Serving as an Army Army Aide-de-Camp is one of those make you or break you jobs. It’s a good job to have, if you are successful in the position, but it’s definitely not for everyone.
In the Army, General Officer’s get an Aide-de-Camp to assist them and make their life easier. The rank and number or the aides assigned is based upon the General Officer’s rank.
Here’s the typical breakdown:
- Brigadier Generals have a Lieutenant
- Major Generals have a Captain
- Lieutenant Generals have a Major, Captain and Lieutenant
- Generals have a Lieutenant Colonel, Major and Captain Aide
- The Army Chief of Staff typically has 1 Colonel, 1 Lieutenant Colonel and 1 Major
General’s have the right to choose their own aides.
Sample Army Aide-de-Camp Job Description
# 1 Serves as Aide-de-Campe to the Commanding General of the 183rd Airborne Division. Responsible for planning social events, assisting the General in personal matters, planning travel, and completing special tasks as requested by the General. Supervises the General’s staff to include 1 other Officer, 2 NCOs and 2 civilians.
# 2 Serves as Aide-de-Campe to the Assistant Division Commander (Maneuver) of the 37th Cavalry Division. Responsible for handling all correspondence, providing security to the General, performing routine activities, preparing trip itineraries, coordinating protocol events, and other tasks as assigned by the General. Supervise one other Officer, 3 NCOs and 2 civilians.
*** Please keep in mind that these are just some draft job descriptions I made up. You can add to them or modify them however you see fit.
Sample Aide-de-Camp Duties and Responsibilities
Aide-de-Camps have a wide variety of duties and responsibilities. Here are a few of the things you will need to do for the General.
- Providing Security for the General
- Perform routing activities to save the General time
- Prepare and organize calendars and schedules
- Prepare trip itineraries
- Coordinate protocol activities
- Serve as the Executive Assistant
- Meet and host visitors
- Supervise additional staff members
- Performing varied duties, according to the General’s desires
- Other tasks include email management, preparing and reviewing correspondence, assisting with social functions, planning travel, greeting visitors, bartender, secretary, diplomat, caterer, author, map reader, mind reader, promotions, and vehicle support
The bottom line is that you have to be the Jack of All Trades to be successful. Every General Officer has a different personality and different expectations about what their aide will or will not do.
What you should do is talk to the previous aide-de-camp and ask the General what they expect of you. After you’ve worked for the General for a few months, you should have things pretty much figured out.
Tips for Success as an Army Aide-de-Camp
# 1 Understand Your Role
First and foremost, you must know your role. You must understand that job is to do whatever the General asks so you can make their life easier. Your job is to serve the General and take care of them. I suggest you ask the General what they want you to do and what they expect of you. Every General is different, so don’t try to read their mind when you first start the job.
# 2 Be Humble
You have to humble yourself if you want to succeed in the job. As a commissioned officer, you might not be used to wining and dining someone. You might not be used to doing personal things for people you work for. You might even think you are “too good” to do some of the tasks you are being asked to do. Humble yourself or you will not survive in this job.
# 3 Be a Sponge
Serving as an Aide-de-Camp is a rare opportunity. One of the greatest aspects of the job is the things you will be exposed to. You will be around other Senior Officers and NCOs. You will learn new ideas. You will learn how the “big” decisions are made. You will see how the “big Army” works. These are all once in a lifetime experiences that you should cherish and soak up.
# 4 Network with Everyone You Can
You will meet some of the Army’s movers and shakers while you are in the job. Do what you can to form good professional relationships with each person you meet. These relationships can really excel your career. Network with other Generals and other aides. Build up a solid network that will benefit you through your military career. Be nice to everyone you meet and try to make a good first impression.
# 5 Never make the General Look Bad
Your # 1 priority is to NEVER put the General in a position where you make them look bad. Make sure they are never late. Make sure you never speak for the General unless specifically told to do so. Never speak off record or try to tell someone what you think the General is thinking.
# 6 Always Make the General Your Top Priority
During your one to two years in the job, you have to always place the General as your number one priority. All of your personal ambitions should be put on hold. Your job is to make the General successful. Make them successful and you will be successful.
# 7 Maintain Your Discipline and Professional Appearance
You represent the General at all times. You must stay in shape, be highly disciplined and maintain your military bearing at all times. Don’t think that you wear the General’s rank. Treat other people well and be a professional at all times.
Aide-de-Camp Stories
I had a website visitor send me some personal stories of his time as an aide-de-camp. I’ll keep his name private to protect his identity. He did give me permission to post these stories to my website.
