Just what does a battalion S-3 do all day? Maj. Ukiah Senti is glad you asked
According to Maj. Ukiah Senti, in Afghanistan, this is the life of an Army battalion S-3, or operations officer, when engaged in combat operations: "A typical day as an S-3 is that you’re working probably good 20-hour days, 99 percent of the time. There was a lot of decision-making that weighs heavily on your in ...
According to Maj. Ukiah Senti, in Afghanistan, this is the life of an Army battalion S-3, or operations officer, when engaged in combat operations: "A typical day as an S-3 is that you're working probably good 20-hour days, 99 percent of the time. There was a lot of decision-making that weighs heavily on your in terms of life and death decisions in terms of bombs and supporting units. At any given time you have five different fights and you have to decide who is going to get the access if you only have two for the fight. That means three of the fights aren't going to get it. That's the kind of decision-making for the S-3."
In the same Army interview, Senti also gives a shoutout to my successor on the Pentagon bigthink beat at the Washington Post, Greg Jaffe, who recently wrote that fine article about a Marine suicide. (And then about the reversal that means the widow will get a life insurance payment.) Senti says that young Jaffe "is probably one of the best writers and the least biased writer that's out there...He writes something and it really does make an impact."
According to Maj. Ukiah Senti, in Afghanistan, this is the life of an Army battalion S-3, or operations officer, when engaged in combat operations: "A typical day as an S-3 is that you’re working probably good 20-hour days, 99 percent of the time. There was a lot of decision-making that weighs heavily on your in terms of life and death decisions in terms of bombs and supporting units. At any given time you have five different fights and you have to decide who is going to get the access if you only have two for the fight. That means three of the fights aren’t going to get it. That’s the kind of decision-making for the S-3."
In the same Army interview, Senti also gives a shoutout to my successor on the Pentagon bigthink beat at the Washington Post, Greg Jaffe, who recently wrote that fine article about a Marine suicide. (And then about the reversal that means the widow will get a life insurance payment.) Senti says that young Jaffe "is probably one of the best writers and the least biased writer that’s out there…He writes something and it really does make an impact."
More from Foreign Policy
Is Cold War Inevitable?
A new biography of George Kennan, the father of containment, raises questions about whether the old Cold War—and the emerging one with China—could have been avoided.
So You Want to Buy an Ambassadorship
The United States is the only Western government that routinely rewards mega-donors with top diplomatic posts.
Can China Pull Off Its Charm Offensive?
Why Beijing’s foreign-policy reset will—or won’t—work out.
Turkey’s Problem Isn’t Sweden. It’s the United States.
Erdogan has focused on Stockholm’s stance toward Kurdish exile groups, but Ankara’s real demand is the end of U.S. support for Kurds in Syria.
Sign up for Morning Brief
Foreign Policy’s flagship daily newsletter with what’s coming up around the world today. Delivered weekdays.
By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.
