army argumentative essay format

The Field Grade Leader

Organizational leadership in the us army, a case for mastering the humble argumentative essay.

There I wa s…I t was   201 3 , I was an aviation battalion S-3 in Afghanistan,  and  my boss had  just  given me  less than 24 hours to write an argumentative essay.  S omeone  at a higher  headquarters  wanted to redeploy one of our  aerial medical evacuation  (MEDEVAC)   helicopter companies   without  replac ing it .  My boss  believed  this  decision   would se vere ly impede MEDEVAC in  our area  of  operations  and   t he  division commander  agreed. He said he would take the issue to his boss  and asked us to provide a  short   paper summarizing  our  analysis and recommendation .  The writing fell to me. I  had  thought I ’ d left the argumentative essay behind two years earlier when I graduated from the  Command and General Staff College (CGSC) .  But once again, I found myself crafting a thesis , gathering evidence, and writing  an argument .  

Don ’ t raise your voice, improve your argument.

―   Desmond Tutu  

Reflecting  on this  and other  experience s ,  I realize d  that  argumentative writing is one of the most important skills   I learned at  CGSC .  The argumentative essay is a simple ,  yet powerful tool. It is writing an author uses to  convince  the reader of something. At its heart is the  thesis —a claim that the author wants the persuade the reader is true. To do so, the author presents  evidence —reasons that the reader should accept the author ’ s thesis. Evidence can be facts, logical arguments, data,  or  stories (like the one I used at the beginning of this essay to convince you of my thesis). Though argumentative writing is common in academia,  many overlook its practical  usefulness.   

For field grade officers, the  ability  to write well and persuade others is indispensable .  There are three reasons why. First, most field grade work involves persuading peers and seniors  rather than ordering around subordinates. Second, argumentative essays are everywhere in field grade life. Many routine  field grade  tasks are argumentative essays in disguise. Third, most field grades will serve on a general staff where persuasive writing will be vital to their success.  CGSC graduates shouldn ’ t abandon the argumentative essay . Instead,  they should aspire to master it.   

A rgumentation — whether  written or not— is   something  field grade officers   must  do well .  C aptains succeed by leading Soldiers they outrank ,   but  majors  succeed by influencing those they do not.  Recommending a course of  action , for example,  requires  a field grade officer  to  convince   a commander  that the unit should do something (thesis) based on  a  staff analysis (evidence).  Battalion S-3s and XOs  create opportunities b y   persuading  their peers  to work together,  influencing  the brigade to push back on a task,  or   convincing  the  division  to allocate  training   resources .  Moreover,  email is the primary way much  of this field grade work gets done , and  commanders  pay attention  to how well their officers write .  Field grades who can  deliver a compelling argument  have a  crucial advantage   over those who cannot.  

Another  reason  to master  this tool  is that  m any f ield grade tasks are  a r g u mentative  essays in disg uise.  Award writing is a good exampl e . Award recommendations are  nothing more than argumentative essay s . The r ecommender  argues  that  someone  should receive an award (thesis ) and   gives  reasons why  the approval authority should  agree  (evidence).  F ield grade leaders routinely write letters of recommenda tion for subordinates  competing for  nominative positions , applying to  graduate school, or transition ing  to civilian  jobs .  The writer  argue s  that an organization should accept or hire  a person (thesis) and provides reasons why (evidence).   E valuation reports  are the most impactful  argumentative essays  that  field grade officers write .  R aters and senior raters  advise  boards  whether  a Soldier should be promoted (thesis) and  why the Soldier ’ s performance  and potential  justif y  that recommendation (evidence) .  

A final reason for mastering the argumentative essay is that persuasive  writing is  vital for success  on a general staff .  P ersonal interactions between general officers and those they senior rate are infrequent.   Con sequently, f i eld grade officers ’  reputation s   are  based  main ly on thei r writing skills—for better or worse .   Moreover, s enior leaders rarely have time to read  l engthy  staff products ,  so   staff officers  must  write with   concision and clarity .   The  MEDEVAC  essay  I  wrote for my division commander   in Afghanistan  was two pages .  A three-star I worked for  preferred  single-page information papers.  I once  drafted   a  recommendation  for  a  four-star  commander  to send  to  the  Army c hief of  s taff.  My  boss told me to   “ keep it at the four-star level , ”  which  mean t  I had  to make an argument in three to  four   sentences .   

I expect this year’s CGSC graduates will have similar experiences. Accordingly,  I advise  them to build on the  argumentative writing foundations laid at CGSC .   There are three ways to  do this .  First,   write   often .  Contributing to  the   professional  discourse  in journals and online forums is a  great way to hone writing skills while  adding   to  our  professional body of knowledge. Second,   read   widely .  Good writers  are avid readers because it exposes them to  effective  (and not-so-effective) writing. Finally ,   study   writing and  argumentation .   I recommend the following resources  to start :  

• Effective argumentation blends  clear  thinking , logic, and reasoning.   Oxford Guide to Effective Argument and Critical Thinking   Oxford Guide  covers all three .   
• The Elements of Styl e, Fourth Edition   is a staple  writing guide, but I  also recommend  The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century .   
• There are   excellent  resources  on the internet  as well,  including  this video   of Steven Pinker, author of  The Sense of Style .    
• M ost  universities host online writing labs . Among the best are  Purdue  University ,   Excelsior College , and  the  University of Toronto .   Importantly,  online writing labs  cater to  students ,  not professionals.  To understand how professional writing differs from student writing,  I recommend  this video  from the University of Chicago.  

To the  CGSC class of 2020 , I say congratulations!  M any of you  may be  looking forward to leaving the argumentative essay behind .  To be sure, you are finished with  academic  essays (for now, at least).  But writing and arguing  will be  essential   to  your success as a field grade leader . Rather than   abandoning the argumentative essay at graduation ,  I hope you  instead resolve to master it .    

Lieutenant Colonel Trent J. Lythgoe   is an  Army  Aviation Officer  and  Assistant Professor at the  U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. He is pursuing a Ph.D. in Political Science at the University of Kansas.