Success often depends on the effectiveness of the commander and his or her company. While many factors can contribute to the success of a commander and his or her team, some of the most critical include communication, adaptability, and capacity for interpersonal relationships.
One commander who exemplifies these qualities is Cpt. Levy Ulanday, Alpha battery commander for 2nd Battalion, 11th Field Artillery Regiment, 25th Division Artillery. Under Cpt. Ulanday’s leadership, the battery has achieved remarkable success in the recently concluded Exercises Salaknib and Balikatan between Filipino and U.S. soldiers.
One of the key factors that contributed to Cpt. Ulanday’s success is his ability to communicate effectively with his team, joint forces such as the U.S. Marine Corps and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Cpt. Ulanday was born and raised in the Philippines making Filipino his first language. He later moved to the United States and was commissioned into the U.S. Army as a Field Artillery Officer in 2016.
Cpt. Ulanday’s heritage allowed him to connect and communicate easily with his Philippine Army counterparts. He was successful in fostering mutual understanding between both countries, especially in informing local communities and media on U.S. Army and Philippine Army messaging as well as subject matter expert exchanges (SMEEs) with his AFP counterparts. During Salaknib and Balikatan, Cpt. Ulanday and his battery also supported combined live fires, air assault exercises, gun raid live fire operations, and sling load operations, among other missions. He demonstrated that we can all work together, cross-communicating and inter-operating despite the diverse range of services Operation Pathways involves.
Photos and story from Cpt. Stacey M. Lasay, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Officer, 25th Infantry Division, U.S. Army Pacific