FORT KNOX, Ky. — Bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate, Army.

The only military-related background Capt. Chelsea Michta had prior to becoming the first officer to receive an active-duty direct commission in the Army’s Military Intelligence Corps was that her father worked for the Department of Defense.

Now, she is the officer in charge at the Army Europe Open Source Center – what Michta said is the largest open-source intelligence shop in Europe.

“It’s incredibly meaningful to work with a team who is providing commanders with information that is having a real-world impact on the battlefield,” Michta said. “It’s also humbling to be continuously learning.”

Michta, however, is no stranger to learning. Her achievement becoming the first Army MI direct commission officer is far from her only noteworthy feat. Adorned with extraordinary accomplishments, Michta’s path to the Army was not only unconventional, but shows why her selection was obvious.

“Boy, did she have all of the unique skills that no other lieutenant coming through the regular channels would have,” said Col. Christina Bembenek, 66th Military Intelligence Brigade commander in Wiesbaden, Germany.

Michta’s background and reputation preceded her. After all, how often does a University of Cambridge Ph.D. graduate who speaks English, German, Polish and Spanish commission in the Army? To Bembenek, Michta’s passion for service rivaled that of her passion for academics.

“When she came here, her desire to learn how to be an officer and how to be in the Army was impressive,” Bembenek said. “Her extensive research ability, combined with her knowledge of the languages and region — I could not have had a better officer fall into our brigade.”

Prior to putting on a uniform, much of Michta’s life was devoted to education. While in high school, her father, then professor at a liberal arts college in Memphis, Tennessee, accepted a position with the defense department in Germany. Although she lived in Warsaw as a child, this move provided Michta her first real exposure to Europe and living abroad.

Following her graduation from Munich International School, she went on to earn a bachelor’s in European history from Amherst College and then attended Cambridge for her master’s. There, she was one of just a few graduate students selected by the university to receive a full tuition scholarship to pursue her doctorate.

There was just one issue.

“I knew from the outset that I didn’t want to pursue a traditional civilian academic career,” Michta said. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my Ph.D. and explored a number of options during grad school to try and figure that out.”

It was while writing her dissertation that an unexpected set of circumstances ultimately opened Michta’s eyes to the possibility of choosing the Army as a career. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she had to return to Germany where her father was serving as the dean of the George C. Marshall Center. With the facility’s classroom the only available workspace outside her home, she spent the days of lockdown with Soldiers attending the Foreign Area Officers’ program there.

“It was honestly that experience of being around a lot of Army officers and talking with them about their experiences in the Army that first sparked my interest in uniformed service,” Michta said.

According to Michta, prior to speaking with FAO Soldiers, who were from various different branches and backgrounds, she admittedly had a fairly simplistic view of the Army. It was through her many conversations that she became both enlightened and inspired.

“I was struck by how diverse their experiences had been and the responsibility that was entrusted to them so early in their career, and by their sense of shared values and purpose,” Michta said. “It was the first time I considered pursuing a career in the military myself, but I just didn’t know what that would look like for me.”

As she began taking steps to see what options were available, Michta discovered the Army was expanding its direct commission opportunities to new specialties. With her combined education, cultural exposure and language capabilities, a panel of senior intelligence officers reviewed her civilian credentials and written statement outlining her desire to serve, and selected Michta to be the first person to direct commission into the MI Corps.

Now, two years after first arriving at Fort Moore, Georgia, Michta is leading her team in Wiesbaden and has her sights set on attending the Captain’s Career Course later this year.

“My short-term goal is to be a company commander and really step into a leadership role,” Michta said. “I want to take what I’ve learned leading my team here in Wiesbaden and apply that to a larger group of men and women and be the best leader that I can be.”

For Michta, the Army was never in the forefront of her mind as a potential career, especially as she traversed the world of academia. She said many people would likely be as surprised as she was that their own personal skillset has that perfect place within the Army’s many avenues.

