Command and General Staff College Foundation News Fall 2021 - 14

Blazing the trail again
by Col. Brian A. Payne
Director of the School for Advanced Military Studies
Twenty months ago the world struggled to grasp the
magnitude to which COVID would impact our daily routines
and lives. The veracity of spread and the severity in death
toll necessitated significant adjustments and innovative
alternative teaching methods. SAMS led the way in
pioneering remote learning procedures and protocols early,
retooling the educational semester during the programmed
spring break. Unfortunately, COVID forced the cancellation
of the annual Western Theater Staff Ride for the Advanced
Military Studies Program (AMSP) Program and all of
our Marshall's Scholars
Combatant Command
visits. These events
were executed virtually
for the 2021 academic
year to a lesser degree
of success.
When the vaccination
opportunities emerged,
SAMS was one of the
first organizations to
achieve a 100% status,
enabling us to resume
in class education.
With the creation of
a protective bubble,
SAMS resumed in
person classes under a
stringent protocol for
testing, decentralized
decision making, and individual responsibility. As the Delta
Variant began to spread, serious concerns emerged over
resuming our programmed travel. The SAMS team formed
an Operational Plans Team to develop options, identify
criteria, monitor and collect relevant information to ensure
the team met educational objectives safely and effectively.
Although environmental conditions in both the Southern
states and in Europe cast a dark shadow, the team continued
to press for the physical attendance option.
As the day for decision approached, the team laid out the
risks associated with attending in person, the opportunity
costs of not going, mitigation efforts, and critical conditions
that needed to be met and maintained. Vaccine and infection
rates and available intensive care bed space were among
the statistics collected by county and country. Key areas
of risk were travel modes, externally procured meals,
14 - CGSC FOUNDATION NEWS | www.cgscfoundation.org
Col. Brian Payne
Director, SAMS
and hotel check in procedures. Mitigation measures, such
as rapid testing before, during and after travel, a liaison
officer check-in with hotels for all keys and distributed to
students, and organized, group outdoor meals whenever
possible were introduced. The SAMS director judged that
the mitigation measures adequately reduced risk to the
force and mission and directed the deployment of Advanced
Strategic Leader Studies Program (ASLSP) students to
Europe and AMSP students to Vicksburg, Mississippi.
On Sept., 12, 21 students and faculty departed Kansas
City
for
a twoweek
field study to
Europe.
Arriving
Members of SAMS' Advanced Strategic Leader Studies Program (ASLSP) gather with their
counterparts at the Baltic Defence College in Tartu, Estonia, during their trip to Europe
Sept. 12-25, 2021.
in Brussels, the team
met with elements at
Supreme Headquarters
Allied Powers Europe
(SHAPE), multiple
U.S. embassies to
European Allies, and
NATO headquarters
before moving on to
Finland. In Helsinki,
the team met with
the National Defense
College faculty and
Finnish military leaders
to gain the perspective
of a non-NATO partner
regarding European
Defense. After observing training of a Finn Armored
Brigade, the team continued travels to Estonia where they
conducted a series of collaborative educational experiences
at the Baltic Defence College in Tartu.
The team closed out the travel in Stuttgart, Germany with
visits to U.S. European Command, U.S. Africa Command
and Special Operations Command - Africa, gaining an
appreciation for the challenges and opportunities present
within the regions and globally. The value of the in-person
travel eclipsed the previous year's virtual efforts and
remains a major strength of the ASLSP experience among
all other CSC alternatives in producing strategic thinkers
and leaders.
Simultaneously, AMSP deployed 106 majors in two
sorties to conduct the Western Theater Staff Ride. Four
seminars departed Fort Leavenworth on Sept. 13, with four
PHOTO COURTESY BALTIC DEFENCE COLLEGE
http://www.cgscfoundation.org
Command and General Staff College Foundation News Fall 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Command and General Staff College Foundation News Fall 2021
