Command and General Staff College Foundation News Spring 2020 - 7

Q&A with the Commandant -
Lt. Gen. James E. Rainey
CGSCF News:
Prior to becoming the CAC Commander and
Commandant of CGSC, your most recent assignment
was Commanding General, Combined Security
Transition Command - Afghanistan (CSTC-A) and
Deputy Chief of Staff Security Assistance (DCOSSA),
Headquarters RESOLUTE SUPPORT. How did this
and other assignments prepare you for your tasks as
commandant of CGSC?
Lt. Gen. Rainey: First, let me say that while I wear many
hats in my current position, nothing is more important
than my responsibility of educating and training our next
generation of young officers who will in-turn lead our Army
into the future. I've had many assignments that have helped
to shape and prepare me as I take on this new role. Being
a former Infantry School Commandant, and Commander
at every level through Division Command, I've had the
opportunity to watch many of the same officers who are
currently at CGSC as they have progressed throughout their
careers. This perspective has left me with a keen awareness
of the quality of our young officers. I could not be more
humbled to be the commandant of CGSC and to have a
hand in the continuing progression of these great leaders.
CGSCF News: In your career you have seen Army Doctrine
evolve from Air-Land Battle to a Counterinsurgency
focus and now to move toward Multi-Domain Operations
against near-peer competitors. Drawing on your wartime
experience in both Iraq and Afghanistan, what will be
the key to success for our Army moving forward?
Lt. Gen. Rainey: Without a doubt we must continue to
develop agile and adaptive leaders who can not only lead,
but will continue to develop leadership in others. We
must build a foundation of trust - the bedrock of Mission
Command - in our leaders at every level, and demand
excellence.

Our Soldiers are the best in the world, and they deserve
nothing short of officers and noncommissioned officers
who are mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually
fit to lead, train, fight and sustain.
Force Modernization is also a focus area for CAC, and
success on future battlefields means integrating modern

PHOTO COURTESY COMBINED ARMS CENTER PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Editor's Note:
This interview was conducted in late February 2020 before the
current CGSC class was affected by the COVID-19 restrictions.

Lt. Gen. James E. Rainey
Commanding General Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth
Commandant, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Deputy Commanding General for Combined Arms, TRADOC

equipment with trained and ready formations to close the
gaps identified as we shift our focus to large scale combat
operations. However, the key element remains leadership...
good leaders can accomplish any mission.
CGSCF News: Among your past assignments, you have
been the Director of the Mission Command Center of
Excellence. As someone who's seen Mission Command
go from a relatively new concept to a prevailing
leadership philosophy, how important will it be as we
focus more on Large Scale Combat Operations?
Lt. Gen. Rainey: Understanding and using the mission
command philosophy, which empowers subordinate decision
making and decentralizes execution, is imperative for our
leaders to be successful in today's extremely complex
environment. The best leaders will provide clear guidance
and orders, yet rely on the initiative of their subordinates
to get things done. This has to be practiced on a day-to-day
basis if we are going to expect it to be effective in combat.
This also implies that a command climate must exist where
subordinate commanders are allowed to come forward with
the necessary candor to tell the boss if they feel the level of
risk is acceptable or not.

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Command and General Staff College Foundation News Spring 2020

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