Greetings from the Command of the Contingency Response Unit (CRU).  It is with great honor that I serve as the fourth Commander of this crucial and highly distinctive unit within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).  The CRU’s unique mission of providing worldwide rapid response capability to the various Combatant Commands in the form of operational and engineering command and control support – primarily for disaster relief missions and fighting the Global War on Terrorism – requires a highly specialized and trained type of soldier.  However, providing this level of support comes with many unique challenges ranging from meeting the requirements of geographically dispersed Commands in a timely and effective manner to recruiting and retaining the best qualified Officers and NCOs in a high OPTEMPO environment.  In my vision as the Commander, I see us best addressing these issues by focusing our efforts in three critical areas: readiness, responsiveness, and relevance.

 First, for us to be ready to effectively perform our diverse missions, we must ensure our ability to successfully mobilize in a timely manner.  This entails everything from making certain that all individual readiness indicators are a ‘GO’ to ensuring that the families of each unit member who is called upon to deploy are adequately supported.  As the Commander, I will make certain that the CRU is properly prepared and ready to join the fight – when and where it is called upon to serve our nation.

Second, it is imperative for us to be responsive to the needs of our customers if we expect the CRU to remain viable.  I see us achieving this goal by providing our clients with the highest-quality, technical and tactical engineering support throughout the world.  I will ensure that we provide this level of support and maintain our cutting edge through realistic and mission-focused training and assignments.  Only this type of responsiveness will help guarantee that the CRU maintains its operational relevance in disaster response missions and in the Global War on Terrorism.

Third, the CRU will continue to remain relevant, in part, if we succeed in our capacity to be ready and responsive.  However, equally as important will be our ability to effectively meet the ever-changing mission requirements from the various customers that we support worldwide.  To assure this capability we must continue to recruit and retain the highest quality officers and NCOs who have excellent technical and operational skills, and who possess strong leadership traits that will help to ensure our mission success in the future.  I will make recruiting and retention a priority during my Command, so that the CRU remains relevant to the Corps of Engineers and to the United States Army.

My leadership philosophy that supports my command vision is relatively simple: to lead by example through actions, behaviorism, and appearance.  As the CRU Commander, it is my responsibility to articulate a clear and concise vision that encompasses the goals, expectations, and consequences for this unit.  Similarly, the Team Leader positions serve as key leadership nodes within this unit, which will ultimately determine the success or failure of our ability to effectively conduct our mission.  Thus, I expect all leaders within this organization to possess three core attributes: that of being a standard bearer, a mentor, and a facilitator.  As the standard bearer, leaders will serve as role models who are competent, fair, consistent, and ethically sound.  Additionally, as the mentor, leaders will act as teachers, coaches, and as motivators depending on the individual and situation.  Finally, as the facilitator, leaders will actively participate in the planning, execution, and monitoring of unit activities while helping to remove obstacles that impede success.

In taking care of our soldiers, we must promote the Army values of loyalty, courage, selfless service, duty, honor, respect, and integrity.  Furthermore, as leaders, we owe our service members an environment that promotes safety, equal opportunity, and one free from sexual harassment.  Personal accountability is a must within this organization, and the expectation is that all members will serve this unit and the Army with the highest ethical and moral standards.

In closing, I would like to encourage all interested and qualified soldiers who want to be part of this exciting and dynamic organization, and who subscribe to my command vision and leadership philosophy, to contact the CRU via this website.  As the CRU Commander, I will do everything within my power to enable your mission success and to help you achieve your military professional goals.  I look forward to serving with you in the future.

ESSAYONS!