Military readiness requires commitment, discipline Published April 13, 2010 By Col. Gary Chesley 86th Civil Engineer Group commander RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany -- Military readiness requires commitment and discipline. Commitment to contingency operations among members of the Kaiserslautern Military Community is incredible. I'm amazed at the commitment demonstrated by our military members, their families, and the thousands of American and German employees throughout the KMC. Deployed operations require a special kind of commitment, one that requires us to deploy repeatedly, sometimes to the same location again and again. I'm reminded of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's short story, "The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb." In this adventure, the legendary detective, Sherlock Holmes and his assistant, Doctor Watson, encounter a hydraulic engineer that just had his thumb chopped off by a brutal Berkshire counterfeiter. Despite the loss of blood, and his thumb, the engineer knew he must accompany Sherlock Holmes back to the scene of the crime to solve the mystery. Our military members have deployed many times back to the same locations to accomplish the mission. Those actions demonstrate your commitment to the mission and military readiness. Discipline is a second component of military readiness. Professional militaries require a disciplined approach to their standards. Our standards must be uniformly known, consistently applied, and non-selectively enforced to ensure our effectiveness. Discrimination, harassment, assault, and unprofessional relationships are all failures in discipline that keep us from reaching our maximum potential. If we simply treat others the way we wish to be treated, unwavering professionalism and good order and discipline will result. Disciplined military readiness, however, does not discount compassionate leadership. Good leaders know and care for their teammates, mentor, reward performance, and are straightforward with correction. They maintain their objectivity and never compromise their ability to lead. Disciplined leaders maintain good situational awareness by knowing who to follow, what the rules are, and what is expected. I'm honored and privileged to serve in the KMC and I'm thankful for the disciplined commitment to military readiness demonstrated by each of you.