摘要：I wasn’t thrilled when I received my initial assignment notification to US Central Command (CENTCOM) Strategy, Plans, and Policy ( J5) after graduating from National Defense University. Like many of us, I wasn’t looking forward to staff work, much less in the infamous “SADCOM” headquarters. Three years later, I’m here to confess that my time in the CENTCOM J5 was one of the most defining assignments in my professional career. My time at CENTCOM J5 presented the opportunity to plan and negotiate operations at the international level and to make an impact well beyond that which I could make in an operational assignment. Simply put, my time on the CENTCOM staff made me a better officer and senior leader. In many ways, the skills and habits I learned as an Airman helped prepare me for joint staff work, but I believe there are several things we can do better to prepare officers for joint staff duty. What follows are three lessons that I took from my time on the CENTCOM J5 planning staff. After each lesson learned, I will identify some opportunities to better prepare Airmen to serve on a joint staff. I will also identify some competitive advantages that Airmen bring to any joint staff position.
