Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.

 

Justin interviews Major General (Ret.) Robert F. Whittle, Jr., RIMS Texas Keynote speaker, about his experience as Deputy Commanding General of Operations for U.S. Army North, responsible for homeland defense and coordination with civil authorities, about his experience with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its work in water resource management, and the lessons he can share for flood preparedness. Justin and Robert (Bob) discuss risk management training that engineers receive and how it applies to combat operations and domestic situations. Bob talks about building trust in different cultures. Finally, he shares some of what he will cover in his closing keynote on August 6th for the RIMS Texas Regional in San Antonio, Texas, from August 4th through 6th.

 

Listen to learn military lessons that apply to risk management in industry.

 

Key Takeaways:

[:01] About RIMS and RIMScast.

[:15] To our friends and RIMS members in Texas, it has been heartbreaking to witness the devastation caused by the floods in the Lone Star State.

[:23] Your RIMS community extends its heartfelt thoughts and wishes for your health, safety, and well-being during this challenging time.

[:30] The floods are a stark reminder of the critical role that risk professionals play in a crisis. The RIMS Hurricane and Storm Risk Management Resource Center offers several informative articles and resources about flood and storm preparedness and recovery.

[:45] As you navigate through your recovery efforts, please know that you have the support of RIMS. 

[:50] About this episode of RIMScast. Our guest today is Major General (Retired) Robert F. Whittle, Jr. He will be the closing keynote speaker at the RIMS Texas Regional Conference on August 6th. We will talk about his military career and flood risk and leadership.

[1:23 ] RIMScast is a proud nominee of the 20th Annual People’s Choice Podcast Awards. I’m hoping I can count on you to help us bring this win home! Vote by going to PodcastAwards.com and the link in this episode’s notes. 

[1:40 ] Sign up with your email, find RIMScast under Government and Organizations, and save your nomination. Every vote counts! Thank you so much for your support!

[1:50 ] RIMS-CRMP Workshops! The next Virtual RIMS-CRMP exam prep, co-hosted by Parima, will be held on September 2nd and 3rd.

[2:00 ] The next RIMS-CRMP-FED virtual workshop will be held on November 11th and 12th, in conjunction with George Mason University and led by Joseph Mayo. Links to these courses can be found on the Certification Page of RIMS.org and through this episode’s show notes.

[2:17 ] RIMS Virtual Workshops! We have a day-long course on July 24th, “Risk Taxonomy for Effective Risk Management.” On August 5th, we have a day-long course about “Emerging Risks.” [2:30 ] RIMS has launched a new course, “Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders.” This is a two-day course. The first two-day course will be held on August 12th and 13th and will be led by former RIMS President, Chris Mandel.

[2:45 ] The course will be held again on November 4th and 5th and will be led by Elise Farnham. RIMS members enjoy deep discounts!

[2:54 ] The full schedule of virtual workshops can be found on the RIMS.org/education and RIMS.org/education/online-learning pages. A link is also in this episode’s notes.

[3:05 ] If you tuned in to the recent episode featuring James Lam, you will know he is hosting a new six-module workshop for us, the “RIMS-CRO Certificate in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management”.

[3:19 ] The inaugural summer course is completely sold out! We are filled to the virtual capacity! Don’t worry, in the Fall, the bi-weekly course will begin on October 9th. Registration closes on October 2nd. A link is in this episode’s notes. Check it out and register today!

[3:38 ] Mark your calendars for November 17th and 18th for the RIMS ERM Conference 2025 in Seattle, Washington. The Call for Nominations for the ERM Award of Distinction has been distributed. There is a link in this episode’s show notes. The nomination deadline is August 16th.

[3:59 ] If your organization’s ERM program or one you know of has generated and retained value and led to the growth of your organization, consider nominating that ERM program and manager for the ERM Award of Distinction 2025.

[4:13 ] RISKWORLD 2026 will be in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 3rd through May 6th. RIMS members can now lock in the 2025 rate for a full conference pass to RISKWORLD 2026 when registering by September 30th.

[4:27 ] This also lets you enjoy earlier access to the RISKWORLD hotel block. Register by September 30th, and you will also be entered to win a $500 raffle. Don’t miss out on this chance to plan and score some extra perks.

[4:40 ] The members-only registration link is in this episode’s show notes. If you are not yet a member, this is the time to register at RIMS.org/membership.

[4:50 ] On with the show! Robert F. Whittle Jr. was a Major General of the U.S. Army. He retired in 2023 as the Deputy Commanding General of Operations for the U.S. Army North. He is also Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff to the CEO at USAA.

[5:06 ] On August 6th, he will deliver the closing keynote at the RIMS Texas Regional, providing highlights from his 33 years in the Army, including years as the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Great Lakes and Ohio River Division.

[5:20 ] I’m so glad he’s here to provide a preview of his keynote and also discuss flood risk and leadership. Let’s get to it!

[5:28 ] Interview! Retired Major General Robert F. Whittle Jr., welcome to RIMScast!

[5:35 ] Joining us now is one of the RIMS Texas Regional’s keynotes, Major General (Retired) Bob Whittle.

[5:46 ] Major General (Retired) Bob Whittle, Jr. asks Justin to call him Bob.

[6:03 ] This is the inaugural Texas Regional event. Bob is excited about it. He loves Texas, and he knows people are coming from all over the country to attend. Justin adds that it’s a big deal for the Texas chapters, which are some of the most active and voluminous RIMS chapters.

[6:27 ] Bob’s keynote will close out the Conference on August 6th. 

[6:31 ] Today’s discussion will be about flood risk and then about leadership.

[6:47 ] Bob’s bio is on the RIMS Texas Regional page.

[6:52 ] Bob was Deputy Commanding General of Operations for the U.S. Army North, responsible for Homeland Defense and coordination with civil authorities. One major event occurred domestically while he was there.

[7:17 ] That was the integration of 70,000 refugees from Afghanistan to the United States. When the U.S. left Afghanistan, a lot of interpreters, their families, and other key players were able to come to the United States. They needed help integrating into U.S. society with jobs and homes.

[8:05 ] Bob says there was never an expectation that we would have to move 70,000 people here. We thought that Afghanistan would continue to move forward after we left, but it fell pretty rapidly. Some Afghan interpreters and officers who were under threat were brought to the U.S.

[8:52 ] One of the challenges in any kind of operation like that is that it involves Federal, state, and local officials, and non-governmental organizations. Within the Federal side, we have FEMA, the State Department, and the Department of Defense.

[9:14 ] These agencies worked together to build a framework and partner with the other authorities. The first risk is that politics or ego get in the way of accomplishing the mission.

[9:28 ] The mitigation for that is trying to build relationships well ahead of the crisis, so people trust each other and can work together. They constantly emphasized the unity of the mission.

[9:41 ] It’s not unity of command, as there’s no chain o