Squadron Deputy Commander ( at encampment)

[HGCdt]

What fully does this Job entail (besides what is already stated in the 20-1)? What suggestions do past Deputy Commanders have to add? What activities for morale would you do for your squadron?

Cheers,

[Briski]

All right, you asked for it!  In no particular order...

1. You are the link between your Squadron Commander and the Flight Commanders.  Just like a First Sergeant mentors and advises the Flight Sergeants, you mentor and advise the Flight Commanders.

2. You ARE your Sq/CC to your Flt/CCs.  You need to get to know your Sq/CC pretty well.  Every time your Sq/CC passes down a policy to you, ask for the reasoning behind it.  You need to understand his/her goals, thought process and philosophies in order to confidently make decisions when your Squadron Commander isn't around.  It will also allow you to explain the reason for certain policies to the Flight Commanders.

3. Always be "out in the field" with your flights.  Don't breathe down your Flt/CCs necks, but you need to be extremely easy for them to access if they need anything.  You can work on other things, but they need to know that you're essentially ready and waiting to support them as they lead their flights.

4. Don't micromanage your Flt/CCs.  This is one of the hugest temptations in leadership at the squadron level.  For instance, if your Flight Staff can't drill their flights, don't just take over for them.  Take the time to teach them how to do it properly.  That's your job.  If you're doing their jobs, two things happen: A) You can't do your job; B) You rob your Flight Staff of extremely valuable hands-on leadership training.  Absolutely correct them when they're wrong and teach them the right way, but don't just take over for them.

5. Your relationship with the Basic Cadets should be limited.  Introduce yourself to them at the beginning of the week, give them a brief overview of your job, and leave it at that.  I had my Flight Staff build me up to be some monster from the beginning.  Just little comments like, "You really don't want to tick off our Squadron XO."  At one point, I heard one of my Flt/CCs and his Flt/Sgt talking to their flight.  The CO said, "If this is an issue again, we will not be addressing it. Our Squadron Executive Officer will deal with it!"  His Flt/Sgt chimed in, "That is not a happy thought!  My superior officer's superior officer!"  I only chewed the squadron out once the entire week.  It was effective.  The Flight Staff didn't have to deal with that issue the rest of the week.

6. Open door policies rarely work.  You need to actively seek out your Flt/CCs to see if they have any problems you can help them with.  I had no idea until Thursday evening that a couple of my Flight Staff members had been having trouble with one of their Basics and his attitude.  It was a huge surprise to me when they brought that problem up the chain of command.  If I had sought them out and asked specifically, "Are you having trouble with any of your Basics?" - as opposed to simply waiting for them to bring it to me - I could have made their jobs a lot easier by offering them advice and guidance earlier in the week.

7. If there are any behavioral issues with your Flight Staff, you need to get on it.  Lay the smacketh down.  Don't just jump on them in front of their Basics, but deal with the issue pronto.  Basically, if there's a problem with the Flight Staff, you need to be dealing with it before your Sq/CC realizes there is an issue.

The position of Sq/CD at an Encampment is an excellent one.  Honestly, I was a little disappointed last year when I got Sq/XO instead of Flt/CC.  There's just something cool about being the most easily accessible Cadet Officer to 15 or so Basics who may or may not have a good example of a professional Cadet Officer at their home units.  But you know what?  You have an extremely special job as well: you get to directly influence four flight staff members, who will be directly influencing a total of 30 or so Basic Cadets!  What an incredible responsibility that is!  You set the example for the people who are setting the example.

I hope this helps.  Let me know if I need to clarify any of it.

[whatevah]

out of curiosity, how big is your encampment?  I'm guess you must have a Squadron-hierachy instead of Wing.

At Tri-Wing, we run 4 squadrons with 50 trainees each, 25 trainees per flight.  each squadron has two flight commanders, two flight sergeants, a first sergeant and a squadron commander. There's no need for a Squadron Deputy Commander in our setup.

at the Wing level (aka Encampment) there is the Encampment Cadet Commander, Cadet Deputy Commander, Cadet Executive Officer (with a pretty large staff) and Cadet Command Chief (aka Encampment First Sergeant).

