BLUEPRINT FOR BUILDING THE INFANTRY COMBAT SQUAD LEADER
WEB PAGE FOR DISCUSSION 24 SEP 98
SUBJECT: Training suggestions
PURPOSE: To provide suggestions for addressing the drastic shortcomings in the training of todayâ€(tm)s NCOâ€(tm)s.
SUBJECT: Training suggestions
PURPOSE: To provide suggestions for addressing the drastic shortcomings in the training of todayâ€(tm)s NCOâ€(tm)s.
BLUEPRINT FOR BUILDING THE INFANTRY COMBAT SQUAD LEADER
1. This paper and web site:
http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Quarters/2116/squadleadertraining.htm
is my recommendation of some of the things that we can do to improve upon the training of infantry NCOâ€(tm)s. We are, in my opinion, repeating many of the same mistakes committed in previous periods of peace in our nationsâ€(tm) history by not effectively preparing our leaders and Soldiers for war. The U.S. Army is facing one of its greatest challenges: how to maintain a combat effective force in peacetime with no obvious threat on the horizon. However, while there are several perceived real threats (Korea, China, Iraq, terrorists, etc.) that military professionals understand, there are no publicly accepted imminent threats to the U.S. that create the heightened sense of urgency to be ready as the Soviet Union did during the "Cold War". This is a serious mistake.
The difficulty lies in keeping our focus on the potential threats that could arise unexpectedly from any quarter. If we are to have an effectively trained force we, as leaders, must insure that all training is based on modern battlefield realities not just Cold War "straw men", relevant, and rewarding to the troops. If it is not, the battlefield-learned lessons will be lost on them.
In order to achieve this, some drastic changes in the way we train are in order. The following three-tiered plan is the start of a very effective way to insure that Soldiers learn and leaders implement the necessary combat related skills:
1. Start a division level Combat Leaders Course to insure that a minimum standard of commonality of combat related skills exist throughout the division and that the squad leaders teach this standard. The Squad Leader's course curriculem begins here on this web page, for Soldiers to begin the process.
2. Change the way we train in the field to combined-arms, free-play (not scripted), mission-oriented training at company and battalion level.
3. When in garrison/at ranges Squad Leaders are empowered to conduct individual, team, and squad level training to include hip-pocket EIB and CTT tasks, innovative dry-firing drills, war gaming using terrain models, historical studies from previous conflicts.
A. Division level Combat Leaders Course
All squad leaders would attend this course initially, and team leaders as time allowed. The purpose of this course would be to insure that every squad leader, at least, has a certain minimum level of training in critical combat related tasks. At this time, this minimum standard of training is not being met, and as a result, there will be a lot of unnecessary casualties if we go to war in the near future.
We currently place far to much reliance on technology residing in distant supporting arms or sister services to win any future conflict for us, and we are losing the basic physical ground combat skills that we need to insure victory at a reasonable cost, in terms of casualties. Often, our training is not realistic and “canned”, thus taking away from the learning objective. In actual war, we fight living, breathing enemies whose will to win and creativity cannot be under-estimated. It is the war-fighting divisionâ€(tm)s responsibility to ensure that our small unit leaders are properly trained and can avoid repeating the mistakes of previous conflicts. A squad leader should be trained and prepared to lead his platoon if necessary, and this course will ensure this. The goal of the CLC is to teach NCOs to be tactical "self-starters" who learn on their own the latest changes to the battlefield and our adaptions being taken by our Army to meet these challenges.
Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) will teach all subjects under control of division. Subject Matter Experts would also write the MOIâ€(tm)s, which would be under continuous scrutiny for improvement. The subjects would not be “written in stone”, but living documents that change as necessary. It is recommended that the following subjects, at a minimum, are included in the curricula:
ď‚· Tactics theory (AIRLAND battle)/historical lessons.
ď‚· The Modern Battlefield: Professional Military Education (PME): military reading/AIPD correspondance courses (promotion points earned) , current events understanding:
ORDERING U.S. ARMY CORRESPONDANCE COURSES
http://155.217.35.238/accp/accp_top.htm
ď‚· Battlefield intelligence (SALUTE).
