Tag Archives: Training

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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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A Sniper’s Relevancy

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The term “Sniper” became popular during WWI and the mystic appeal has grown since.  A single shot can be more devastating than a burst from a machine gun or artillery fire.  ATP 3-21.20 Infantry Battalion describes the sniper squad as the most tactically and technically proficient Infantry soldiers.  They are especially valuable when fighting an enemy that tries to blend in with the local population.  Snipers are most effective when leaders in the supported unit understand sniper teams’ capabilities, limitations, and tactical employment.  Unfortunately, many leaders don’t fully understand the benefits of using snipers to their fullest potential.  But this isn’t just the fault of commanders…we – the sniper squad leaders and community – own some of that blame.

Sniper team leader assesses the environment before executing a training scenario. U.S. Army photo submitted by the author.
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How to Run a Range

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It seems so simple, which is likely why we mess it up so often. Running a small arms range is a basic task for any new lieutenant or platoon leader. And yet, leaders often fail to maximize these training events. I recently had a former soldier of mine, turned green-to-gold lieutenant, reach out to ask for advice as he prepared to plan and execute his first small arms range. Below is a version of the thoughts I sent back to him.

U.S. Army photo retrieved from the 82nd Airborne Division Facebook Page, December 14, 2020.
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Recognize the Box to Think Outside of It

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The US Army is the most lethal military force in history. The world views our tactics and techniques as precise and lethal. We execute these battle drills without hesitation because of countless hours of repetition, perfecting these techniques. Unfortunately, NCOs have been known to teach shortcuts and standing operating procedures (SOP) that were once taught to us early on in our careers.  Although SOPs are stemmed from doctrine, over time they begin to manifest into “tribal knowledge” and skills are passed along from generation to generation by word of mouth. Throughout our army career, we hear the saying, “this is how we did it at my last unit.” The downfall of continuing this mantra is that we can pass along bad habits or outdated information. We need to know our playbooks (Army manuals) if we are to implement any kind of “audible” on the field.

USASC cadre evaluating the M2010 record fire qualification for doctrinal updates.
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So You Have a Sniper Problem?

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Months after leaving Battalion Command, a former sniper of ours reached out to me for advice. He had just PCSd to a new unit and joined the their reconnaissance platoon. In his assessment, the battalion’s sniper section was non-existent and the unit’s advanced marksmanship program was uninspired. To make matters worse, the unit was deploying in about a year. He saw an opportunity in that the unit was about to receive the Army’s newly fielded M2010s, which he had already mastered in our unit. What follows is the advice I gave him over the course of a few emails. I have added additional ideas recently provided by my coauthor, Sgt. 1st Class Brian Moran who has been my trusted advisor for years on this topic.

U.S. Army photo by Cav Scout and NTC O/C/T Master Sgt. Luis Coriano at luis-coriano.pixel.com and on IG @coris_fine_photography
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Creating a Better Training Culture

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In 2016, the Army transitioned to standardized mission essential tasks (METs) and training and evaluation outlines (T&EOs) for battery level units and above. It’s hard to believe that, prior to this,  commanders chose their own mission essential tasks. But the transformation is not complete. Battery and platoon level leaders still struggle with understanding their METS, T&EOs, and performance steps. This requires a cultural shift that is lagging behind the doctrinal change. 

U.S. Army Soldiers of the 4th Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment assemble a M777 howitzer while conducting airborne operations during exercise Allied Spirit II at the U.S. Army’s Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Caleb Barrieau, JMRC Public Affairs)
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Leadership During COVID-19

How Army Leaders Maintains the Winning Edge

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The year 2020 has been quite a wild ride for not just soldiers, airmen, sailors, marines and their families, but for leadership across the globe. Coronavirus Disease 2019 or better known as COVID-19 has changed life as we know it. The DoD has published guidelines (1 OPORD and many, many FRAGORDs) for mission essential manning and scaled back training to protect the force, however, they have reiterated the importance of readiness, lethality, and taking care of the force and our families. This has forced leaders at the lower levels to drastically change training and assess how we conduct daily business.

U.S. Army Airborne School students carry their primary and reserve parachutes back to the pack shed April 28, 2020 at Lawson Army Airfield, Fort Benning, Ga. (Army photo by Patrick A. Albright)
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Training in the time of COVID-19

A Line Platoon's Experience

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As I worked the last few days of my short stint as an assistant S3, I could hardly contain the enthusiasm for the plans I had envisioned for my platoon. On the training calendar were numerous Live Fire Exercises (LFX) and Field Training Exercises (FTX) lined up to support mentoring and development of the young soldiers in 1st Platoon, Assault Company, 1-8th Infantry Regiment, 3ABCT, 4ID. COVID-19 had other plans.

Members of 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, patrol in the woods during a day of training at the gas chamber on Fort Sill, Oklahoma, May 14, 2020. Soldiers were required to wear face coverings when not wearing their gas masks. (Sgt. Amanda Hunt/Army)
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Operationalizing the Battle Staff in Garrison

Part IV: Prepare for Friction

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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.

Photo By Sgt. Timothy Massey | Tanks set in the field at dawn during the Bull Run 10 exercise in Orzysz, Poland, Sept. 19.
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Hitting the Mark

Teaching Unit Level Marksmanship

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Marksmanship in the Army is continually evolving, and everyone seems to be an “expert.”  Leaders at all levels tend to limit their teaching to the TTPs that they think work best. Individuality has its benefits, but we can’t rely on a “shooter’s preference” mentality when teaching marksmanship. Don’t become the NCO who says “this is how I did it,” or “this is how I was taught.” Learn the standard and know the doctrine. We need to balance hard-earned experience with an understanding of our constantly developing profession. TTPs and personal experience makes NCOs stronger as teachers and trainers. But if they aren’t built on a strong doctrinal foundation, we are setting our soldiers and future NCOs up for failure.

Soldiers with 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, prepare to qualify on the M240 and M249 in South Korea, Jan. 25, 2019. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Alon Humphrey)