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Remembrance Day

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“We are the Dead. Short days ago, we lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow. Loved and we loved, and now we lie in Flanders Fields.” Remembrance Day is observed in the Commonwealth of Nations member states to remember and give thanks to those in uniform who paid the ultimate sacrifice. Similar to our U.S. Memorial Day, but observed on our Veterans Day – known globally as Armistice Day. This, like many other traditions of our cousins across the pond, holds a special place in my heart because of my time serving at the British Army Gunnery School. It was an experience that taught me to appreciate the importance of tradition and ceremony.

‘On November 11th each year, Canadians gather at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, standing in collective Remembrance of all who have fallen in the military service of their country. 
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Coming to a Company Near You

A TDG for Administering the ACFT

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Much has been said about the Army’s new fitness test. The Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) is the replacement for the Army Physical Fitness Test, and there are no shortage of opinions on it. Just take a look here, here, or here. Even Business Insider is getting in on the fun. But, barring slight changes from the ongoing field testing, it looks like the ACFT will be coming to a company near you in the near future. So let’s prepare for it. You’ve read the ACFT handbook (TRADOC 18-37); consulted the dietician, physical therapist, and strength & conditioning (S&C) coach assigned to your battalion; and integrated exercises and recommendations into your unit’s health and fitness program. With all that preparation complete, how would you plan a company-level execution of the new ACFT? What does that day look like?

A Soldier with the Washington National Guard positions a 10-pound medicine ball as part of the standing power throw test event during a pilot Army Combat Readiness Test Aug. 4, 2017, at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. (Stephanie Slater/Army). Retrieved from Army Times.
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Route Canada (IBCT PLT MTC)

The Company Leader TDG 18-11

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This TDG is set in the war in Afghanistan. It has its roots in COIN operations, but is relevant to any current DATE scenario. While approaching this TDG, familiarize yourself with the MTOE of a platoon in an IBCT, within the constraints provided below. Be creative, consider what you know about the enemy, and the relevant information about your friendly forces’ operations the day prior. Spend some time understanding the enemy, the terrain, and yourself. Think critically and creatively. Good luck and enjoy!

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Tanks in the Hedgerows (ABCT Co Attack)

The Company Leader TDG 18-10

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You are the company commander of B Co, 2-7 IN. You have been operating in the Sherka Province of Urzustan, a military state under dictator rule with ties to other terrorist and near-peer adversaries of the United States. Over the past 24 hours, your BN TAA has been receiving indirect fire from the north. Your sister FA BN and BN FiST determined the point of origin (POO) to be a hill approximately 1000 meters outside of the town of Jurju. Human Intelligence (HUMINT) reports indicate that mortar teams use that hill and quickly displace to Jurju where a local militia tied to the current regime gives them safe haven. You report to the Battalion Tactical Operations Center (TOC) at 2300hrs to receive a FRAGORD.

Students of ABOLC and IBOLC execute the Combined Competitive Maneuver Exercise. Photo of D Troop, 2-16 CAV, ABOLC, U.S. Army Armor School. Photo retrieved from U.S. Army Armor Officer Basic Course Facebook Page.
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Regard Your Soldiers

Sun Tzu’s Take on Family or Team

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Family or team? It is becoming the organizational culture version of the born or made question in leadership. 3×5 Leadership recently ran a great piece that broke down two competing theories on the topic. I recommend you read “Are We a Family or a Team?” and the books he references (Dan Coyle’s The Culture Code and Todd Henry’s Herding Tigers). This post will focus more on a personal view with the only expert invoked being Sun Tzu.

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Soldiers with 1st Squadron, 82nd Cavalry Regiment, conduct live-fire exercises late into the evening during their annual training at Orchard Combat Training Center near Boise, Idaho, July 25, 2018. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Zachary Holden, Oregon National Guard – Oregon Military Department
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Story Time

An Alternative to Safety Briefs

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A Google Search of “Safety Brief Memes” renders more hits than a former Company Commander cares to admit. Safety Briefs, usually delivered by a Commander or senior NCO at the end of the week, are a running joke. So much so, that the Secretary of the Army, Dr. Mark Esper, announced earlier this month that they were no longer mandatory. Safety Briefs were often a regurgitation of platitudes that sound more like an attempt to cover your behind than genuinely impart a worthwhile message. “Don’t drink and drive, no means no, don’t do drugs, don’t…., no…., etc. etc.” But, it doesn’t have to be that way. Let’s save the baby before we throw out the bathwater.

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Letter To Me (On Day 1 as XO)

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Five years. Five years is the average amount of time you spend from the moment you arrive on campus, enrolled in ROTC or at USMA, to the time you become a Platoon Leader (PL). You invested five years of work, effort, and striving toward that one goal. You’ve heard it is “the best job you’ll ever have.” And when the old timers say, “I would go back in a heartbeat if I could,” you return a half-embarrassed chuckle and a rueful smile. Then it is gone. Suddenly, you wake up and your platoon is no longer “yours.” You’re no longer a “PL” or “The Sir/Ma’am.” Now they call you “XO.” What now?

XO can be a lonely job – but it doesn’t have to be. Knowing where you fit in, how you can best impact and serve the Soldiers by serving the command, and feeling comfortable in your spot at the back of the formation will make all the difference.
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Patched-Prairie (SBCT PLT Attack)

The Company Leader TDG 18-09

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You are the Platoon Leader of 2nd PLT/C Co/1-23 IN fighting on the Korean Peninsula. You have an MTOE Stryker (SBCT) Infantry Platoon with an attached Engineer Squad equipped with an M1132 Engineer Squad Vehicle. The Korean peninsula has been divided since 1953. Over six decades of heightened regional tensions and economic instability led to the collapse of the northern dictatorship when their dictator died suddenly and without an immediate successor. At this time, the north’s nuclear program has fallen and radical groups to the north are moving to secure chemical weapons depots across the region. It is assessed that these enemy forces have already infiltrated into the Republic of Korea through maritime routes. You will conduct a Platoon Attack on a patched prairie (OBJ COLT) as part of a greater battalion operation in AO Freeman.

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Tactical Decision Games (TDGs)

An Introduction

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The worst time to prepare for war is when you find yourself in the middle of one. Tactical Decision Games (TDGs) – also called Tactical Decision Exercises (TDEs) – are, simply, situational narratives of a tactical scenario that provide leaders the opportunity to develop a plan based on abbreviated information and in a time-constrained environment. They are tactical/situational puzzles. They require little in resources and provide huge returns for decision-making and critical-thinking. TDGs are, in my opinion, an underused tool in the institutional, organizational, and self-development domains. Let’s fix that.

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A Few Moments After

The Nightingale Series

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When I joined the 101st as a replacement Captain, I was sent to the Screaming Eagle Replacement Training Center (SERTS) for a programmed week of prep before being assigned to a specific unit.  On the first day, the Brigade S1 raced up in a Jeep and told me to load my duffle bag and get in the truck.  I was replacing part of a company command group that had been killed on the edge of the A Shau. Training was over.