Applying Acquired Knowledge

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Introduction

Learning is one of the building blocks to being successful in a professional career. As far as the United States Army is concerned, there are two types of competencies: technical knowledge and tactical knowledge. You can have technical knowledge without tactical knowledge but not the other way around. Technical knowledge is nothing more than knowing how a book tells you to do something, but the employment of that knowledge is tactical knowledge. In the Army, one of the ways that we gain technical knowledge is through institutional learning. The United States Army Sergeants Major Academy (USASMA) is one of those institutions as is the Command and General Staff College (CGSC) which oversees the Intermediate-Level Education (ILE) program for Majors. I will discuss how the technical knowledge I have gained here at the USASMA can be properly employed in an operational assignment. The knowledge gained from block C100 are important to a future Operations Sergeants Major because it gives newly graduated students of the USASMA and the ILE program the same basic institutional knowledge and they can speak the same language.

Subjects

I will be discussing C121 (Introduction to Critical Thinking and Problem Solving), C122 (Creative Thinking, Logic, and Decision Making), and C123 (Assessment). I felt that these courses are connected in one way or another and to become a better planner one should try their best to master these areas. I am not claiming these are the three most important topics discussed but I will say for planning purposes these courses can pay huge dividends at any level, from battalion, division and higher. The most important thing about knowing these subjects is the ability of the Sergeants Major and...

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...ows the staff to think outside the box and not be afraid to recommend new or unproven courses of action, if incorporated into the planning process. This type of thinking can be very useful when facing an issue that has not been presented before or is unfamiliar to the group. It is extremely important to be very careful when using creative thinking and not allow false assumptions to creep their way into the thought process. They can have an adverse effect on the outcome and could definitely have major strategic level implications. As long as creative thinking is applied correctly, it can be a huge asset in planning by looking at new and innovative ways to solve problems. Even a familiar issue can be solved better and more efficiently this way. The key is to not stifle this thought process. It is very easy to dismiss this, especially if time is of the essence.

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