Napoleon’s Formative Years

Robert P. Givens is a Louisville, Kentucky entrepreneur who guides RPG Consulting, LLC, and provides a host of solutions in areas such as corporate management and leadership. Passionate about history, Robert P. Givens has a particularly strong interest in events of the Napoleonic period.

Born into minor nobility in Corsica, Napoleon Bonaparte grew up in a family led by an entrepreneurial father who wound up deeply in debt when a silkworm mulberry plantation failed. One of eight children of an energetic and pious mother, Napoleon was sent from Corsica to attend military school in France at age nine and did not return to Corsica for nearly a decade.

Napoleon’s years at Brienne-le-Chateau studying political and military history were challenging, as he had status as an outsider who earned a scholarship to attend the school. Immersed in a spartan lifestyle, Napoleon was a loner who overcame intense bullying and had a passion for geography and history.

The first Corsican to graduate from Paris’ Military Academy, Napoleon was initially stationed as an artillery officer and was known for reading voraciously. He paid particular focus on understanding the concepts of a mobile army developed in the wake of France’s defeat in the Seven Years’ War.

Senior Leaders Corporate Fellowship Offers Career Development Training

Robert P. Givens serves as the president of RPG Consulting in Louisville, Kentucky, where he handles operations for process improvement and aids clients with strategic planning and enterprise management. Beyond his professional obligations, Robert P. Givens serves on the advisory board of the veteran support organization Where Opportunity Knox, which administers veteran aid programs such as the Senior Leaders Corporate Fellowship Program (SLCFP). 

The SLCFP is a career skills program that offers an insider’s insight on preparing to transition from military service to civilian life. Military personnel who participate in the program learn skills for developing a civilian career path after military service and engage in experiential learning through workshops, job training, and networking events. Additionally, the program helps Fellows establish future career goals and create tool kits for success. 

Classes run every eight weeks, with the next class taking place in February 2018. Over the course of the program, participants will attend eight mandatory workshops and seminars one day a week at the organization’s Education Center. Curriculum includes resume tailoring, business etiquette, styles of communication, and organizational discourse. Fellows also receive an introduction to industry sectors. 

Where Opportunity Knox manages the program in collaboration with the Army Continuing Education System and the Soldier for Life Transition Assistance Program (SFL-TAP). Program applicants must complete SFL-TAP transition workshops prior to applying and submit a general resume and cover letter.

Where Opportunity Knox and Its Critical Job Mentorship for Veterans

Robert P. Givens is the president of RPG Consulting LLC. Outside of work, Robert P. Givens remains actively involved in supporting veterans through organizations like Where Opportunity Knox.

Understanding the difficulties of transitioning back to civilian life after military service, Where Opportunity Knox seeks to connect veterans and their spouses to meaningful employment opportunities in the Greater Louisville, Kentucky, area.

The strength of the organization’s program lies in the strong mentorship that participants receive. Before even applying for a job, candidates meet with mentors to develop a resume that reflects their personal strengths and experiences. Then, mentors offer interview preparation complete with mock interview experiences.

Many of the organization’s mentors come from the community or from the many companies with which it has partnered to provide job opportunities. Veterans are invited to tour the companies and create important connections that will help them in their search for employment. 

Participants also have the opportunity to network with local community and business leaders, as well as fellow members of the Where Opportunity Knox program.

Veterans Community Alliance of Louisville’s Resource Guide

 

Robert P. Givens has built a solid career in the area of national security. As president of RPG Consulting, he uses his leadership and problem solving skills to coach clients on strategic planning and alternative futures. A Kentucky resident and veteran, Robert P. Givens is also a member of the Veterans Community Alliance of Louisville.

One of the services offered by the Veterans Community Alliance of Louisville (VCAL) is an extensive community resource guide made to assist veterans and their families. By providing an integrated support network of community members, businesses and services, initiatives, and organizations, VCAL hopes to make Louisville a welcoming place for veterans, ensuring they return to an optimal quality of life.

The community resource guide provides lists and contact information of organizations that provide services such as benefits assistance, employment, legal assistance, and housing. This effort also educates Louisville citizens on how best to help veterans, and gives veterans a better handle on their daily needs upon returning home and throughout their lives.

The Importance of Airpower in Germany’s WWII Defeat

Currently responsible for business and strategic planning with RPG Consulting, Robert P. Givens previously served in the U.S. Air Force as general officer of Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base. Robert P. Givens is an avid reader of nonfiction and particularly enjoys historical works focused on the American War of Independence and modern airpower.

Air attack capabilities came to the fore in World War Two, when Allied air campaigns played a vital role in the defeat of the Germans in the West European Theater. In 1945, just following the end of World War Two, the United States Strategic Bombing Survey (USSBS) sought to better understand this role by taking an in-depth look at the effects of RAF and U.S. bombing in the Nazi regime’s defeat.

The conclusion was that at sea, airpower worked in tandem with naval forces to disrupt U-boats, which posed the largest threat to the Allies’ transport of needed supplies and forces. Bombing also set the stage for successful ground incursions through achieving destruction of strategic targets well inside enemy territory.

From February, 1942 on, bombing sorties focused on draining the enemy’s civil population of its morale. This directive went well beyond the normal targeting of submarine building yards, aircraft facilities, and transportation links, and included the targeting of large civilian areas. Whatever the human costs, the RAF & USAAF’s Combined Bomber Offensive did ultimately attain its aim of decimating German industrial capacities and ending a protracted war.

The First Gulf War's Battle of Khafji

Robert P. Givens serves as president of RPG Consulting, LLC, a firm he founded. Formerly a pilot and brigadier general in the US Air Force, Robert P. Givens flew an A-10 during the First Gulf War, during which he kept an entire Iraqi armored battalion at bay during the Battle of Khafji.

Occurring on the border of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, the Battle of Khafji was the only major Iraqi organized offensive of the war. Details are not clear, but the attack seemed designed to draw American and allied forces into combat, tying up troops meant for deployment farther west. Saddam Hussein may have wanted to weaken the coalition and keep some of his troops in Kuwait.

The main part of the battle lasted only 48 hours. Allied intelligence observed the combat preparations of the Iraqis and prepared defensive obstacles to slow their momentum. Rather than commit large ground forces, Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf relied on air strikes to stop the Iraqis' advance.

Although some Iraqi ground units reached Khafji, their reinforcements turned back under pressure from air attacks. After two days, the battle ground to a halt as Saudi and Qatari units occupied the town. The successful allied operations indicated that sizable air strikes could neutralize ground troops who lacked air support.

Louisville Cardinals 2015 Winning Football Season in the ACC

As the founder of RPG Consulting, LLC, Robert P. Givens oversees business development and draws upon his military background and training in the Harvard University Senior Executive Fellowship program to provide coaching and instruction services to clientele. Away from his professional endeavors, Robert P. Givens enjoys watching college football, and his favorite team is the University of Louisville Cardinals.

In 2014, the University of Louisville Cardinals entered the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), which presented a new and more challenging schedule. The Cardinals responded to the higher level of competition and finished the year with a record of 9-4. Through the 2015 season, the university maintained a winning season yet again with a record of 7-5, ranking third in the ACC and becoming bowl game eligible.

At quarterback, Lamar Jackson led the team in passing with 1,613 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also tallied the most rushing yards with 734 and scored nine times on his feet. Jamari Staples outperformed all other receivers with 610 yards and three scores.