MAJ Elliott Rogers served as the battalion operations officer in Kirkuk, Iraq during 2003 and 2004 and as the brigade operations officer in Kirkuk, Iraq during 2009 and 2010 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). In this March 2010 interview, MAJ Rogers discusses preparation for the initial invasion of Iraq, the immediate recognition of the need to change tactics and procedures based on the realities of this fight, and the effect of the change in operations on leadership. MAJ Rogers concludes his interview with the comment, "One of my goals here at the Command and General Staff College (CGSC) is to really focus on my leadership capability and the leadership capabilities of my subordinates. I really want to focus on the intellectual piece more than the knowledge piece. After 21 years of being a NCO and an officer, that leadership is not something you can get from a field manual (FM). You can't read about leadership; you actually have to get out and touch it and feel it."

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