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Mountain Eagle IV Lessons Learned:
TTPs for the Joint Military Commission Handbook,
Rules of Engagement, and Graduated Response Matrix

by MAJ Shane R. Burkhart, Mechanized Company/Team Observer/Controller

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During peace support operations rotations at the CMTC, observations indicate units fail to adequately train their soldiers on the Joint Military Commission (JMC) Handbook, the Rules of Engagement (ROE), and the Graduated Response Matrix (GRM). With the potential strategic consequences of individual actions, unit deficiencies in these areas can have far-reaching consequences. This article will provide some observations noted during peace support operations rotations at the CMTC regarding the JMC Handbook, ROE, and GRM and offer some techniques in unit preparation.

The majority of units conducting peace support operations at the CMTC suffer from the same severe handicap. They do not know the JMC Handbook. The Handbook is an excellent reference for those units deploying to Bosnia. It provides details of conditions that all sides must meet under the General Framework Agreement for Peace (GFAP). It discusses procedures SFOR units should take if these conditions are violated. Because of their unfamiliarity with the JMC Handbook, many units fail to respond appropriately to various scenarios. Here are the reasons why :

• Units fail to issue the JMC Handbook down to the squad and individual levels.

• Units do not validate their leaders' knowledge of the JMC Handbook.

• Units neglect to incorporate the JMC Handbook into rehearsals.

In short, prior training on the JMC Handbook, down to at least squad level, provides a definite advantage to the unit during its deployment to Bosnia.

In addition to failing to utilize the JMC Handbook, units also show poor individual knowledge of the ROE and the GRM and subsequent failure to incorporate the ROE and the GRM into decisionmaking and rehearsals. Although units issue every soldier a ROE card, the majority of units fail to ensure soldiers' knowledge of the ROE.

Leader comprehension of the GRM is equally inadequate. Many commanders simply repeat verbatim the GRM they receive from higher headquarters. Consequently, leaders fail to fully grasp the purpose and use of the GRM during operations; hence, they cannot explain it to subordinates. Leaders often show the GRM as a flow chart in the hope that soldiers can easily decipher it themselves. Yet one leader confessed that he would need an advanced degree in calculus to fully comprehend the flow chart himself. If junior leaders have trouble learning and using the GRM, more experienced leaders must present the GRM so that every soldier will be able to comprehend it. In peace support operations, leaders must commit themselves to making sure their soldiers fully understand both the ROE and GRM, validate their knowledge, and incorporate the ROE and the GRM into all rehearsals.

The following techniques will assist commanders training their units on the JMC Handbook, ROE, and the GRM:

• Disseminate Copies of the JMC Handbook to the Lowest Level. Obtain the latest edition of the JMC Handbook, ROE, and the GRM as soon as possible, reproduce at your installation reproduction facility, and distribute to lowest level possible. Remember, execution of the majority of peace support operations missions occurs at the squad and platoon levels.

• Tab the JMC Handbook. Not everyone has a photographic memory -- have your soldiers tab their JMC Handbook so they can quickly access a specific area.

• Validate Leaders on the JMC Handbook. Use scenarios to validate your leaders' knowledge of the JMC Handbook; written tests are excellent tools for this task. Permit leaders' use of the JMC Handbook during validation. This will familiarize leaders with the use of the handbook and demonstrate the value of a properly tabbed JMC Handbook.

• GRM at the Individual Level vs the Leader Level. Review the GRM and make it user friendly. Many units just repeat the GRM from higher headquarters down to their troops. Tailor it for comprehension at the individual soldier level.

• Validate All Soldiers on the GRM/ROE. Validate all soldiers on the GRM and ROE using scenarios and vignettes. Soldiers should know how to respond in any given scenario in accordance with the ROE. Leaders must reinforce the soldiers' right to self-defense at all times.

• Rehearse. Prior to every mission, make sure your soldiers rehearse the JMC Handbook, ROE, and the GRM. A technique is to have the leader give a scenario or vignette and then choose a soldier to answer. This simple technique will adequately prepare soldiers to properly respond to almost any situation they may encounter.

• Ensure Training Occurs throughout Deployment. Probably the greatest threat to the soldier during peace support operations is complacency. Leaders must continuously train their soldiers on the JMC Handbook, ROE, and the GRM during deployment to ensure complacency does not jeopardize their soldiers or their mission.

• Incorporate Lessons Learned into Training. Bring some perspective into your training: use Bosnia lessons learned (available on e-mail from the Center for Army Lessons Learned) to emphasis points on ROE and GRM training.

• Update. Ensure your soldiers have the latest edition of the JMC Handbook, ROE, and the GRM. New editions are continuously being produced to follow the changing conditions in Bosnia -- inform soldiers at all levels of any and all changes in the JMC Handbook, ROE, or the GRM.

As leaders, it is your duty and obligation to ensure all your soldiers are properly trained and prepared to carry out the arduous and complex tasks of peace support operations. Ensuring soldiers know the JMC Handbook, ROE, and the GRM will greatly enhance a unit's ability to successfully accomplish its peace support mission and ensure the safe return home of its soldiers.

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Troop-Leading Procedures and the NCO
Peace Support Operations and NCO Leadership in the Light Platoon