What should Commanders focus on with regards to Command and Control systems that the S6 should be closely supervising and managing for the commander? Often times we see commanders ignore C2 systems and then arrive at the National Training Center without ever directly understanding his or her full communication capabilities. Once the team is on the ground at NTC it is too late for commanders to pay attention to what the S6 has or has not been doing in garrison and unfortunately, many units go into the box handicapped from a C2 perspective.
What should a commander do for the train up at home station? What should the commander expect the S6 to do to ensure communications platforms are operational and operators know how to operate them? The trends we see at the NTC are across a broad spectrum from, “my SIGO doesn’t know what they are doing,” to “We know how to use our systems and are ready to roll.” How does a Commander set him or herself up for success? What steps should you take to properly lead and mentor that S6 through the home station training experience to ensure the team is ready to roll into the box? There are five different areas on which commanders should focus their attention while directing the S6 to educate the S3, XO, and Commander. Those five areas are RETRANS, ESR/Maintenance, PCC/PCI, Priority of Work, and Communicating up and down.
Before we delve into each of the areas, let us define Fully Mission Capable. There is a divide between Signaleers and Combat Arms leaders when it comes to defining FMC. A Signaleer may define FMC when they are able to get a connection between nodes and then proceed to tell the commander that a commo check is complete without ever proving actual connectivity between nodes. This does not account for end user equipment and the validation that a person at one node can successfully talk to another human on the other side of the line. This is where we must be clear on our definition of FMC. Commanders can further validate FMC by directing the S3 to conduct the Mission Command Validation, ensuring all operators know how to use their assigned systems and can successfully perform their required missions.
FM RETRANS
FM RETRANS is the most common platform used at the National Training Center by rotational units. While most units come with radios FMC in their vehicles, they will fail to anticipate the tyranny of distance and not prepare RETRANS teams for the rotation. Constant training and validation of RETRANS is key to success. Commanders should expect the S6 to establish the RETRANS teams every week during motor stable Mondays. Verifying that all equipment is present, FMC, and the team knows how to deploy the entire system from the generator to the equipment needed for a minimum of 3 channels. Can your teams move at night? This continues to have a negative impact during rotations. Most importantly, the commander MUST enable the S6 by providing and protecting the time, resources, and personnel from other distractors that often consume the S6 at home station.
ESR/Maintenance
Understanding the ESR and maintenance is seen as shortfalls within the Signal community. The S6 does not know how to acquire parts for Signal systems or bench stock for the myriad systems in a BCT. Poor maintenance and failing to validate systems at home station is evident when Signal systems arrive at NTC, typically in poor condition. Have the S6 track and brief all Signal systems, from the JCR slant to pacing items (CPN, STT, HCLOS, etc.) and their status on the ESR. Is the JCR slant reflected on the ESR? Does the S6 attend the maintenance meetings? They must be present to ensure proper representation of the systems needing assistance. The S6 should be expected to turn on all Signal systems weekly. Protecting the S6 team from spending their time doing -10 level operator tasks such as turning on JCRs or filling COMSEC into radios will not only allow them to conduct proper maintenance on their systems, it will ensure operators are capable of maintaining their own systems when the S6 is not there to do it for them.
PCC/PCI
Pre-Command Checks/Pre-Command Inspections continue to hurt units at NTC. Commanders should not assume the S6 knows how to properly conduct PCCs nor that the Commo Chief understands PCIs. Layouts are no longer inherent in our culture and units pay the price each rotation, usually by leaving equipment at home station. Have the S6 explain how layouts are done and how PCC/PCIs are completed and followed through to complete sets. Have them show you a layout of your RETRANS team and provide your feedback on what right looks like. While this may seem petty, it could very well determine mission success out in the desert as you attempt to communicate with your unit at distance.
Priority of Work
Protect your S6 shop from -10 level tasks and expect your S6 to show you how they are establishing priority of work. What is important to the commander is important to the S6. Often we see Signaleers doing basic operator level tasks due to lack of training and command influence. Most units come to the National Training Center and never achieve higher than 50% FMC on their JCR platforms. The average is below 30%. And while the S6 spends all of RSO&I getting JCRs and radios filled and validated, they neglect their Signal 20 and 30 level tasks that you rely so heavily upon in an austere environment.
Communicate Up and Down
How often is the S6 talking to higher and lower? Is the S6 conducting a weekly or twice monthly S6 sync that is strictly enforced and synchronized with your staff battle rhythm? Have the S6 demonstrate to you what they are doing and who they are talking to when leveraging assets outside of the organization. If this is not done at home station, it will not happen at NTC.
Commanders who involve the S6 in their small group huddles, planning sessions, and day to day discussions will have better success when under the pressures that come with an NTC rotation. A commander who focuses on these five areas will have a better prepared organization when it is your turn. Your S6 should be able to explain to you where all of your communications equipment is in the formation, the status of each platform, and what is being done to get equipment to FMC and Signaleers trained and ready to fight. They cannot do that if you do not enable them through command influence down to the subordinate commanders. Having your S6 explain their understanding of the five areas covered here on a regular basis will allow you to provide continuous guidance with little time or effort on your part, will ensure you understand the capabilities and restrictions of your communications systems, and allow your S6 to adjust to your priorities. You provide the purpose, direction, and motivation, and your S6 will have the organization ready to communicate at the National Training Center.
–
This is part of a series of posts focused on Leader Development in Contact. Click HERE for the rest of the series. Footnotes are annotated in the PDF version found on the Series homepage.
Complete archive of The Company Leader Posts