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The Army Professional Forums recently reached 250,000 members.
The 250,000th member was Staff Sgt. Matthew Taylor, a counter-improvised explosive device instructor from Fort Polk, La. Taylor said he joined to ensure that his unit “was tracking the most current trends, TTPs, and equipment used in the C-IED fight.”
The Army Professional Forums began in 2004 with four officers who were preparing to assume command of companies and wanted to learn lessons from those who had gone before them. This marked the beginning of CompanyCommand.com. At nearly the same time, a group of noncommissioned officers began a forum to share online with each other at SquadLeader.com. Both forums were gifted to the Army.
Since then, the forums have grown by an average of 30 percent every year. Other forums have been started to assist even more Soldiers and answer the needs of the Army. Today there are more than 50 forums that offer Soldiers of all ranks and professions a secure way to exchange ideas and information to grow personally and professionally.
In September 2010, the Battle Command Knowledge System Professional Forums were transferred from BCKS to the Center for Army Lessons Learned. The power of peer-to-peer learning provided by the forums is now coupled with the thoroughly analyzed and captured knowledge of CALL. Providing a link to the Request for Information system and the Army Lessons Learned Information System has enriched and expanded CALL’s extensive database, enabling the organization to not only respond to individual Soldiers, but also reach a potential 250,000 professionals worldwide.
The Army Professional Forums have also grown in their ability and capabilities to better assist both the Operating and Generating Forces to exchange knowledge within the Army. With more than 250,000 Soldiers and civilians voluntarily participating in the professional forums, the flow of Army knowledge from those Soldiers who have it to those Soldiers who need it has greatly improved.
The overarching mission of the Army Professional Forums is to support the online generation, application, management and exploitation of Army knowledge to foster collaboration. Soldiers and units share expertise, experience, best practices and lessons, which are rapidly disseminated back to the Soldiers who need it. Furthermore, the Army Professional Forums facilitate leader development and intuitive decision making as well as support the development of organizations and teams.
The enemy is very adaptable and shares best practices and lessons at the speed of cellular phones and e-mails. The Army must be at least as fast, if not faster, than them. The 250,000 professional forum members, working in unison with CALL’s rapid adaptation abilities, have provided a tool that has become very difficult for adversaries to keep up with, helping Soldiers stay ahead of enemies in the learning war.
Soldiers who are not members of the Army Professional Forums can join at https://forums.army.mil.
The Army Professional Forums recently reached 250,000 members.
The 250,000th member was Staff Sgt. Matthew Taylor, a counter-improvised explosive device instructor from Fort Polk, La. Taylor said he joined to ensure that his unit “was tracking the most current trends, TTPs, and equipment used in the C-IED fight.”
The Army Professional Forums began in 2004 with four officers who were preparing to assume command of companies and wanted to learn lessons from those who had gone before them. This marked the beginning of CompanyCommand.com. At nearly the same time, a group of noncommissioned officers began a forum to share online with each other at SquadLeader.com. Both forums were gifted to the Army.
Since then, the forums have grown by an average of 30 percent every year. Other forums have been started to assist even more Soldiers and answer the needs of the Army. Today there are more than 50 forums that offer Soldiers of all ranks and professions a secure way to exchange ideas and information to grow personally and professionally.
In September 2010, the Battle Command Knowledge System Professional Forums were transferred from BCKS to the Center for Army Lessons Learned. The power of peer-to-peer learning provided by the forums is now coupled with the thoroughly analyzed and captured knowledge of CALL. Providing a link to the Request for Information system and the Army Lessons Learned Information System has enriched and expanded CALL’s extensive database, enabling the organization to not only respond to individual Soldiers, but also reach a potential 250,000 professionals worldwide.
The Army Professional Forums have also grown in their ability and capabilities to better assist both the Operating and Generating Forces to exchange knowledge within the Army. With more than 250,000 Soldiers and civilians voluntarily participating in the professional forums, the flow of Army knowledge from those Soldiers who have it to those Soldiers who need it has greatly improved.
The overarching mission of the Army Professional Forums is to support the online generation, application, management and exploitation of Army knowledge to foster collaboration. Soldiers and units share expertise, experience, best practices and lessons, which are rapidly disseminated back to the Soldiers who need it. Furthermore, the Army Professional Forums facilitate leader development and intuitive decision making as well as support the development of organizations and teams.
The enemy is very adaptable and shares best practices and lessons at the speed of cellular phones and e-mails. The Army must be at least as fast, if not faster, than them. The 250,000 professional forum members, working in unison with CALL’s rapid adaptation abilities, have provided a tool that has become very difficult for adversaries to keep up with, helping Soldiers stay ahead of enemies in the learning war.
Soldiers who are not members of the Army Professional Forums can join at https://forums.army.mil.
