The Center for Army Lessons Learned is looking for qualified soldiers who want to become Embedded Liaison Officers and serve a yearlong tour in a hot spot overseas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Qualified officers and senior noncommissioned officers are encouraged to apply. Tours typically are for 365 days in places such as Afghanistan, Kuwait and Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The liaison program is a great opportunity for soldiers, said Col. Paul Reese, the director of the Center for Army Lessons Learned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“They really do have the opportunity to make a difference in the Army as they collect lessons learned and it comes back to the Army,” he said. “We can change doctrine, we can change how we train leaders, even a technological innovation. They really have an opportunity to really make a difference.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Soldiers also can earn hazardous duty pay if they’re embedded in a location that qualifies for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The jobs are open to master sergeants, sergeants major, chief warrant officers 2 through 5, and captains through lieutenant colonels in the active Army, National Guard and Army Reserve. CALL also is accepting applications from Individual Mobilization Augmentation and Inactive Ready Reserve soldiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The embedded liaison program began in 2005, Reese said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I call them my scouts,” he said. “They go forward, usually into a contingency environment such as Afghanistan, and embed in the higher level staffs in those areas. They become part of the staff and be CALL’s eyes and ears forward.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The liaisons are tasked with collecting lessons learned from their area of operations, developing those lessons, and either disseminating them immediately or sending it back to CALL at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, for analysis, Reese said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The liaisons also are expected to integrate with the staff they’re with, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We like them to work with the unit, get familiar with the unit, and help out where they can in addition to what they’re doing for us,” Reese said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CALL currently has 10 liaisons deployed around the world, Reese said. The plan is to have at least 18; CALL can have up to 25 if needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Demand drives the number of liaisons we need,” he said. “We’re looking for some volunteers to replace those as they serve and complete their tours, and maybe a couple more to go in some of the other areas where we’re starting to get some requests for collection.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The demand for lessons learned and best practices is “always” there, but as the Army engages in its regionally aligned forces concept, the demand has been trending upward, Reese said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Soldiers who apply for and are approved to become embedded liaisons are put on orders for a one-year temporary change of station, Reese said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CALL is looking for applicants who have worked at various echelons of command, possess “great” interpersonal skills and have an eye for picking up best practices that can be turned into a lesson learned, Reese said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Soldiers who want to apply must have support from their chain of command, Reese said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Applicants should go online to CALL’s website for the application packet, he said. There is no deadline to apply because CALL is always looking for volunteers, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once it’s completed, the packet is submitted to a board for consideration and later moved up to Reese for his approval.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Where a successful applicant ends up going will be based on the soldier’s preference, his past experience and the demand across the force, Reese said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Right now, the areas with the most demand include Afghanistan and the Central Command and Africa Command areas of operation, Reese said. CALL also is looking to expand to Pacific Command, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Ultimately, it’ll come down to where we need liaisons and where the demand signal is for lessons learned,” he said. “We do try and match the soldier best to their capabilities and desires.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Center for Army Lessons Learned is looking for qualified soldiers who want to become Embedded Liaison Officers an…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":27409,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":70,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[12,70],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1846],"class_list":["post-21707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-your-army"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"L7Y7EQUDW5BGXLFCYCFG5CBHGY","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-army\/2014\/09\/08\/officers-senior-ncos-wanted-for-embedded-liaison-program\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n