The Military Leader

Major General Leonard graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1992 and went on to become an F-16 and F-35 command pilot with more than 3,000 flight hours, to include 576 combat hours. In his 31 year career, he commanded multiple fighter wings, served as a military assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force, and in his last assignment, he led the standup of the US military's newest combatant command, US Space Command. It’s not often that you find a leader who can be both no nonsense and positive and reinforcing at the same time. But listen to the way Major General Leonard shares the stories and lessons from his career. You can tell he’s totally committed to getting the job done. But you can also tell he cares about the people he leads. This is the kind of leader that we all hope to serve with, and need to learn from. Take the Next Step Put these lessons and insight into practice as you lead. Pass this episode on to your team for their own development. If you find it valuable, they will, too. Share this conversation on social media for the other leaders in your network who will appreciate it. Follow The Military Leader Blog: www.themilitaryleader.com Book: The Military Leader on Amazon

"I was sitting on an aircraft with some of the finest Americans we've ever put in uniform, with enormous confidence in knowing that when this ramp drops, this group right here will figure it out." I'm honored to share my conversation with fellow "Tomahawk" commander and respected Infantry leader, Colonel Teddy Kleisner. Throughout his career, Teddy Kleisner has inspired formations of Soldiers with his relatable leadership style and his pragmatic, history-centered approach to professional development and tough training. In this episode, Teddy discusses the experiences and lessons that shaped his early career, leading up to his command of 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, where he led the no-notice deployment in support of the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Take the Next Step Put these lessons and insight into practice as you lead. Pass this episode on to your team for their own development. If you find it valuable, they will, too. Share this conversation on social media for the other leaders in your network who will appreciate it. Follow The Military Leader Blog: www.themilitaryleader.com Book: The Military Leader on Amazon

In this episode, we go behind the scenes to see how the Army selects its senior commanders and shapes talent for the future. Colonel Bob O'Brien is the Director of the US Army's Command Assessment Program (CAP), which is the yearly selection crucible that Lieutenant Colonels, Colonels, and Sergeants Major must pass through to compete for command of the Army's battalions and brigades. Colonel O'Brien is an Infantry officer who has deployed multiple times and commanded at the O5 and O6 levels. He is a founding member of CAP, as well as an International Coaching Federation Certified Executive Coach. We talk about the whiteboard origin story of the program, the scienced-based evaluation methods it incorporates, and the program's extensive effort to remove bias from the evaluators. Colonel O'Brien also shares what leaders can do to prepare for their own assessment, so if you hope to attend CAP in the future, or if you are involved in any aspect of talent management for your team or company, then you definitely want to listen to the end. You can connect with Bob O'Brien on LinkedIn. Follow the Army Command Assessment Program on LinkedIn and visit the website at https://talent.army.mil/cap/. Find this and other episodes of The Military Leader Podcast at themilitaryleader.com/podcast/.

"If you bring a cell phone to NTC, you'll be found and targeted." In this episode, we get an inside look at how the Army's National Training Center creates tough, realistic training rotations to ensure that Soldiers and units are ready to win the first fight. Guest Major General Curt Taylor is the Commanding General of the National Training Center (NTC) and Fort Irwin, California. NTC is the Army's premier training center and one of the three installations solely dedicated to making the Army's units and leaders ready for the next fight. Episode Summary In this episode, we discuss: How NTC adapts its training rotations to account for the evolving character of war What lessons to take away from the conflicts in Ukraine, Nagorno-Karabach, and Gaza How NTC uses cell phone data to locate units during rotation Why it is important for commanders to develop an instinct for opportunity and then act decisively to seize it How leaders can succumb to information overload and how to avoid "paralysis by analysis" What rotational units will experience in the environment of contested logistics The unseen benefits of serving at the National Training Center Take the Next Step Put these lessons and insight into practice as you lead. Pass this episode on to your team for their own development. If you find it valuable, they will, too. Share this conversation on social media for the other leaders in your network who will appreciate it. NTC YouTube Channels https://youtube.com/@tactalks-operationsgroupntc?si=J5k48Xei7bP09mF4 https://youtube.com/@ntcupdate?si=DBZAqGcvceTyh3yM Follow The Military Leader Episode: www.themilitaryleader.com/podcast/taylor-ntc Blog: www.themilitaryleader.com Book: The Military Leader on Amazon Major General Taylor's Biography BG Curt Taylor graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in May 1994 and was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Armor branch. Over the last twenty-five years, he has served in various command and staff positions in Armored, Cavalry, and Infantry formations up through brigade combat team. His combat service includes two tours in Afghanistan and two tours in Iraq. In 2010, MG Taylor commanded 3-66 AR in Grafenwoehr, GE and deployed with it to the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Following battalion command, he served as the Brigade Senior Trainer at the JMRC in Hohenfels, GE. Following senior service college, he served as the Director of the Commander's Initiatives Group at Fort Leavenworth focused on the development of innovative approaches to talent management and leader development across the Army. In that capacity, he also served as the director of Strategic Assessment for the CSA 39 Transition Team in 2015. From 2015 to 2017, MG Taylor commanded 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team at Fort Carson, Colorado which transformed during his command into a Reconnaissance and Security Brigade Combat Team and executed a series of exercises to demonstrate the ability of a Brigade Combat Team to perform the traditional roles of operational cavalry on the 21st Century battlefield. Following Brigade Command, MG Taylor served as the Chief of Staff of Fort Riley Kansas and the 1st Infantry Division where he oversaw the deployment of multiple combat brigades to Europe and execution of a large-scale Warfighter exercise. From June 2019 to April 2021, MG Taylor commanded the Army’s newest combat brigade, the 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade consisting of specially-selected and uniquely trained combat advisors oriented on the INDOPACOM area of operations. In April 2021, MG Taylor assumed command of the National Training Center and Fort Irwin. MG Taylor has two Masters Degrees in Security Studies.