Joint Staff Officer
Within the structure of the military, there are a group of trained officers and personnel that have the responsibility for the administrative, operational and logistical needs of the unit. These officers are a direct liaison to the commander and, for reasons of logistics and efficiency, focus on many of the day-to-day issues that the organization requires.
Staff Officers are essential to military operation by supporting the policies and procedures of the military organization as well as acting as a knowledge base for individual commanders. Ideally, an experienced Staff Officer performs seven major functions: 1) Becoming an expert on the commander's policies and aiding in their implementation; 2) Acting as a knowledge base in keeping the commander informed; 3) Assisting or developing organizational plans; 4) Acting in a strategic manner by drafting tentative plans that anticipate future requirements; 5) Actively translating plans into orders and moving down the chain of command to, 6) Ensure compliance with those orders; 7) Ensuring fairness and unity within the commander's prevue.
One cannot overemphasize the importance or critical role of Staff Officers. During General William Westmoreland's 1968-1972 duty as Chief of Staff for the U.S. Army, for instance, there was a major revision of the career management system focused...
For example, during the early Cold War period, and especially the time of the Korean Conflict many commanders were still in the World War II mindset and depended on their staff officers to adjust "their wartime concepts to the changing international situation and the likely effects of new weapon technologies."
The major impetus for a staff officer is leadership. A staff officer is expected to be at a level in which core competencies are second nature and leadership and development of staff are of primary concern. One staff officer is not expected to have expertise in all areas, but a basic grounding is necessary, as well as expertise in several cogent areas. This is exemplified in the Army Commander and Staff Guide (2011) by emphasizing eight expected characteristics of the position: 1) Competency in all aspects of their area of expertise; 2) Able to initiative projects and anticipate requirements; 3) Use of regular critical thinking and analysis; 4) Adaptive to changing conditions and environments; 5) Flexible during change or high-stress situations; 6) Disciplined and self-confident; 6) Team players that can set ego aside and robustly cooperate with other staff members, subordinates and superiors; 7) Expert…
