They are the demons who run around in black, tan, or green uniforms. Unnamed fighters who cover their MILES gear in sunscreen, wreaking havoc to friendly forces on the mock battlefield. They are the source of sweat drenched days and sleepless lights, a seemingly unbeatable force from the depths of hell. Just who are these mythical combat creatures?
For those who read articles published by the Company Leader and other leadership initiative based sites in support of the Armed Forces, you understand that in order to dissect what a “Leader” is, it is important to first understand its definition. According to ADP 6-22, Army Leadership and the Profession, leadership is defined as “the activity of influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation to accomplish the mission and improve the organization” (Department of the Army, 2017). This should sound remarkably familiar, as it is one of the most common board questions asked during any evaluation or promotion board.
Few things inspire less intellectual stimulation or motivation than a typical Army safety brief. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Five years ago, while attending the Captain’s Career Course, I experienced one of the most memorable safety briefs of my career. Although, some colorfully verbose senior NCOs have given it a run for its money. An Australian Major, an exchange officer serving as the course chief, delivered the brief. He was bright, direct, and known for his candor. He didn’t insult our intelligence with directives to not smoke drugs and drive too fast, or with asinine platitudes (“take a battle buddy, hooah”). Rather, he gave an outsider’s perspective on one of the Army’s more pervasive traditions. In short, this Aussie wasn’t impressed by our weekend safety briefs and mine have never been the same since.
With the thunder of elephants, Hannibal Barca descended out of the Italian Alps to wage his war on the Roman Republic early in the winter of 218 BC. Behind his elephants marched an army of African mercenaries, Spanish tribesmen, and Gaelic warriors. His assault caught the world off guard, as the Alps were seen as an impenetrable barrier, especially during the winter. The unexpected assault caught the Romans off-guard and would lead to a series of terrible Roman defeats. Yet Hannibal, who remain undefeated for the next 16 years, ultimately loses his war. The question at hand is “why?”
An 18th-century print of Hannibal’s forces in 210 BC. (Hulton)
Once a year, the nation honors the veterans it has lost. Each day the veteran honors them, and us all, with the fruits of that service. The Veteran internally recalls, reflects and remembers the very personal and unique aspects of that time served There. Together, all the Veterans have a binding thread we honor that only they can know and share–the knowledge that they were part of something larger than themselves, next to others who gave everything, over There.
My first maintenance meeting as a company commander may as well have been conducted in a foreign language, it might sound similar for you. “Alright commanders, I want all of you to talk me through your 5988 flow, now let’s discuss all your ancillary equipment on the slash fault ESR. CPT Edwards, could you tell me how many ORILs you have turned in this week?” The vehicular imperative is an HRC initiative to broaden officers across BCT types: IBCT, SBCT, and ABCT. In practice, it pushes light fighters to Armored Brigade Combat Teams (ABCTs) across the force. I was one of those former light fighters. While bridging the gaps was difficult, the lessons were invaluable.
Somewhere in Atropia there is a struggling battalion retransmission (RETRANS) crew. They are on the hills of Porta-Potty Wadi, or somewhere in the Tiefort Mountain Range. These soldiers have a critical task–to facilitate their unit’s communications. But either because they lack the training, the leadership, or the equipment, they often fall short. Signal trainers at NTC consistently observe units struggling to maintain long range push-to-talk communications. BCTs should consider using three events to properly train and certify their RETRANS crews.
The hard-fought lessons we learn in combat can’t die with us. They need to be passed on to help others succeed. Those lessons aren’t just in fighting. One of the most sacred responsibilities of a leader is to create more leaders. In Part I of this series we reviewed lessons in fighting. You can find those lessons HERE. In Part II, we will discuss the fight before the fight: planning.
In February 2020, the NTC Operations Group published an article entitled “Winning the Maintenance Fight At Pace.” The article highlighted some common shortcomings with regards to creating a culture of maintenance in our formations as well as tips for building a solid maintenance program capable of performing in any environment. In March, the Officers and NCOs of Operations Group at the National Training Center built upon that article in an effort to help us all understand specific tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) that can allow the Army to maintain combat power while simultaneously conducting large scale combat operations against a near peer threat.
One of the biggest challenges facing a cavalry squadron at NTC is demand of maintaining their equipment in a tactical environment. Units often provide maintenance support from their motor pool while training at home-station, lending themselves to brick and mortar infrastructure and easy access to their brigade supply support activity (SSA) and other SSAs on the same installation. These unrealistic work conditions create complacency in our ability to conduct maintenance in a tactical environment. Under this construct, units do not stress their equipment, develop analog systems of record, test the strength of their shop stock listing (SSL), practice their 5988-E flow, or fine-tune hasty maintenance meetings at Logistical Release Points (LRPs).
