Road
to War (180 Days Out)
Company
Team Trainup for CMTC
by
MAJ Augustus Dawson,
formerly
Observer/Controller, Timberwolf 12
Most
companies are not ready for their rotation at CMTC. They arrive at CMTC with
the attitude that they are there to be trained. It should not be this way.
Units should arrive with the attitude that they are ready to test themselves
against both the U.S. Army standard and the best enemy in the European theater.
Without this fire, units will spend half of the training time trying to figure
out where to start. Units that use the excuse that they had no time to train
have already lost. Failure to train a unit can lie only upon the commanders'
and NCOs' shoulders. There is no mystical formula for developing a good combat
unit: all it takes is discipline and hard work. Commanders must develop a training
plan, and then execute
it. If
it means staying late a couple of nights, the commander must look his soldiers
in the eye and convince them that what the unit is doing will save their lives
one day.
The
hardest part is getting started! Here are a few ideas commanders may want to
review.
1.
At 180 Days out:
a.
Velcro
all your vehicles for MILES.
Why
the Velcro? This will save you three to five hours at the MILES warehouse and
give you more time on the boresight line. b.
Ask
Raytheon representatives (MILES guys) at CMTC to come to your unit and give
MILES classes. They
can teach the company the correct way to operate MILES systems, and dispel
all the myths about MILES (MILES penetrates smoke and foliage if the density
is not too thick). Point of contact is MILES Training, Building 511 (CMTC),
DSN 466-2520. c.
Practice
boresighting MILES. Your
crews have to be experts at MILES gunnery, because this is your weapon at CMTC.
d.
Conduct
a right-seat ride at CMTC with OPFOR, with BLUEFOR (talk to a company commander,
and learn from his experience), and try to have platoons augment the OPFOR.
Right-seat
rides are a good source of information. The OPFOR will show the unit how it
operates. Observer/Controllers (O/Cs) will relay what units do well and not
so well and provide suggestions on how to improve. Augmenting the OPFOR gives
your platoons a chance to train in a realistic environment. e.
Review
After-Action Reviews (AARs) from your last company rotation. Reviewing
the AARs from the last rotation will give you an idea where to begin your training
and should keep you from repeating the same mistakes. f.
Develop
or review standing operating procedures (SOPs) . . . attack, defend, movement
to contact (MTC), and reporting. Strong
SOPs will save you time and allow your unit to function when it gets tired.
Platoons have to be experts at Actions on Contact. Insist that the platoon
leaders provide combat power, location, and current activity of their platoons
every time they report. g.
Platoons
train Actions on Contact battle drills (shoot, move and communicate).
This
cannot be emphasized enough. Most fights at CMTC come down to the platoon that
reacts first. Focus platoon training -- platoons win battles. h.
Read
FM 71-1, Tank
and Mechanized Infantry Company Team.
Know
the doctrine. Seven steps to building an engagement area is a good place to
start (FM 71-1, page 4-13). Also, read FM
6-71, Tactics,
Techniques, and Procedures for Fire Support for the Combined Arms Commander.
i.
Develop
brown-bag Officer Professional Development (OPD) classes you think your unit
needs.
Lunch
is a great time to get your leaders together to discuss how your unit is going
to operate. j.
Develop
basic Call for Fire training with the company Fire Support Officer (FSO).
Understand
Purpose, Location, Observation, Trigger-Communication net, Rehearse (PLOT-CR).
The FSO can help integrate call for fire training into the company training
program. 2.
At 120 Days out:
a.
Company
orders day -- everyone participates (Orders group). Orders
should be a battle drill. Have your FSO/FSNCO there, as well as Engineer and
Air Defense Artillery (ADA) platoon leaders. Have battalion issue you an old
battalion order, and set a timeline. If battalion cannot accommodate, then
read through an order and start your timeline as if you just received the battalion
order. Add the orders day to your training schedule to lock your unit into
the process. This will probably be an all day training event the first couple
of times your unit executes this. Issue the company order to platoon leaders.
