German Army, Lieutenant Colonel (General Staff) Thomas Groeters

German General Staff Officer Education and Current Challenges German Army, Lieutenant Colonel (General Staff) Thomas Groeters

?German General Staff Officer Education and Current Challenges? examines the institutional education of German General Staff Officers, as experienced by the author, and offers a ?Conceptual Competency-Skill-Framework? for professional development. Five competencies (Physical, Intrinsic Motivation, Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, and Cognitive Competency) and five skills (Deduction, Synthesis, Analysis, Induction, and Revaluation Skill) define this model through a process of theory and praxis. A case study of an operational planner for the first German Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Afghanistan (2003) describes the experiences of the author and identifies competencies and skills that required improvisation, rather than reliance on a model of previous institutional, operational, and personal preparation. This monograph commends the balanced holistic approach of the German General Staff Officer course at the Fuehrungsakademie der Bundeswehr (German General Staff Officer Academy), and recommends several educational venues to improve the specific competencies and skills in an institutional setting. The trinity of premier institutional education, operational experience and practical insight, and a dedicated life-long program for professional self-development, invigorates the military leader for emergent roles in national, regional, and global mission responsibilities. The ultimate value of a conceptual competency-skill framework is the personal assessment, evaluation, and integration for professional learning and performance that results in how to think, act, and lead.