Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael R. Weimer emphasized that the Army’s greatest strength remains its people while meeting with noncommissioned officers (NCOs) and West Point cadets during a visit to the U.S. Military Academy on Feb. 25. Throughout the day, he discussed warfighting readiness, leadership development and the importance of effective communication.
Weimer began the day by speaking with NCOs about the Army’s four focus areas – warfighting, delivering ready combat formations, continuous transformation and strengthening the profession.
While West Point’s primary mission is to develop future commissioned leaders for the Army and the nation, Weimer addressed how NCOs can continue improving themselves within that mission.
He encouraged NCOs to continue developing through Professional Military Education (PME), Army University programs and initiatives such as the Harding Project, which aims to revitalize professional military writing, and encouraged leaders to debate ideas and share insights.
Weimer then discussed how NCOs contribute to those priorities, beginning with warfighting and the Army’s number one objective: being so proficient at their jobs that no one would want to test the Army.
“We get tested every day, sometimes in cyberspace, sometimes more aggressively with UAS (unmanned aircraft systems),” Weimer said. “We’re constantly being tested because ‘they’ don’t think we’re as good as we think we are … I call it real readiness.”
In the current operational environment, Weimer said leaders often hear the words readiness and lethality, but neither matters without delivering combat-ready formations.
“We can’t win anything without sustaining,” Weimer explained. “Ph.D.-level warfighting against a near peer is being able to sustain an actual fight with a near peer.”
He noted that Army Materiel Command is addressing sustainment challenges by strengthening the Organic Industrial Base to support operations abroad. This focus on continuous transformation ensures combat-ready formations remain effective in evolving warfare environments.
He noted that robotics will likely play a larger role in future operations, but continuous transformation is a “cycle that never stops. It’s a journey, not a destination.” While weaponry such as the new ISB (Intermediate Staging Base), XM250 light machine gun, X7 and 6.5 Carbine are impressive, Weimer emphasized that these tools will only be as good as the people using them.
“If we don’t transform how we’re training the rifleman who gets the new rifle, is that rifleman actually any more lethal?” Weimer asked. “If we don’t transform how we’re training and educating our people from basic training to PME, are we actually getting more lethal? I would argue no.”
To strengthen the profession, Weimer said that beyond building knowledge through education, doing the right things as a leader shows subordinates a commitment to professionalism.
Doing physical training with your platoon, keeping your uniform squared away or having detailed conversations with subordinates all demonstrate a commitment to the profession.
“The worst thing you can do is pretend to be a noncommissioned officer, not be committed to the profession, and not be the standard,” Weimer said.
Referencing a theme often emphasized by Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Randy A. George, Weimer stated, “What we do now and next demands urgency.”
It is about maintaining urgency and not delaying actions that strengthen units. “You have the authority at your level and the resources,” Weimer said. “My number one recommendation is execute, execute, execute and inform.”
Weimer closed his remarks to the NCOs by encouraging them to maintain their motivation to succeed in an ever-evolving environment.
“This profession will challenge you in ways you can’t predict, and the only constant you can rely on is your willingness to adapt and learn,” Weimer stated. “Stay curious about your craft, your people and yourself. The moment you think you’ve ‘arrived’ is the moment you start falling behind.”
Weimer stresses importance of communication to cadets
During his visit, Weimer engaged with cadets by observing a plebe boxing class, eating lunch with the Corps, and joining USMA Command Sgt. Maj. Phil Barretto for a class led by Dr. Frank Luntz, an American political and communications consultant who teaches periodically at the academy.
Speaking to a classroom of future second lieutenants, Weimer said everything leaders do communicates something, even when they do nothing, because they operate in positions of influence.
He said his greatest leadership challenge was communication. He didn’t struggle with fitness, shooting his weapon, doing pull-ups, or holding his breath underwater, it was simply communicating the right way with his Soldiers.
In combat, he said being direct and simple in a dangerous environment came naturally, but applying that same approach with family or Soldiers at home station proved more complex.
Weimer participated in the Leadership Challenge 360 program with members of his Special Operations unit, a small organization made up of people he had fought alongside in combat for at least 10 years.
“We promised candid feedback, but the feedback I got crushed my soul,” Weimer exclaimed. “It was their perception of me … but it was one of the best conversations I ever had. It completely changed me as a leader. I thought I was communicating one way, but I was not – I was failing miserably.
“As a leader, it wasn’t until my 40s that I realized it’s my job to adjust my communication style to the audience,” he added. “It’s not their job to figure out what I said. I had it backwards.”
Weimer emphasized the importance of figuring out how to communicate with superiors, such as the company commander the new second lieutenants will report to once they graduate from West Point.
He noted that the key is to use the extensive communication experience they gain at West Point to their advantage once they get out in front of their platoons.
“You’ll approach your second lieutenant position very differently than some of your peers [from other commissioning sources] will,” Weimer stated. “You’re going to have this depth of conversation about communication that will allow you to succeed.”
He encouraged cadets to seek candid input from their Soldiers, peers and superiors early in their careers to better understand how their communication is being received, even if it isn’t something they want to hear.
“If you can’t win over and communicate clearly with your noncommissioned officers when you get to your first platoon, you’re going to be doomed,” he said. “You win them over through clear communication, which you need to be authentic with. That is one of the nuances with the United States Army, we don’t create leaders who are robots. You can be you. All those words matter, but each one of you can transmit them and still be you.”
He also urged cadets to remain mindful of their demeanor.
“Your body language matters,” he stated to the first-class cadets. “You can say all the right words, but how you’re presenting them could be absolutely wrong.”
Weimer said it is also important for new officers to lean into new challenges. If they enter their new units with their aperture wide open and embrace the complexities of their environment, success will follow.
“Within 60 days, you and your platoon will be moving out and making strides and milestones,” Weimer said. “At the same time, you’ll be watching your peers still trying to figure out how to get buy-in from their troops — it’s a game changer.”
Weimer added that there is no substitute for passionate leader engagement, especially for young officers who are often close in age to the Soldiers in their platoons. At the same time, he cautioned them to remember that not everyone in the platoon is their buddy, nor should popularity be the goal.
“Don’t fall for that trap,” he stated. “Win them over because they respect you. You’re fit. You know your job. You’re bringing them along on the journey.”
The final message Weimer left with cadets reinforced the central theme of the class: communicating as a leader.
“Communication is at the core of effective leadership,” he said. “When the weight of responsibility grows, strong communication becomes the anchor that steadies both you and those you lead.”