Military

Rollout drills are conducted as the regiment moves to the field. We view this movement as a training opportunity. Rather than merely road march, we routinely train changing formations, actions on contact, and other drills as we move around the battlefield. As we conduct more HET movements to the field, we will still dismount short of the laagers to conduct these drills enroute.

Laager training consists of individual, crew, MRP, and MRC training on critical OPFOR skills (despite what you may have seen on the "Amazing America" program). MILES maintenance, troubleshooting, boresighting, breach drills, and other tasks are more examples of laager training.

"Death training" is training of those actions taken by a crew when their vehicle is killed. The OPFOR standard is that despite the "death" of a vehicle, individual training continues and it will focus on tactical tasks. The first action is preventive maintenance on the vehicle, such as cool-down procedures and during-operations checks. The TC then conducts an AAR on why the vehicle is out of action. Lastly, the TC conducts individual training on both OPFOR and U.S. Army individual tasks.

MILES Stakes training. The Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES) is our primary weapon system. MILES Stakes is designed to train and sustain our expertise on the MILES weapons system. We focus on the proper installation, functioning and boresight of each MILES system in the regiment to ensure that our systems work and that our crews can kill.

Blackhorse Stakes is our version of MRC-level lane training. Usually conducted immediately after block leave in January and July, Blackhorse Stakes focuses on critical OPFOR MRC tasks. We conduct lanes on breaching obstacles, actions as an FSE, bypassing an obstacle, and assaulting on an objective. This training is under the MRB commander's control, so he can retrain as needed to meet the training objective. The enemy for Blackhorse Stakes is the OPFOR, a doctrinally sound, proficient and determined foe.

The Regiment recently began training its MRBs while the rotational unit is in the live fire week of their NTC rotation. Each month, one MRB has priority for maneuver training where the MRB commander can train his MRCs on specific METL tasks. All resources of the Regiment are available to the commander. The MRB commander has anti-tank, engineer, air defense, military intelligence, and mortar assets dedicated to his training. Again, this training stays focused on specific OPFOR tasks. Individual training on the basics of OPFOR tactics, small unit training and certification, and MRC training and external evaluations are all focused on a specific, well defined set of drills, which are the essence of OPFOR training. The undeniable advantage of this program is that it is continually reinforced each month as the regiment fights the NTC rotations. Repetitive, tough, and challenging training is the real key of OPFOR tactical excellence.

QUESTION FROM THE COG: How would the OPFOR train a brigade with this model given the constrained training resources in the Army today?

In developing our plan, we made three assumptions:

• Assumption No. 1. Reduced OPTEMPO will limit mounted training opportunities; therefore, careful preparatory training must occur beforehand, and a focused number of tasks must be achieved. The objective of our program is to become expert and achieve mastery in critical battle tasks.

• Assumption No. 2. Since mounted OPTEMPO is limited, more and more training will occur in simulation. Simulation training is preparatory training to increase leader competence and confidence levels before, and not as a substitute for, mounted training.

• Assumption No. 3. The tactical tasks required in the unit's NTC rotation actually reflect its METL tasks. Therefore, all training is focused on the warfighting mission. If these tasks are not the same, then training time, both at homestation and at the NTC, is wasted. Finally, the program must focus on a small set of critical tactical tasks, which are then repetitively trained to standard.

The critical objective of this program is to achieve mastery of a finite set of METL-focused tasks that form the basis for all other battlefield activities in the BCT. Major features of the program are METL focus, repetition, crew proficiency, simulations, and lane training.

STEP 1. FOCUS THE TRAINING OF THE BRIGADE ON SPECIFIC METL TASKS. The brigade leaders must determine how the brigade fights: who is particularly strong at complex obstacle breach; at movement to contact tasks; at defensive tasks. If a unit is strong in a particular area, then they stay focused on those specific tasks. Since a task force is not going to train on every MTP task, they get more time to master the battle tasks for that tactical mission. With more time comes more repetition, which again helps the units achieve mastery of their assigned tasks.

An example of this process at the task force level:

When the task force trains and fights at the NTC or in a contingency theater, Team A, for example, is the breach company. This process helps achieve a training focus. The unit can refine and stabilize SOPs. As they achieve mastery of these tasks, the SOP becomes real and usable throughout the task force and the resources needed for their training are more defined. TM A knows what training resources it needs to do collective training so they can have these resources on hand for every training event or opportunity. With a specified number of tasks, the unit can drill, drill, and drill. Every training opportunity is a chance to reinforce drills, SOPs, and individual, leader and essential collective tasks. After deciding how the brigade fights, the leaders can then develop the remaining elements of the program: crew training, simulations, and lane training.