ď‚· OPORD/ WARNORD troop leading steps.
ď‚· Soldier's Load and field living skills
ď‚· Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape (SERE) training
ď‚· Combat-oriented physical training (Speed Marches, Unarmed Combat, Rifle-Bayonet fighting)
ď‚· Advanced fire support procedures, to include Close Air Support (CAS)
ď‚· TAC air control/ position marking, calling 5 and 9 line MEDEVACs
ď‚· Proper AN/PRC-119 SINCGARS procedures.
ď‚· Advanced land navigation, with topo map/compass-lensatic compass and with AN/PSN-11 PLUGGER.
ď‚· Advanced M16 Rifle, Light/Medium/Heavy Machine gun, M136 84mm Rocket, Javelin/Dragon ATGM marksmanship techniques
ď‚· Engineer functions: demo, minefields, breaching, obstacles, etc.
ď‚· Helicopter ops-
---CAS Gunships: AH-6, AH-1S, AH-64, AH-60 DAP, OH-58D
---Pathfinding Transports: UH-60 Blackhawk, and CH-47 Chinook.
ď‚· How to conduct hip-pocket war gaming, training, internet resources, How to make a unit web site: http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Bunker/1677 is a sample using free www domain hosting services available.
ď‚· Making a Squad Leader Battle book (CLG as basis)
NCOs need to be aggressively sent to Army skills schools like Ranger, Pathfinder and become EIB holders.
Some might argue that Ranger school does many of these same things, but not all NCOâ€(tm)s go to Ranger school and many of these classes are not covered in detail at Ranger school. The combat leaders course would augment anything learned there and provide a level of commonality within the division. Many of these ("Ranger Stakes") tasks are the same as done at Expert Infantryman's Badge (EIB) training/testing, but the positive side effect is that graduates of CLS will be more likely to earn their EIBs. Ideally, the school would be 2-3 weeks in length and designed to handle up to 100 NCOâ€(tm)s per cycle. For example: if broken down into ten separate classes, each class would have 10 NCOâ€(tm)s, thus assuring a small instructor-to-student ratio. Several Field Training Exercises (FTXs)would be conducted using the skills taught using MILES and OPFOR, with the NCOs themselves acting as the "Super Troops" enlisted followers with each taking turns as Squad and Team Leaders. The FTXs would be Combat and Recon patrols done to Ranger School standard in terms of camouflage and movement techniques. Graduation FTX should be a multiple Squad live fire exercise beginning with an Airborne, Air Assault, or Mechanized insertion, then speed march to take down a MOUT village, followed by an active defense that is challenged by a simulated chemical agent attack.
How to begin the Combat Leader Course Training Process
The place to begin, is for YOU, the reader to click on every hyperlink on this web page and read/study the information already available online for better hands-on practical application. The suggested source materials for the CLC would be:
SH 21-76 Ranger Handbook
Army Research Institute Combat leader's Guide (CLG)
FM 7-8 Infantry Platoon and Squad (http://155.217.58.58/cgi-bin/atdl.dll/fm/7-8/toc.htm) (dismounted action)
Which should be obtained in large quantities and provided to the students. However, every Squad Leader would be required to read either in paper or online form the following Field Manuals (FMs) (light Infantry reads 11B FMs, Heavy infantry the 11M FMs) and be tested on them PRIOR to attending CLC:
U.S. Army Manuals online Table of Contents (http://155.217.58.58)
BRADLEY CREW SKILLS: need to stay current on 25mm/7.62mm co-ax gunnery, TOW ATGM firing, M231 firing port weapons?
Sign up for a password with the ATDL home page above, then click on this link to the 11M Soldier's Manual:
http://155.217.58.58/cgi-bin/atdl.dll/stp/stp+7-11m14-sm-tg/stptoc.html
LIGHT FIGHTER SKILLS RUSTY?