“I think it’s important to get the word out about what the Army can offer,” Michta said. “If more people were aware of the sheer variety of experiences that a person can have, the shared sense of purpose, and the professional developmental opportunities the Army can offer, I think a lot more people would seriously consider it.

“Don’t write something off just because you’re not familiar with it or you have preconceived notions of what this profession entails. There’s always more to it than you think.”

By Jennifer DeHaan

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. — The U.S. Army has begun development on the first Arctic-focused doctrine in more than 50 years, Army Techniques Publication 3-90.96, Arctic and Extreme Cold Weather Operations. The manual, slated for release in mid-2024, will provide Soldiers and leaders with the knowledge and techniques necessary to overcome the Arctic environment and succeed in temperatures as cold as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

“Arctic and extreme cold weather operations are about more than being able to survive, you have to be able to thrive,” said Capt. Edward A. Garibay, the lead doctrine author for the publication with the Combined Arms Doctrine Directorate. “As the Arctic warms from climate change, it’s going to become more and more accessible in the coming decades and take on new importance. We have to be ready to accomplish the mission in such an environment. This doctrine will help our Soldiers do that.”

The publication will be tactically focused and will help Soldiers use the concepts and experience they already know and adapt them for the Arctic and Subarctic. It will explain many of the unique and sometimes counterintuitive aspects of the region and the considerations Soldiers must take to adjust operations. For instance, the sun may never rise during the month of December; GPS and satellites can be unreliable due to solar storms; metals and plastics become brittle and can break; and batteries have significantly shorter life.

“One of the problems we face now is that we have a lot of localized knowledge that isn’t easily shared across the Army,” said Garibay. “We have pockets of individuals and units that are experts, but their knowledge is only available in local [standard operating procedures] and only passed down from one command to the next. We’re consolidating all that knowledge in one place and providing a foundation for everyone to build on.”

The CADD Special Doctrine Division, the doctrinal proponent for cold weather, has been extensively researching Arctic and extreme cold weather operations for more than a year. Their efforts include training at the Northern Warfare Training Center, referencing historical records, and consultation with other Arctic nations such as Canada, Norway, Finland, Sweden and Denmark. One of their primary resources is the 11th Airborne Division in Alaska, which has played a critical role in developing doctrine. According to Garibay, their continued innovation and expertise has been invaluable. They have taken an active role in writing Arctic doctrine, staffing revisions, and providing subject matter experts.

“The U.S. Army has to be ready to fight and win in extreme cold and mountainous environments in order to deter conflict, and the 11th Airborne Division is the foundation of that capability,” said Maj. Gen. Brian Eifler, commander, 11th Airborne Division. “To build sustained Arctic readiness, we need to follow the example of Alaska native communities who have thrived here successfully for millennia, sharing best practices and lessons learned.”

Another milestone in the doctrine’s development will occur during the 11th Airborne Division’s upcoming Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center exercise this winter. During the exercise, which will replicate large-scale combat conditions, the division will also be validating concepts for the doctrine and providing immediate feedback to CADD.

To learn more about Army doctrine and access doctrinal resources, visit the CADD public website.

By Combined Arms Doctrine Directorate staff

AUSTIN, Texas — As the senior ranking non-commissioned officer at U.S. Army Futures Command (AFC), Command Sgt. Maj. Brian A. Hester has dedicated his career to being people-focused and people-motivated.

“People matter, and our Army has the best people,” Hester asserted.

Responsible for advising the AFC commanding general and other senior leaders on the activities, needs and support requirements of Soldiers and their families, Hester often applies his informed experiences and personal insights to his work for the command.

“My responsibility is to take my experiences as a Soldier over the last 33 years and make sure we’re looking through that lens as we’re trying to modernize and transform the Army,” he said.

His day-to-day tasks include assessing how to best solidify systems, processes, interactions and relationships inside and outside of the organization – efforts that benefit from his disposition as a “people person.”

Hester is also an integral member of a broader AFC team that is continuously evaluating whether new equipment and approaches will “make Soldiers more lethal and more protected on the battlefield” from “both a deterrence perspective and a combat operations perspective.”