STEP 2. CREWS TRAIN ON THOSE TASKS THAT SUPPORT THE SPECIFIC ESSENTIAL TASKS OF THEIR PLATOON, COMPANY, AND TASK FORCE. This sets the foundation of crew proficiency and is the equivalent of our OPFOR Certification Program. There are many ways to conduct this training at low cost. These tasks can be trained in the motorpool, common areas in the battalion area, and in local training areas. This training is NCO led, which reinforces their role as leaders and trainers. This certification on crew level drills is the foundation for effective unit battle drill training. Some examples are listed here.

Individuals, crews, and leaders must have confidence that they can shoot and kill with MILES. We have recently seen improvement by rotational units in this area, supplementing the changes in the systems themselves.

• Units must know the system and how to check it.

• They must know how many hit words each of their systems must put out work as designed and how to verify the correct functioning of each component: transmitters, belts, VDDs, CVKIs, and Hoffmans.

• Units must know the capability and limitations of the MILES systems, just like any other weapon.

• Developing strict boresight procedures and reinforcing them with high standards and repetition will dramatically improve the unit's killing potential.

• The crews must learn how to fight and kill with their weapons. There are many ways to develop this warrior spirit: Quick Draw contests and MILES Pits are two examples.

  • A Quick Draw contest is a gunnery drill to improve MILES, target acquisition and engagement skills: two vehicles are set 1,500-2,000 meters apart with their weapons placed over the back deck; at a command, both vehicles attempt to acquire, fire, and kill the other.

  • A MILES Pit is a platoon-level version of the Quick Draw contest; two tank/BMP sections or platoons enter the "pit," a 4-km square piece of terrain. In the pit, each unit must maneuver, crosstalk, and kill the other team before being killed themselves. The pit builds gunnery skills, maneuver, teamwork, and the killer instinct.

• Crews must know the enemy: what are the vulnerabilities of a BMPs and T80 to their weapons and those of their unit? Conversely, what are the vulnerabilities of their Bradley or M1 to them? This information is an important part of realistic offensive and defensive fire planning and maneuver concepts.

The object of this and all other training is to maneuver to gain a position of advantage to maximize your weapon's effectiveness, degrade the enemy's effectiveness, and then destroys him by accurate direct fire. While this training is underway, the leaders are also setting the foundation for the collective tasks.

STEP 3. UNIT LEADERS, FROM PLATOON THROUGH TF LEVEL, BEGIN THEIR TRAINING ON THE METL TASKS OF THEIR UNITS. This is where simulations prove invaluable for leaders. During simulation training, the leaders and the battle staff work a finite set of tasks, again focused by mission assignment.

• In all scenarios, the units perform the tasks assigned to them in the first step of this program. As they work on these tasks through many repetitions, they begin to gain the necessary awareness and expertise in how to see their units and what to look for to support their decisionmaking process. They also begin to better understand how the enemy fights.

• This is a perfect opportunity for the OPFOR Regiment to support Home-Station training. The OPFOR Regiment will send an MRB commander to the BCT to present classes on how the Regiment fights and serve as the OPFOR commander in a simulation exercise. In this way, while in simulation training, the unit will face the same doctrinally correct, thinking, and uncooperative enemy that they face at the NTC.

• Again, because simulations are relatively low cost, this training is repeated until the task is trained to standard. Simulations used in this way set the foundation for mounted collective training. Once the unit is on the ground, the skills developed in simulation training are used and refined through actual operations. JANUS and other simulations are not a substitute for mounted lane training, but a valuable tool for entry level, leader, and battle staff training.

  • Leaders can be in the Simulation Center training on collective tasks while crew-level training is conducted back in the motor pool, battalion area, or training range, thereby reaping the time and cost benefits of multi-echelon training. This leader training continues to reinforce how to fight, how to doctrinally employ units, and how to fire and maneuver to gain a tactical advantage.

  • Leaders will develop the mental picture of how to fight their units through repetition. These repetitive simulation drills must include unexpected actions provided by a realistic and uncooperative enemy. The leaders must first achieve mastery of the basic METL tasks to enhance their ability to continue to fight within the commander's intent. The first time the commander is surprised should not be on the NTC or actual battlefield.

  • Platoon-level resolution is possible on JANUS, which allows TC-level leadership to participate. When the simulation assets are available, the platoon can use them to get more practice in the battle drills assigned to the unit. Simulation drills continue to reinforce the preliminary crew-level training and platoon lanes. The leaders can incorporate adjustments made from actual experience as the units grow in experience. Simulation training prepares the leadership for the company lanes.