[HGCdt]

Alright, what manuals and such would one suggest to have one hand, carrying around throughout the day? I want to put a binder together to carry with me, any suggestions as what to put in it?

[Slim]

Alright, what manuals and such would one suggest to have one hand, carrying around throughout the day? I want to put a binder together to carry with me, any suggestions as what to put in it?

How about....none?  At that level, your knowledge of the applicable regs and manuals should be intimate.  Besides, why do you want to have to lug around a binder all day?  Not to mention keeping track of the darn thing?  At best, a small notepad that will fit into a pocket should be good enough for jotting down notes and such.

If you insist on lugging a binder around with you, I would recommend:  Drill & ceremonies manual, uniform manual, encampment SOP/SOI, and maybe a photocopy of CAPR 52-16, chapter 5. 

If you're so inclined, those pubs are the ones that have the most bearing on an encampment, and having the reference right there at your fingertips is a good thing.  However, I've always encouraged cadets to "Know their stuff" rather than have to drag the references around everywhere you go.  For some deep, personal reason, I've always been irked that a big binder or metal cop clipboard is an even better position identifier than a hat.

[Pace]

I respectfully disagree.  Knowing your stuff is important, but being able to back it up on the spot is just as important IMO.

Bring all of those manuals, regs, etc. that Maj Freytag listed plus the entire CAPR 52-16.  Depending on your encampment, you may also want Volume 1 of the new leadership manual and CAPP 52-18 (Cadet Physical Fitness Program).

If you're new to the position (as in never held a position like this before), you may also want to keep a copy of your job description on hand until you get into the swing of things.

[Briski]

I have to respectfully disagree with Maj Freytag, as well.  While you absolutely need to know your stuff, it's more important to know how to find the answer and be able to find it than it is to know the answer yourself.

You're a human.  You're going to have more responsibilities than you do in your normal, every day life, and probably on less sleep than you're used to functioning on.  You're going to forget things.  One of the nice things about Encampment is being able to kill myths and legends, and it's really hard to do that when one doesn't have the answer right there.

Sure, you should know the basics like the back of your hand, but you should also have the resources you need to be able to look something up just in case.  I like to think that I know a lot about customs & courtesies, drill and uniforms, but I can't tell you how many times I sat in the back of a classroom looking stuff up in my D&C manual again.  It was not that I didn't know the information, but that I wanted to double check myself before correcting my Flight Staff.

As a Squadron Deputy, it's your job to ensure that the Flight Commanders are doing their jobs.  They are in charge of planning this kind of training for their flights, and you can be an extra set of eyes and ears to ensure the training they plan is executed correctly.

But then again, Maj Freytag has a staggering amount of experience when you try to compare it to mine, so I could definitely be missing something here.

[Greg]

As Cadet Commander of the NJWG Encampment this year, I'm spending a pretty penny to get a clipboard with a compartment to keep the relevent manuals and regulations at my side.  Not only will that provide me with a resource should i not know an answer, but it will also give me the opportunity to quote 100% accurately from the publication and actually physically show somebody where they might be wrong.

[Slim]

I guess it all depends on what you think of as the basics.  What type of questions do you think you're going to have to answer?  "Sir, how far up does my cutout go?"  "What foot do I pivot on for a right flank?"  "Where does my toothbrush go on the shelf?"  If a cadet officer (or NCO) can't answer those questions without hesitation, then there are bigger problems.  How many basic cadets are going to want to know where the guide should post for a "Squadrons in column" formation?  I'm not saying you don't need the manuals, I'm just saying you don't (or shouldn't) need to have a caddy to carry them around all day. 

Your average, run-of-the-mill questions should be common knowledge.  If a discussion on something ensues among the staff, referring to the appropriate manual at a later time is appropriate.  Even during staff training, we tell people to refer to the manual if there is a question, but once the basic cadets show up, you should strive to convince them that you are the most technically, tactically proficient leader they have ever seen.  If you have to look up the answer to every little question, that's not happening.

Back in the day, I served as both a flight sergeant and flight commander without having to carry around a clipbard full of manuals and regs.  Sure, I got grief for it from my peers, but all I ever carried (and still do) is a small, 3x5 notebook in a cordura nylon case that fits in a cargo pocket, with schedules and other essential documents folded up inside it.