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Iraq `Lessons Learned' being gathered online

Army News Service

Release Date: 11/14/2003

By Janet Wray

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (Army News Service, Nov. 14, 2003)--The Center for Army Lessons Learned at Fort Leavenworth is hosting an Operation Iraqi Freedom Lessons Learned conference in an online collaborative mode that will culminate by bringing soldiers together at Fort Leavenworth in December.

The online worksites started in early November and will conclude when attendees come together at Fort Leavenworth in December to finalize the OIF observations, lessons, and implications that have been explored.

Although participating in the collaborative worksites is by invitation and accessible only via Army Knowledge Online, CALL analysts are seeking input from others who do not have access to AKO. To participate in an "open" discussion, or to request to be a member of one of the working groups, e-mail the Operation Iraqi Freedom Lessons Learned Conference at: OIFL2C@leavenworth.army.mil.

Col. Michael Parker, special project officer for the OIFL2C, said the first part of the conference, includes 10 collaborative online worksites where participants look at issues and provide their thoughts and comments. The second part of the conference, which is scheduled for Dec. 9 through 12, will bring together ideas about OIF that have been explored on the collaborative site.

Invitations to participate in the collaborative worksites were sent to representatives of Department of the Army, all major Army commands, representatives from sister services as well as soldiers and leaders who served in key planning, warfighting or support positions during OIF.

"One of the key aspects of this venue is that it allows those soldiers who cannot travel to Fort Leavenworth in December to fully participate in the debate...these soldiers, many with recent operational experience, are absolutely essential to the success of our conference, and to the future successes of our Army," Parker said.

Participants in this virtual collaborative effort provide their insights and comments to issues posed by Parker. The issues focus on battlespace awareness; force packaging, projection and application; reserve component issues; logistics; battle command and control; full spectrum fires; urban operations; maneuver support operations; stability and support operations; and joint and special operations forces integration.

According to Parker, subject-matter experts assigned to CALL are in charge of each collaborative worksite, and it is their responsibility to collect and analyze the input.

One of the key tasks for conference attendees will be to develop the way ahead for implementing and institutionalizing Army-wide changes based on lessons learned in the ten focus areas. Not only Army lessons, but lessons from the other services will be reviewed, and implications. All doctrine, organization, training, material, leadership, personnel, and facilities will be examined, officials said.

The outcome of the conference will be an action plan staffed through TRADOC to the Army G3 that officials said will detail initiatives, set milestones, and fix responsibilities for implementing and monitoring changes. The conference is designed to be the first step of what officials called an integrated Army process to implement and monitor change based on experiences during OIF.