Story #1:
I’d been at Fort Bliss for a year when a new General arrived and wanted to keep the troops on their toes. He wanted weekly facility inspections starting with an unannounced visit to the most obscure unit under his command.
That facility was located about 50 miles out in the middle of the desert. When we got there it looked just like Ft. Apache.
We walked straight to the flag pole and stood at attention waiting for someone to greet us. Cars were suddenly flying down desert roads, men were running around grabbing hats and stuffing in shirts and there we stood, at attention, in the sun, waiting.
Finally a Sergeant showed up and showed us around. As we got out of the staff car on our return, the General casually mentioned I should have the responsible Colonel in his office immediately.
I couldn’t tell that condemned officer anything as I escorted him to the General’s office and shut the door. I still remember the yelling. I could have made a lot of money in bribes from a lot of Colonels after that.
Story #2:
One of the functions I had was the lead in the reception line at official functions. It was my job to introduce each officer and his escort.
Before my Aide assignment I had trouble with a particular Captain, when he appeared in front of me for the first time I got brain lock, the General gave me a funny look and took over.
By the way, remember those inspections in Story#1? That Captain got more than his share. Another thing I’ve never admitted before, I always diluted the General’s drinks (he wasn’t a drinker anyway).
Story#3:
The General was going to retire soon and gave me orders to find him a sports car to tinker with. I found him a nicely used MGA.
On our last visit to McGregor range for a firing demonstration, he showed up in his MGA instead of the staff car and off we went, waving nicely as we passed through the very familiar (to us) guard station at the range.
I don’t think we got 50 yards before being surrounded by MPs. I still remember the MP captain tipping his hat and asking if we could please stop at the gate next time.
Final Thoughts
Serving as an Aide-de-Camp can be a good career move, if you do well in the job. It’s one of the toughest and most demanding jobs in the Army, and it’s definitely not for everyone.
That being said, the job can really help you establish a strong professional network, plus you can learn a lot about the “big picture Army” that can prepare you for future assignments.
In the Active Duty Army, if you want to make it to the top ranks, you want to spend time as an Aide-de-Camp. In the USAR and ARNG, it’s not as important for upward mobility.
Just remember that while you are in the position, your job is to make the General successful. Your own personal agenda is irrelevant.
On a side note, if you’ve ever served as an Aide-de-Camp in the Army, I would love to hear from you. Please share your thoughts and best success tips by leaving a comment below.
Chuck Holmes
Former Army Major (resigned)
Publisher, Part-Time-Commander.com
Email: mrchuckholmes@gmail.com
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I have in the job for about 8 months now. Very expectant and up for the task to acquaint myself with the roles and my boss. It hasn’t been rosy at all. My roles being usurped by the Military Assistant and then the soldiers in the escort detail claiming they understand the boss better. Knowing what kind of friction it could cause and the boss showing alot of trust with them or probably not taking interest in what is happening I respectfully step aside to let things flow the way they are. Whenever they get stuff they come to me for guidance or even my boss calling me and instructing me to act where he knows my expertise and abilities are as well as connections within other staff officers. Which makes feel like perhaps there is something going on that they wish I shouldn’t know about.
Hello, I have been ADC for several Head of State of the Cook islands for the past 15 years. In fact I served under five Head of States and am still holding onto the role today. I have read earlier comments of those above who has played the role and I agree to their experience.
HUMBLE AND PATIENCE are a key component. Knowing your role is very important and allowing flexibility at all times. Bear in mind in any international travel, The Head of State is your sole responsibility over his safety, or should I say his life.
Like other comments highlighted above, it’s not a job that should be taken lightly and a certainly a very tiring job. Travelling to international countries has been a hard experience where protocol differs, hence my comment of flexibility to be adopted.
Yes, this is a role where choices or appointments to be made is to be clear, right person and the process of selection to be transparent and with the right attitude. I’m a Police Commission Officer and with the wide experience, passion, integrity, loyalty experience became an added value to my career and also with the saying “been there, done it” actually made the Head of States of my country kept me in the role.
It is also their option to choose their own ADC. This is my two cents contribution.
Being the Aide-de-Camp sounds like a lot of work and not for the feint of heart. Being well-organized, calm, deadline oriented, and can-do attitude is a must! You would definitely need to be a sponge and keep your ear to the ground for any eventualities. Joseph Moore – thank you for sharing your experiences. It is a peek into your character but like many things – if you do your job well and network smart opportunities will surely become available for people with your skill set.
