Professional war-fighting is the difference between compliance and commitment. It also requires consistency and an understanding that people are the Army’s most important weapon system.

The responsibility for recruiting, training and retaining US Army soldiers sits on the shoulders of the Sergeant Major of the Army; a job in which there is no training course and where experience is the defining factor.

To break down what the Sergeant Major of the Army does, the current state of the Army, and where the Army is headed, Fran Racioppi traveled deep into the center of the Pentagon for a conversation with Sergeant Major Mike Weimer, the 17th Sergeant Major of the Army and the first Green Beret selected for the role.

The SMA defined professional war fighting and the importance of an all volunteer force. He broke down the art and science relationship between commissioned and non-commissioned officers. He shared how his experience in the Special Forces shadows prepared him for the limelight of the SMA role.

And they talked about the future, including his vision for solving the recruiting challenge, how warfare is evolving from the kill chain to the kill web, how he’s planning to retain the right people, and how the integration of Special Operations and the regular Army is more important now than ever.

Take a listen, watch, or read our conversation with the Army’s most senior non-commissioned officer, then head over to our YouTube channel or your favorite podcast platform to catch up on our entire national security series from Washington, DC and Fort Liberty, NC.

Highlights:

0:00 The Army is busy
2:33 The Professional Warfighter
4:19 How does it set the US Army apart?
6:57 Why is discipline critical?
12:50 People are the Army’s weapons system
17:32 The relationship between Commanders and NCOs
23:30 SMA Weimer’s transition from the shadows
27:00 The Army’s recruiting challenges
37:14 CTCs and the Kill Web
40:40 Retaining the best and brightest
47:15 Integrating Special Forces and the regular Army
54:51 The Army’s biggest opportunity
57:07 Daily Foundations to Success


Quotes:

“Those that are committed, I remind them; the audio and video has got to match.”
“Once people get in the Army, they find the purpose and the people worth continuing to serve.”
“All of the services are platform centric. The Army’s platform is its people.”
“The non-commissioned officer is the asymmetric advantage.”
“The things that are usually the hardest in life are the things that are usually the most rewarding.”
“Whatever you’ve done prior to coming into this seat is how you’ve prepared.”
“We’re on track to make our numbers this year….We need those numbers to be higher in upcoming years.”
“I have a fair amount of combat…I’ve never been to war.”
“You don’t necessarily get do-overs in the fight that we’re preparing for now.”
“It’s not just about retaining people; it’s about retaining the right people.”
“Standards and discipline can’t just be some whimsical thing we throw around.”

The Jedburgh Podcast and the Jedburgh Media Channel are an official program of The Green Beret Foundation. Learn more on The Jedburgh Podcast Website. Subscribe to us and follow @jedburghpodcast on all social media. Watch the full video version on YouTube.

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The opinions presented on the The Jedburgh Podcast and the Jedburgh Media Channel are the opinions of the guests and the host. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Green Beret Foundation and the Green Beret Foundation assumes no liability for their accuracy.

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