Category Archives: Training

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Rate of Fire Against Men

A Quantitative Assessment of Fire Team Lethality

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Live fire ranges must deliberately measure marksmanship if they are to achieve their purpose of training soldiers and junior leaders in the skills needed to win close combat engagements.  Training Circular 7-9 describes marksmanship as “one of the most important” areas that live fire exercises (LFXs) train; we argue that it is the most important, full stop.[1] Nothing else in a LFX matters, no other training objectives have any validity, if the rounds soldiers fire do not eliminate their intended targets.

5-20 IN conducts a grueling 36-hour exercise designed to test soldier readiness and war-fighting skills. (US Army Photo retrieved from 1-2 SBCT Facebook Page)
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Systematize Chaos

A Battle Rhythm That Prioritizes Training Over Taskings

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I echo the voices of many of my fellow officers when I say that I want to place training before administrative tasks. Yet, many of us get beaten by the bureaucratic mess that is “Big Army.” Try as we might, we can’t quite get a good battle rhythm that frees up enough time for our soldiers to work on their craft. They are constantly tasked out for details from Battalion, Brigade, and Division. Luckily, there is a way to guard time for soldiers to train and fulfill taskings from higher echelons. It is difficult, and requires communication and support from your Battalion, but ultimately it can work.

Soldiers assigned to 1-502nd Infantry Regiment ‘First Strike’, 2nd Brigade Combat Team 2nd Brigade Combat Team ‘STRIKE’ 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) , UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopters assigned to the 3-501st Assault Helicopter Battalion, Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss 1st Armored Division and the Hellenic XXV Armored Brigade, conduct wet gap crossing training as part of Exercise Olympic Cooperation 22 on Oct. 11, 2022, in Greece. The United States’ commitment to defending NATO territory is ironclad and the United States will continue to bolster our posture to better defend our NATO Allies. (U.S. Army photos by Staff Sgt. Malcolm Cohens-Ashley, 2nd Brigade Combat Team ‘STRIKE’ Public Affairs.)
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The Black Hornet as a sUAS Platform

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Drones have become more prevalent among small-unit tactics recently, specifically nano-unmanned aerial vehicles (NUAV) such as the FLIR Black Hornet. The Black Hornets, or Hornets, are intended to be a Soldier-borne sensor (SBS) for Infantry units that can be deployed faster than a Raven or Shadow and quieter than both UAVs. We used the Hornets with success during a defense training exercise and an offensive company-level live fire exercise (LFX).  There are limitations, as with any piece of equipment, but the benefits out-weighed limitations in both cases.

The Black Hornet PRS equips the non-specialist dismounted soldier with immediate covert situational awareness (SA). Game-changing EO and IR technology bridges the gap between aerial and ground-based sensors. It provides the same SA as a larger UAV and threat location capabilities of UGVs. It is xtremely light, nearly silent, and with a flight time up to 25 minutes. The combat-proven, pocket-sized Black Hornet PRS transmits live video and HD still images back to the operator. Image retrieved from flir.com.
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PS Magazine Weekly Roll-up

22-26 November 2021

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Here are the articles that appeared on the PS Magazine website over the past week (22-26 November 2021):

A coalition member waits to board a Blackhawk helicopter before a mission to target known terrorist threats in Northern Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom (Photo by Seaman Zachary Hernandez)
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PS Magazine Weekly Roll-up

15-19 November 2021

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Here are the  articles that appeared on the PS Magazine website over the past week (15-19 November 2021):

U.S. Army National Guard Soldiers, 102nd Cavalry Regiment, call in radio support during CASEVAC training on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Michael Schwenk)