensus.
*...