• Terrain boards or terrain models are another low-cost way to continue the leader's repetitions on METL tasks. These exercises must certainly be done as part of the unit's preparation for any company lanes or tactical exercise. However, a terrain board exercise can be used anytime the leadership is available to refine and drill their leader tasks for their assigned mission. Terrain model exercises continue to reinforce the crew-level, JANUS, and platoon lane lessons. It also adds a terrain dimension, forcing the leaders to account for time/space and weapons employment considerations. Run at the company and platoon levels, TCs can be included to train on FRAGOs, fire control, and commands. Terrain board and terrain model exercises can be as simple as a battle drill walkthrough on an open field, mission rehearsals, or traditional board exercises. In all cases, they are excellent preparatory training and a mandatory part of troop-leading procedures for platoon and company lanes. The endstate for this phase of the program is:

  • Leaders are better trained at the leader and collective tasks for their focused, METL tasks.

  • Battle staff at task-force level gains valuable experience in planning, preparing, and executing their METL missions.

  • Leadership gains a better appreciation of how they will fight as a team, while mastering their specific tasks and missions.

  • Crews are proficient at their priority individual and crew-level collective tasks.

This mastery of crew-level and leader tasks is just the beginning of many more repetitions on the specific tasks assigned to this unit. Each time they train, they focus on the same tasks, building experience and mastery.

STEP 4. GAIN AN APPRECIATION FOR THE EFFECTS OF TERRAIN. A task force operations order, developed earlier in the JANUS training, is used for this and all other training. This ensures that all leaders understand how their mission fits into the overall TF mission. Using a TF order also pays great dividends in reinforcing a common understanding of how the unit fights and also activates commander's intent.

• Leaders must see the ground to use it to maneuver and understand why to maneuver. In the OPFOR, the basic tactic is to "Set the L", that is, fixing with a small element of your force and maneuvering your main body against the flank of the enemy.

• There are low cost ways to conduct this type of training, such as:

  • Engagement area development.

  • Offensive fire planning exercises.

  • Mounted terrain appreciation.

  • TEWT.

  • Range estimation and target acquisition.

  These training events build skills in seeing the terrain. Training like this, conducted at Home Station, is a perfect compliment to the training received at the Leader Training Program. As the unit gains experience and expertise, conditions can then be varied, such as limited visibility or in NBC environments, or the level of training may be expanded.

• OPFOR ride-alongs for key members of the battlestaff, specialty platoons, and the leaders are another opportunity to increase the experience and expertise of important members of the TF. Training on seeing the ground will enhance the JANUS training, and again reinforce the way the unit is going to fight.

  Training to see the ground cannot be done on a simulation; it must be in the field.

• Terrain appreciation is another opportunity to use multi-echelon training. Commanders and leaders at different levels need to see the terrain in different ways, but each perspective is important to the other.

  • Platoon leaders see the ground to Set the L for his element. He sees the micro aspects of the ground, those features that affect the employment of direct fire weapons.

  • The TF commander sees the ground to Set the L a little differently. He sees the advantages, for example, of setting the long leg of the L on the north wall of the central corridor, fighting from the high ground. The endstate is a full appreciation of the effects of terrain on their weapons and maneuver to gain a tactical advantage.

  • HUMEXs are a training tool that is a little more resource intensive, but still a bargain over full-up mounted training. It adds important terrain, time and space appreciation for the unit leaders while mounted. They enhance their skills at recognizing the impact of terrain on these and other facets of tactical operations. It is critically important to continue to develop the skills of maneuver. On a HUMEX, a team can refine and reinforce the "set, move" drills, see and understand how to maneuver and what to maneuver for. They can see and practice setting the L. Again this building-block approach, from terrain appreciation to HUMEX TEWT, continues to increase the number of mission-specific repetitions the unit leadership gets in its critical METL tasks. A HUMEX can support platoon through brigade scenarios. This training technique is another valuable preparatory event building to the execution of company lanes.

STEP 5. LANE TRAINING. After much preparation, the unit is now ready for lane training. Lane training is the principal mounted training event at the platoon and company level.

• In keeping with the focus on training essential tasks only, a key feature of this training system is that all platoons and companies do not execute every lane. They execute only those lanes that support their METL tasks. This ensures that resources are wisely focused to achieve mastery of assigned tasks. If every unit runs through every lane, then they do not master anything. Throughput become paramount, and training resources are quickly used up for a lower level of training. There will be some lanes that every unit executes -- actions on contact, for example. But for the mission-specific lanes, only the team assigned that mission will conduct that training.

• Lane design is as important as focusing the tasks for the units. The OPFOR must be doctrinally employed, flexible enough to take advantage of tactical opportunities, and appropriately sized. A company lane's OPFOR, for example, is a motorized rifle platoon with a 1/1 reserve. Our doctrinal manuals have excellent guidance on the setup and running of platoon and company lanes.