“Our responsibility is to transform the Army so that we have future war-winning readiness.” Hester said.

He highlighted how AFC activities help ensure that the Army has “the right equipment, the right training, the right organizations to be able to maintain that land force dominance” and that new materiel and methods are “effective, safe, reliable, efficient and hardened against the threat.”

“I know that the Army of the future is going to continue to be the best Army in the world. It’s going to continue to be able to take care of its people, be absolutely proficient at warfighting. It’s going to be ready when the nation needs it.”

Hester’s skill in analyzing and influencing Soldier-centric planning efforts stems not only from his own career as a Soldier, but also from a deep appreciation for the value of teamwork and hard work.

“People often talk about luck. I think that luck is the intersection of preparation and seizing opportunity,” Hester said.

When he decided to enlist in the Army in 1990, shortly after graduating high school, he began a journey that embodied that mantra.

“I grew up in a little town, Mt. Sterling, Illinois, on the Midwest side of the state, in the farm belt,” Hester said.

His community of 1,500 people offered limited opportunities beyond farming and construction, and he was eager to find a way to continue fueling his passion for teamwork, which he discovered while playing high school football, basketball and baseball.

“I wanted to be able to continue to be part of a team, which is one of the things I learned as an athlete, and also do something that I thought was meaningful for me and my family and my country,” Hester explained.

He opted to join the infantry specifically because he was inspired by the unique opportunities it offered, like learning how to jump out of an airplane.

“The infantry platoon is really like an athletic team, and if each person plays their position well, then the whole team is successful,” Hester said.

Once in the Army, Hester enjoyed the camaraderie and taking on leadership roles. He remembers thinking to himself, “wow, this is something I could do for 20 years.”

“It just kept getting better,” he said. “It kept being more meaningful to me, and it provided a good opportunity for my family.”

To date, Hester’s Army career has taken him to domestic assignments in Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina and Texas, as well as international posts in Afghanistan Iraq, Kosovo and South Korea.

His service has additionally afforded him time and support to obtain a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts and complete several military education courses, including Ranger School and the Joint Special Operations Forces Senior Enlisted Academy.

More than three decades later, Hester still enjoys “being around Soldiers, having something really meaningful to do each and every day.”

“That has given me a lot of personal purpose and personal satisfaction,” he said.

The chance to solve complex problems and inspire others is also a great motivator.

“I don’t think that there’s anything better than the opportunity to figure out how to inspire other people around you to get after a common challenge, a common goal, and I think that’s one of the things the Army does best.”

Hester’s service has enabled his wife of 28 years and their two sons to live in locations around the country, making multiple friendships, encountering new experiences and building resilience along the way.

“For my family, it’s been a good thing,” Hester said of Army life.

His son decided to pursue military service as well, joining the generations of his family – including Hester’s father, grandfather and great-grandfather – who served before him.

“I am super proud of my family heritage, and super proud of my son for serving also,” Hester said.

Hester encourages individuals who may just be starting out in their careers to consider “serving something larger than yourself – as a service member or as a teacher or as a doctor or as a youth coach or a pastor – or finding a way to give back to your community in a meaningful way.”

He sees the Army as an ideal path for many, given the multitude of opportunities, career pathways and experiences it offers.

“I think it’s a great way to start as a young person; even if you’re 30 years old, I consider that to be a young person,” Hester said. “I think that there’s also those folks out there that are looking for a change in their life; the Army’s a great place to make a change, to find something new.”

“If you come into the Army with the thought that ‘I’m going to make this opportunity for me the best that I can make it,’ I am 100% sure that your time serving in the Army will be meaningful to you and your family.”

“If you don’t know if the Army is the right place for you, you should talk to a recruiter,” he added.

“I’d almost guarantee you that there’s going to be a fantastic opportunity, should you choose to join the Army and be part of our team.”

By Maureena Thompson, Army Futures Command