Military Review English Edition March-April 2015 | Page 35

SPECIAL ASSISTANT

(Photo by Darby Campbell, Middle Tennessee State University)

Col. James P. Isenhower III, left, director of Warrior and Family Support and special assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
talks with Brig. Gen. Christopher Burns, assistant vice commander, U.S. Special Operations Command, Washington Office, and Lt. Gen.
William “Bill” Phillips, military deputy and director, U.S. Army Acquisition Corps, after the spring commissioning ceremony 9 May 2014 in
the Tom H. Jackson Building’s Cantrell Hall at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Assignment: Special
Assistant to the
Commander
Col. Thomas P. Galvin, U.S. Army, Retired

I

f you are or will be serving (especially for the first
time) in a higher headquarters—such as service
component command, combatant command,
service staff, or joint staff—it is likely that you will be
assigned to or collaborating with something called a
commander’s action group (CAG). These are also known
as commander’s initiatives groups, commander’s special
studies groups, or special assistants groups. If you are
MILITARY REVIEW  March-April 2015

assigned to one, you may carry the duty title of special
assistant (SA), and your duty description will likely
be broad and vague. Additionally, if you are like most
first-timers in a CAG, you probably will have heard
little to nothing about them in prior assignments.
Yet, in today’s military, CAGs are very common
and play important roles in the handling of routine
informational needs of senior military leaders. Once
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