The quicker you can get information out, the more time platoons have to prepare.
From here on, issue all company training in an operations order format. Determine
how you will issue warning/fragmentary orders. Can you issue a warning order
before you get the battalion operations order? Can a set of graphics be sent
to the company for reproduction while the company commander is at the battalion
operation order? If not, your company will never have time to prepare. b.
Review
trigger development for your indirect fire targets with your FSO.
Understand
how to develop triggers for your fires -- your FSO is the expert. Invite the
platoon leaders to this class. c.
MILES
gunnery: small arms, Vipers, and Dragons.
Squad
leaders have to be experts with small arms. There is nothing more demoralizing
than spending a cold night in a foxhole and having a target present itself
in front of your Dragon and you miss, because your Dragon did not work. d.
SOPs
for recovery and casualty evacuation (CASEVAC).
CASEVAC
-- everybody hates it, but it's a fact of combat! Put the 1SG in charge of
this with the help of the company medics. e.
Review
Task Force (TF) AARs . Attack, Defend, and MTC.
TF
AARs -- what did the battalion do right and wrong, and how does my company
fit into the fight? f.
Develop
platoon packages for defense and determine how they will be transported. What
will the company defense package look like? What kind of obstacles might the
company need and have time to build? g.
Develop
AAR standard.
How
is the company going to get all this stuff to where it needs to be? Who can
better conduct an AAR with my company than me, and will not my company listen
to me more than an outsider on what our company needs to sustain and improve?
h.
Assess
where your company is.
Be
honest with yourself. Is there something the company needs to fix now, or can
we continue with our original training plan? 3.
At 90 Days out:
a.
Orders
day and reproduction in less than six hours.
Can
the company get all the information out in six hours or less? The company will
not get much more time during rotation. b.
Review
or develop SOPs for company rehearsals -- Rehearsal Kits. Does
the company have a way of graphically portraying the terrain on which it will
operate? How is the company indirect fire plan covered? Are the company rehearsals
accomplishing what they need to? Are the company rehearsals interfering with
platoon preparation time? c.
Review
tasks, purpose and your intent and what they really mean with platoon leaders.
Do
the platoon leaders really understand the plan? Do platoon leaders know how
to be prepared for a company rehearsal? When a platoon is given the task to
secure/seize, defeat/delay, do they know the difference and what needs to be
done with each tactical task? d.
MILES
gunnery for BFV or M1 and small arms (Vipers and Dragons) -- develop and execute
a STX lane to practice MILES gunnery. Can
the company killers hit moving targets (M1s, BFVs, Dragons, Vipers)? Do they
know how to properly lead a vehicle when they engage it? Do hunter/killer teams
know how to mass (volley) fires? The OPFOR is not going to sit and wait for
the company to shoot at them. e.
Conduct
another right-seat ride at CMTC with both OPFOR and BLUEFOR. Again, as at 180
days out, try to have your platoons augment the OPFOR.
Continue
your right-seat ride program; the company will become better and gain training
ideas with the more they watch and do. Also they will learn the "Box." f.
Check
load plans across the company.
Are
the vehicles loaded properly; do they have extra antennas for communication
kills; is all the equipment tied down; are all the company radios set the same
so that a leader can jump to another vehicle and maintain communication with
the commander? g.
Conduct
an AAR (lesson learned and plan to fix it).
Again,
conduct an honest AAR with your company. Nothing instills greater confidence
in a unit than a knowledgeable commander standing in front of his company presenting
relevant information in a professional manner (learn how to conduct an AAR
from an O/C during one of the right-seat rides). h.
Assess
where your company is.
This
is your last chance to really assess your company and make final corrections.
4.
At 60 Days out:
a.
Orders
day -- Have platoon leaders brief their orders to you. How
are the platoons relaying the company intent to their subordinates? Do the
platoons truly understand what they must accomplish, and how their roles are
nested (both horizontally and vertically) within the company and battalion?