• Platoon and company lanes are a large investment in training resources, but the mastery of critical tasks at this level is the key to effective execution for the TF and Brigade. By the time they enter lane training, the platoons and companies have been through many repetitions of their METL tasks. They are ready to mount up their units and conduct an orders process and troop-leading procedures to execute collective training under realistic condition.

• These lanes must incorporate the features described earlier: a focus on specific tasks, a doctrinal OPFOR, and repetition until mastery is achieved. Platoon and company lanes increase the appreciation of the impact of terrain, of time/space, and correct employment of weapons. Lanes give the crews and leaders the opportunity to put it all together and to fire and maneuver to a known task and purpose.

• One of the cornerstones of Army training is to train to standard and not to time. Again, if all units try to run all lanes, then throughput becomes more important than training to standard. Focusing lane training on a small number of tasks allows the unit commander to manage his subordinate units to achieve the standard. He controls reruns and retraining. The endstate of lane training should be that small units have tactical mastery of their METL tasks.

Lane training is a fully-resourced, live simulation. It is mounted combined arms training, our most expensive and important training commitment.

As units achieve mastery of their tasks, then additional tactical benefits start to build. A unit that is fully trained has improved situational awareness of the battle. Another result is that units begin to send more accurate reports and useful recommendations to their next higher headquarters. Units become more agile because they understand what tactical actions must occur and when, how to do them, and how long these actions will take. Additionally, they begin to anticipate enemy actions. Through many repetitions on their tasks, units know from experience what the enemy is likely to do in a given situation. Soldiers are competent, confident, and ready to act to seize the initiative. These are the major elements of the training program. All are designed to increase the amount of repetitions each unit has on their assigned METL tasks. Mastery of those tasks, and the additional benefits that are accrued, is the objective of this program.

*********************************************

Now let us look at how this program might appear over a training quarter. The schedule should be modified to account for a specific unit's local requirements; however, this progression can be used throughout the year. Even as a unit is in its RED tasking cycle, elements of this schedule can be used to sustain proficiency in many of the tasks.

This is a progressive program that prepares a unit for deployment, either to the NTC or a contingency theater. In sustainment, the unit would track individual crews and sub-units that are at different stages of training. Again, the key feature of this program is that as a platoon or company progresses through, it stays focused on its core, finite set of METL tasks. Taking advantage of multi-echelon training and providing a realistic context for it, all training is based on a TF and Team operations order. This way, units learn how to fight to achieve the task and purpose assigned them in an order.

These are the critical core tasks from our analysis that are the keys to platoon- and company-level tactical proficiency. All the training described up to this point must focus on gaining mastery of these tasks. They form the foundation of success in the direct fire fight, actions on contact, and the schemes of maneuver of the task force and brigade commanders.

The schematic below lays out the training concept we have described. It shows the key features of the program:

• Progressive training.
• Repetitive training on METL tasks.
• Multi-echelon training.
• Use of simulations.

This program is by no means all-inclusive. Leaders can modify this progression as needed to meet their local conditions. However, what cannot change is the focus on repetitive training on METL tasks, and development on "how to fight" skills.

PROGRAM ADVANTAGES:

• Critical combat skills repetitively trained; leaders and soldiers learn how to fight.

• Repetitive, METL-focused training

• Training resources are maximized: use of low-cost techniques, simulations, and fully resourced lanes.

• Multi-echelon training.

PROGRAM DISADVANTAGES:

• All units are not trained in a broad range of tactical tasks.

• Vulnerable to changes in leadership and unit capabilities: as key leaders rotate and bring different strengths and weaknesses, METL task assignments may change.

• Perception of "NTCing it." By focusing on specific tasks by unit, critics could say that you are training solely for the NTC. This is not so; the program is METL focused and the training concentrates on the wartime missions of the brigade. The brigade's NTC rotation will then serve as the "run" stage -- a graduation exercise for the units' METL training.

CONCLUSION: After this program was briefed to the COG, he stated that it is really unremarkable, in that the methodology of METL-focused, tough, realistic, repetitive training and the use of simulations and multi-echelon events are the fundamentals of Army training. Using our training doctrine is powerful and truly helps units achieve and sustain a training level within the band of excellence. It is not easy; it requires careful analysis and management to keep focused and remain consistent with the program. The payoff for success is extraordinary, as shown by the OPFOR Regiment every month.

So . . . how does the OPFOR do it? It trains for and uses a simple doctrine that is clearly understood by leaders and soldiers alike. The 11th ACR uses a tried and true training focus to develop experienced leaders who can apply what they have learned onto the battlefield:

• Soldier and leader indoctrination.
• Rigor and repetition in training.
• Challenging sustainment training against a trained opponent.

X-Ray Operations in a Forward Support Medical Company

Acknowledgements