Certain personality types do much better in this job than others. It takes a strong person to be an aide-de-camp. You are basically someone’s servant, at their beck and call. The rewards are huge if you thrive in the job. The people you meet and network with can change your career for the better. It’s one of those love or hate jobs. I couldn’t be an aide-de-camp, but I do respect anyone who has done this job before.
I would think that being an aide-de-camp would be a smart move. Of course, the attitude of the Officer you are an aide to can make the job easy or very hard. I guess in no ways will it be easy, but easier if you are dealing with a good personality. I think anyone who is offered this position should jump right on it. Great post sir.
It’s an important job, but definitely not for everyone. If you are offered a job as an Aide-de-Camp, I would not turn it down. However, based on my personality, I would not “seek out” the position either.
This job would be a great exercise in learning what your strengths and weaknesses are, which most of us could use more insight into. I bet we would be surprised by what we ended up being good at. A job like this would be a great challenge.
Yes, Candace. Working as an Aide-de-Camp would definitely be a great challenge. Some people would thrive in that type of environment. Others would be miserable 24/7. Either way, you would learn a lot of valuable leadership and career lessons by spending a year or two working closely with a seasoned General.
Sir,
I just finished a one year assignment as an Aide-de-camp to the Assistant Division Commander (Support) for the 35th Infantry Division (consists of Soldiers from Illinois, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska). I absolutely enjoyed every bit of my experience. Exposure at a Division level in the National Guard was extraordinarily developmental for my future career as an officer.
Like you mentioned it is a tough job and many people I talked to told me they didn’t want my job. I on the other hand, took great satisfaction in the knowledge that my General was well cared for, was well informed, and had every opportunity to complete all required tasks without delays. I think the three biggest things that I learned were coordination, communication, and networking.
I spent many drill weekends getting to know my fellow aides and sharing a mutual plan on how to tackle the IDT drill matrix and training schedule for the Generals. My Division had a Commanding General and his aide a Captain, the two Assistant Division Commanders of Maneuver and Support, and their two aides, myself and another First Lieutenant.
We spent most of our time running around coordinating with the Division Staff for meetings and ensuring the intent was being met on all tasks, and relaying that information back to the Command Group. We communicated everything with the Secretary of the General Staff (basically the aide for the Chief of Staff) who was an M-Day Major and his counterpart the full-time SGS, an AGR Warrant Officer.
Everything we did was mutually supportive. If the SGS needed something we would offer our assistance, because more likely than not it affected our Generals in some manner. Lastly, the networking piece was huge in our Division. A majority of the Soldiers come from Kansas and Missouri and each state works well moving officers into key positions through inter-state transfers, so making a lasting impression on any of the Division Staff could send ripples through your career for years to come.
I would say that you really can’t compare this type of duty to anything else, but if you put forth your best effort, it can be a very rewarding opportunity that opens doors for your future career even in the National Guard.
Joseph
Joseph,
Thanks for sharing your experience as an Aide-de-Camp. It sounds like you had a great time and learned a lot. Good luck with your career!
Chuck
Joseph, your experience sounds great, and like you learned a lot. What a great opportunity to better yourself, and to learn something way above your level. Not everyone gets to do a job like this.
You gave us all some great information here Joseph; thank you. I can see where being an Aide-De-Camp would not only be great for your Army career, but also for many civilian positions after a person leaves the service of our country. I commend you Joseph on handling such a difficult, but satisfying position. I highly recommend that any officer who wants to really gain points in their job, take an Aide-De-Camp position.
Chuck, what a wonderful article. I think you hit the nail on the head. One of my friends has been an aide-de-camp for a BG in Arkansas. She has really enjoyed the experience and is a very professional, great Soldier and officer. I got to see a little bit of what the TAGs XO and staff get to do when I worked at the military department. They were always busy, responsible for a lot of tasks, and ready to jump when needed. But, they worked hard for him and teamwork was key to be successful.
I’m glad your friend enjoyed being an Aide-de-Camp. Of all my friends and peers who have done it, it was about a 50-50 split for people who liked it and people who hated it. It can be a very humbling experience to basically be someone’s servant. I myself don’t think I could have done the job, but others love it. And if you do a good job at it, you can really launch your career.
I agree. I always said, I wouldn’t mind working at the pentagon and pouring someone coffee. Think of all the baristas that would love to make my pay for doing that ;) I kid, I kid.
But I think it would be a rewarding experience, and humbling, I agree. I already got a taste of it working for a colonel, and I handled the job well. I think I would like being an aide-de-camp.