In an ongoing effort to strengthen its bond with the men and women of the U.S. Army, the Army football team will hold its annual Black/Gold Game at Fort Benning's Doughboy Stadium on March 9. The event begins at 2 p.m.

"It's something we're anxious to do," Army Head Coach Rich Ellerson said. "It makes too much sense. As spring football games have become a little bit more of a media event, it's a chance for us to showcase the program and articulate that connection with the U.S. Army. Maj. Gen. (Bob) Brown (the Fort Benning commanding general) shares that vision as well. It will be a great experience for us and hopefully for the folks at Fort Benning. It's a first-time thing. We had to get an exception from the NCAA, but it makes sense given the institutional relationships. We'll see where it leads us."

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The success of a mission, deployment or career often depends on relations with local nationals, coalition partners and subordinates. If they become disengaged, operations can go crashing down.

Perhaps no Army organization values the power of persuasion like the West Point Negotiation Project, a group that is changing the way cadets and soldiers communicate -- often by teaching techniques that fly in the face of traditional Army bravado.

"Oftentimes [soldiers] approach things from typical, traditional, positional bargaining, where we argue over our positions, stick out our chests a little bit [and] get frustrated with the other person if they don’t want to give in," said Maj. Zach Mundell '99, co-director of the project.

"Much better" results, he said, come from an approach foreign to many soldiers: Taking a step back to understand someone else's side and agreeing on a course of action that fits both parties' constraints.

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Watch video of cadets using these skills in their Cadet Leader Development Training

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