Greetings AG Corps Warrant Officers and the AG Corps Family! “Today is a Great Day”, because we are professionals who can support our Soldiers and Families! I am excited, grateful, and honored to be your representative as the 9th Regimental Chief Warrant Officer of the AG Corps. What a privilege to communicate with you and share my thoughts and insights from my first few months in this position.
First, Congratulations to those leaders recently selected for a well-deserved promotion. Your selfless service and dedication strengthened our cohort and I'm incredibly proud of each one of you. Second, the holidays are approaching, and I want all of you to take in everything that has happened this past year and reflect on the incredible contributions you made to the AG Warrant Officer cohort and to the Army. Enjoy the time you spend with your Families and loved ones and reenergize to make 2024 an even better success.
My first 100 days have been illuminating and we have a lot of challenges ahead if we are to support the way the Army fights in 2030. During my tenure, I will examine how AG WOs are utilized in operational structures to ensure we develop and train our Warrants as outlined in our Professional Talent Model. This will happen while modernizing and expanding training to include integrating data education and a new Army-driven technically-oriented course, Warrant Officer Intermediate Course, for midgrade WOs.
Our transformation efforts with HR Optimization and IPPS-A have required a shift in existing procedures on how we enable our Commanders' success while providing the necessary support to our Soldiers. We must embrace change and be bold in accepting risk where needed. Motivational and self-help guru Wayne Dyer wrote, "If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." AG Professionals must know and understand the threats that MDO and LSCO seek to mitigate, and we must change so our future Warrant Officers and the AG Corps provide the support that Commanders, Soldiers, and the Army need from us.
Recruiting and Accessions for our future 420s is a top priority. FY23 Accessions were very successful, as 50 outstanding candidates were selected to become 420As and 420Cs. This outcome could not have happened without your efforts and support in identifying only the best-qualified, most high-performing Noncommissioned Officers to join our Corps. However, we must be more creative and deliberate in recruiting to shape the future AG Warrant Officer Corps as our WO accession mission has decreased. To ensure future boards focus on the AG Warrant of the future, we will continue to modernize our prerequisites to access those who have the talent, knowledge, skills, and behaviors the Army needs and who you in the field have the responsibility to identify and mentor. Our FY24 recruiting efforts are critical to realize the vision of the HR Warrant Officer in Army 2030, 2040, and beyond.
Finally, I ask you to keep our deployed Soldiers and their Families in your prayers as you reflect on "your why" you serve. Stay focused, stay safe, and I look forward to another fantastic year for the AG Corps.
