Risk Management Magazine

The 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team “Dagger,” 1st Infantry Division, executed a successful and safer-than-average large-scale combat operations (LSCO) National Training Center (NTC) rotation recently, primarily due to a deliberate approach to risk management and engaged leadership at echelon.

As a young Soldier, I was not someone you would naturally point to as the next accident waiting to happen. I did what I was supposed to do and stayed out of trouble. I wasn’t a rebel. I also think I used common sense, even as a teenager, so I wasn’t prone to spontaneity and recklessness. This mindset suited me well as a young motorcyclist. I planned ahead, wore the proper clothing and protective equipment and preferred cruising over racing.

The radios were silent, systems were in the green and the Atlantic Ocean was rolling calmly along the empty white-sand beaches below. “Bird, 11 o’clock,” the left seater said matter-of-factly. “Contact,” responded the right seat, followed by smooth cyclic inputs that guided the aircraft effortlessly toward the one o’clock position.