Are the platoon leaders breaking objectives down to individual vehicles, and
assigning someone to destroy a specific enemy vehicle(s). Do the platoons have
a fire support plan and does it support the platoon task? b.
Conduct
company rehearsal.
Have
the executive officer run the company rehearsal. Have the FSO/NCO cover targets
and triggers. Do the platoon leaders understand the commander's intent? Do
the platoon leaders understand how they will support each other and the company
plan? c.
Check
Velcro on vehicles and have the Raytheon representatives (MILES guys) return
if needed.
This
will confirm the MILES training and allow questions that may have arisen since
they last visited the unit. d.
Conduct
platoon STX lanes -- focus on actions on contact, call for fire, and dismounted
operations.
This
allows the company commander to evaluate the platoons. e.
Conduct
a company STX lane -- Breach (SOSR).
Breaching
an obstacle is difficult. It is already too late if the CMTC rotation is the
first time the company attempts it. Remember: engineers do not breach (they
reduce) -- combined arms teams breach. Do not forget about smoke. Where does
it need to be, and how long does it need to last? f.
Conduct
a company Defensive TEWT.
Ensure
that the company knows how to conduct an attack, defense or MTC. CMTC is not
the first place the company should try to execute any of these missions. g.
Confirm
Company SOPs and knowledge throughout the company.
Everyone
should know the company SOPs and have a copy in their pocket. h.
Confirm
the pre-combat checklist, and ensure that the NCOs have a copy with them.
Have
the NCOs develop pre-combat checks (PCCs) so your unit knows they are standardized
across the company. i.
Conduct
an AAR (lesson learned and plan to fix it).
Conduct
an AAR with the company so the soldiers know how they are doing, what they
need to sustain and improve, and explain the significance of the training.
It's too late for large fixes (developing SOPs), but the company can still
make small ones (additions to the rehearsal kit). j.
Assess
where your company is.
Your
assessment should allow you no surprises at CMTC (the company is weak at this
. and this is how we will overcome that weakness). 5.
At 30 Days out:
a.
Orders
Day.
b.
Conduct
company rehearsal.
c.
Conduct
company Attack, Defend and MTC TEWT.
d.
MILES
gunnery-all (BFVs, small arms, Dragons, Vipers).
e.
Practice
CASEVAC.
f.
Check
load plans across the company.
g.
Conduct
AAR.
h.
Assess
where your company is.
By
this stage, the company should be confirming its trainup, and allowing the
unit to practice one more time. IS
THE COMPANY READY?
6.
CMTC STXs Days:
a.
Confirm
SOPs.
b.
Confirm
MILES gunnery.
c.
Conduct
daily AARs.
7.
CMTC Rotational Days:
a.
FIGHT
HARD.
b.
NEVER
QUIT.
c.
KILL
OPFOR.
d.
Try
to fix one thing in the company between missions.
e.
Note
lessons learned and add them to home-station training for the next rotation.
Discipline
is the key. Push, pull, stomp and challenge the company. When a leader says
jump, the soldiers know that it has to be done. Discipline and pride will develop
in the unit. Things will not always go as planned, but if the unit knows what
it has to accomplish, and has the training, there is no situation it cannot
overcome.
Following
is an example of a tracking chart that a commander can use to track the company's
progress in its trainup. Determine green, amber and red criteria for your company.
Stick to the standard decided on: this is the agreement between the commander
and subordinate leaders.
CMTC
is a challenging environment for a company. Approaching a rotation as if it
was combat focuses the company training on what is essential to survive in
combat. It is irresponsible for leaders not to give their units every chance
to accomplish their missions and survive. The tool to accomplish this is training,
but training has to have a purpose and a standard. The above training objectives
are not all inclusive. First, you need to decide what the company needs to
be successful --
that's
the hard part.
Last,
is execution of the training you decide the company needs. There are two ways
your unit will learn: a significant emotional event (combat), or continual
repetition (training). Good
Luck! "Knock them out of the Box."
|
NEWSLETTER
|
|
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list
|
|
|
