The new Army marksmanship M4A1 carbine qualification course of fire is a more complex and realistic evaluation of lethality. The integration of barriers, unprompted reloading, and firing position transitions provide leadership with a challenging task for training soldiers.
Congratulations on your promotion to the field grade ranks in the U.S. Army. The Army values your demonstrated ability and your observed potential to continue the mission of fighting and winning our nation’s wars. More so, your promotion to major is a testament to the soldiers, NCOs, and fellow officers with whom you’ve served. It’s recognition of their endless dedication and your leadership. But there are some things you need to remember as you move forward. This letter serves as a reminder to stay grounded – as much as things change, some lessons are timeless.
Mission Command doctrine empowers subordinate leaders and facilitates mission success. The Irish Defence Forces employs Mission Command doctrine and senior leadership encourage its practice, but not all leaders in the Irish Army embrace the concept. To fully operationalise Mission Command at the tactical-level, commanders need to engage and empower junior Irish Army leaders, particularly NCOs. The successful implementation of Mission Command requires those with the most to lose to do the unthinkable: abandon perfection.
Rifle qualification has long served as a gauge of unit proficiency and training. It facilitates risk mitigation and serves as a gate from individual training to more advanced unit training. For years, the Army has used a three position static record fire rifle qualification. This course allowed a modicum of understanding of individual marksmanship from 50m to 300m, but did little to enforce the skills needed to employ the rifle in combat. Soldiers require the skills to react to an immediate threat, reload, use cover, and change positions during an engagement to maximize their lethality and survivability on the battlefield. These skills weren’t effectively represented in the legacy rifle qualification table. The U.S. Army required a test that better prepared and qualified Soldiers for the marksmanship required by the crucible of ground combat. Now it has one.
On the heels of a very successful #AUSADigital2019 event, I have been reflecting on the ways we as a #MilTwitter community can be better. Occupying that mental space, and enjoying a cup of coffee, I read a recent blog post from a close family-friend (@awktravels). She nailed it! Reading her thoughts on diversifying media, got me thinking about our own accountability, candor, and “outrage.”
I was a few weeks away from conducting my PCS move out of IBOLC when the 2-11 IN team notified us about the opportunity to serve as One-Station Unit Training (OSUT) Platoon Leaders. My initial reactions were the same as everyone else’s: negative. I came across an Army Times article articulating the reasoning behind integrating Platoon Leaders into OSUT. While my opinion of this assignment was not dramatically changed, the article did pique my interest and curiosity about the role of a Platoon Leader in the OSUT environment. After some consideration, I decided I couldn’t pass up this unique opportunity to shape a new duty position in the Army.
Soon the Army’s cavalry scouts will be called upon to execute reconnaissance on the multi-domain battlefield (MDB). We will face enemy forces who possess peer-level capabilities across most, if not all, warfighting functions. Now, more than ever, the ability to execute mission command and disciplined initiative is critical to successful execution of combat operations. For the scout, this requires reliable operational graphics and a well-crafted commander’s reconnaissance guidance. The scenario below is a hypothetical portrayal of cavalry scouts operating in a near future combat environment with clear guidance and graphics.
I vividly recall walking into my Squadron Commander’s office shortly after I took command of my first Troop. He asked me how things were going. I replied, “Sir, I feel like I’m treading water with a 20-pound brick right now. As a platoon leader and assistant operations officer, if something was wrong, I could always take things into my own hands and fix it myself. Now, it is impossible for me to fix everything myself. I have to get my headquarters section or PLs to fix everything for me.” He replied, “Welcome to command. It’s great, isn’t it!”
The eyes of a soldier have a different caste than others. They penetrate where others can’t see. They hold images we all wish were not there. The eyes of a soldier communicate much to the viewer. They are attuned to a primordial focus and see with great clarity what others cannot perceive. Windows to the soul, they can be wretched, determined, hoping, wishing, fierce, soft or totally blank. They are the ignition mechanism for the body and its continuous operation. This is the face of the experience of war. Once acquired, it never goes away. It may soften, but it doesn’t disappear. It will be recast at a passing sound, sight, or reflection. The images of moments past well-up from deep within and cast a clear countenance. It’s a look that only some can reflect–those that have been there and done that.
Our AARs largely focus how internal systems and processes respond to the challenges of planning and operating at distance, on difficult terrain, in constrained timelines. This was consistent throughout the nearly 120 after action reviews (AARs) I facilitated at the National Training Center (NTC). Most friction is inflicted by units upon themselves or by the overwhelming size and difficulty of the environment. We mitigate self-induced friction by building cohesive teams, establishing common processes and procedures, and refining them through practice (see Parts I,II, and III). We can mitigate the friction imposed by the environment by replicating those factors during home station training events. This final installment of Training Your Battle Staff in Garrison focuses on a few simple ways to replicate the challenges of the Decisive Action environment in existing home station training events.
