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162nd Bde trains 2nd SCR for Afghanistan deployment

Apr 19, 2010

By 162ND INF BDE

FORT POLK, La. -- Fort Polk's Tiger Brigade continues to touch almost every deploying brigade combat team heading to Iraq and Afghanistan. Recently, six Soldiers from the 5th Field Artillery Battalion, 353rd Infantry Regiment and three instructors from the 162nd Infantry Brigade's Directorate of Culture and Counterinsurgency, flew to Germany where they instructed and advised the senior leaders of the 2nd Stryker Calvary Regiment.

The Tiger Brigade Soldiers tailored a package of instruction unique to 2nd SCR based on the regimental commander's guidance. While the 2nd SCR was conducting its mission readiness exercise in the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany, the 162nd DCC instructors taught "night classes" on counterinsurgency, culture and current best practices on how to partner, assist and advise Afghan National Security Forces.

The 5th Battalion Soldiers partnered with each squadron and gave squadron and troop commanders input and advice on how to integrate and increase the ANSF's capacity as well as helpful tactics, techniques and procedures on how to advise, assist and partner with the ANSF. The 4-2 (Sabers) Squadron's leaders understand how to take advantage of key leader engagements to get a comprehensive assessment of the root causes of instability in their area of operations by using the tactical conflict assessment planning framework, or TCAPF.

During the MRE in the snowy Hohenfels afternoon of March 5, Lt. Col. Matthew Green, commander of 4th Squadron, jumped in the back of a Stryker and proceeded to a nearby village to meet with a roleplayer acting as the district governor. Capt. Erasmo Sandoval, B Battery commander from 5th Bn, 353rd Inf Reg, accompanied the commander as an observer/controller.

Since this was the initial "meet and greet" meeting between the commander and the governor, Green established rapport and focused on building a relationship between them. He extracted useful information about the root sources of instability in the area by using the TCAPF questionnaire. TCAPF, created by the U.S Agency for International Development, helps commanders and their staffs identify causes of instability and develop activities to diminish or mitigate them. The four key TCAPF questions to ascertain the sources of instability and grievances, which Green inserted during his conversation with the district governor, are: Has the population of the village changed in the last 12 months? What are the greatest problems facing the village? Who is trusted to resolve the problems? What should be done first to help the village?

The district governor's responses became key for developing a plan to mitigate the sources of instability and grievances in the village.

This process was repeated several times over the next five days with the leaders from four squadrons and observer/controllers from 162d Brigade. This was the first time the 162nd Inf Bde provided training to a U.S. Army Europe unit. The 2nd SCR leaders exercised rapport building, ways to find causes of instability, and other advising topics to better prepare for their upcoming Afghanistan deployment.