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On 8/21/2009 2:59:02 PM Master Sergeant William Bertelson wrote
The following blog is by Master Sergeant William Bertelson, Commander's Action Group, U.S. Africa Command.
I just returned from nine weeks in southern Sudan to assist the SPLA (Sudan People's Liberation Army) in establishing a Noncommissioned Officers (NCO) Academy. I also observed and advised the staff in areas of personnel administration, training and plans, logistics, and medical preparation of the academy clinic.
The vision is to establish a self-sustained NCO Academy that produces NCOs capable of leading soldiers by example, training the soldiers to work better as a collective force, and creating and enforcing military standards. Academy instruction will include professional military concepts such as humanitarian law, rules of land warfare, and civilian control of the military. Graduates of this academy will form the basis for an NCO Corps that upholds rule of law and serves its nation with honor. This NCO Corps set a positive example for all military service members to follow.
During my trip, I met the Commandant of the NCO Academy and the Director of Training, and both officers are very eager to make the academy operational. They expressed great enthusiasm for developing a capable NCO Corps. They see the role of the Academy as critical towards modernizing their force. But they also understand that this process is generational, because it will impact every corner of the military. It will change the way their military commands and controls its troops, shape the relationship between officers and their enlisted, and potentially produce NCOs who stay in the service because they find their service rewarding and value added, and therefore want to make it a career.
I also had many educational and stimulating conversations with the Sudanese people . I learned a great deal about issues that weighed heavy on the soldiers' minds, both professionally and personally. These issues spanned the spectrum from "where is the next meal coming from?" to concerns about the reemergence of hostilities and civil war. I learned that many individuals believe Sudan's recent history of civil war is a battle of religions and that other issues covered more prominently by the press, such as land and oil, merely fan the flames of discontent and provide fodder for accusations.
Overall the trip was very productive. I was both educating as well as educated by the Sudanese peers I worked with. I will return there in mid-September, and I look forward to continuing listening to and learning from the Sudanese.
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