Building the Pentathlete Mind: Army Leadership in the Contemporary Operating Environment.

摘要

Since 2004, the Chief of Staff of the Army, General Peter Schoomaker, has made frequent reference to the concept of the 'pentathlete leader.' He first used the term during a National Journal interview in response to a question by James Kitfield comparing the Army to a 'high-tech sprinter... bogged down in a counterinsurgency marathon.' General Schoomaker expounded upon the Track and Field analogy, and discussed a move away from singly focused individuals and units towards a 'pentathlete or decathlete model.' Since that time the concept has rapidly gained momentum, appearing most recently in both Secretary Harvey's and the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army's addresses during last year's Association of the United States Army convention. Additionally, the concept of the 'pentathlete leader' has been incorporated into formal Army leadership instruction at all levels. The term has come to encapsulate leadership for the Army of the 21st Century. Unfortunately, the picture of the pentathlete leader has not been adequately painted. Too often the fundamental characteristics of this modern leader are misguidedly linked to individual skills and unit missions. The CSA's vision of warrior leaders, equipped with the problem-solving capabilities and confidence to respond to any situation on the battlefield, has been reduced to a caricature, represented by a laundry- list of combat skills identified with current operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. This does not mean that competence is not an essential component of modern leadership. Quite the contrary, today's leaders at all levels must become proficient in an increasingly large and diverse set of missions and tasks to operate effectively in the current fight. However, mastery of these skills is not enough; the sum of the parts does not equal the whole. If the concept of the 'pentathlete leader' is to be ingrained in our future leaders and inculcated into Army Leadership doctrine, then it must be defined in more fundamental terms.