Sign up for a password with the ATDL home page above, then click on this link to the 11B Soldier's Manual:
http://155.217.58.58/cgi-bin/atdl.dll/stp/stp+7-11bchm14-sm-tg/stptoc.html
The following FMs do not require a password:
FM 7-8 Infantry Platoon and Squad (http://155.217.58.58/cgi-bin/atdl.dll/fm/7-8/toc.htm) (dismounted action)
FM 21-75 Combat Skills of the Soldier (http://155.217.58.58/cgi-bin/atdl.dll/fm/21-75/toc.htm)
FM 90-5 Jungle Operations (http://155.217.58.58/cgi-bin/atdl.dll/fm/90-5/toc.htm)
FM 21-150 Combatives (Hand to Hand combat) (http://155.217.58.58/cgi-bin/atdl.dll/fm/21-150/toc.htm)
FM 23-31 M203 40mm Grenade Launcher (http://155.217.58.58/cgi-bin/atdl.dll/fm/23-31/f2331.htm)
FM 23-14 M249 Light Machine Gun (http://155.217.58.58/cgi-bin/atdl.dll/fm/23-14/fm2314.htm)
FM 23-23 M18 Claymore Anti-Personnel mine (http://155.217.58.58/cgi-bin/atdl.dll/fm/23-23/toc.htm)
Light Anti-Armor Weapons (http://155.217.58.58/cgi-bin/atdl.dll/fm/23-25/fm2325.htm) (M136 AT4 and M72A2 LAAW)
Mike Gulf's World of Armored Vehicles (http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/5423/index.html)
More on the Bradley IFV (http://www.army-technology.com/projects/bradley/index.html
Computers should be used at the Company level with internet access (world wide web--www)to enhance the training of each infantry company. NCOs should be encouraged to obtain their own PC for this purpose and These are links you should go to at least once a week to stay informed about what is going on on the modern battlefield!
U.S. Army Times Online
Armed Forces Journal International (AFJI)
Aviation Week & Space technology
AWWG Military Internet Research Cluster
Defense News Intelligence Center (register)
Official Israeli Defense Forces Web site
Best Airborne Operations Research Links
Airborne Operations: A German Appraisal
Tom Hunter's Special Operations site
Why not an American Airborne Infantry Fighting Vehicle? By Stan Crist
Major Chuck Payne's Special Operations pages
Colonel David Hackworth: America's tactical commentator
Feedback and suggestions (itsg@hotmail.com)would be encouraged to help evolve the Combat Leaders Course, over time, into the pride of the Army and a role model for others to emulate. Instructors could be on permanent status or rotated by the responsible units. Attendance to the course should be mandatory or its value would be diminished and its purpose unmet.
B. Change the way we train in the field.
With the ever-shrinking budgets that we are faced with in the Army, it is imperative that we make every training dollar count. When we go to the field, it should not be to train on the basics (Common Task Training--CTT), but to train on advanced techniques. The "basics" should be learned and reinforced in garrison and on the ranges via CLC-trained Squad/Team leader hip-pocket. Our training time is too short to continuously go back-to-the-basics (usually individual skills = crawl), and unfortunately, that is what we do most of the time.
Instead, we should focus on mission-oriented UNIT training (walk), such as seizure and defense of a key bridge or objective in the enemyâ€(tm)s rear. If we are to be successful in war (run), we must train repeatedly on complicated missions such as this. Granted, it is not easy to conduct this type of training, due to the number of resources necessary to pull it off. But, that is exactly why we must, if we are to be successful. The debacle at the National Training Center (NTC) last fall is the perfect example of what happens if you do not follow this suggestion. If we do not practice it, our chance for success is diminished. Our division has very specific capabilities and specific missions assigned to take advantage of these capabilities, we must train accordingly.
An obvious benefit of this training would be to boost morale in the unit and to improve the troopsâ€(tm) confidence in their leaders and themselves, not to mention improving the combat effectiveness of the unit.
C. Change the way we train in garrison.
When in garrison there are many duties that are required of the units, but there is also a lot of down time. This is the perfect opportunity for small unit leaders to train their Soldiers using "hip-pocket" training and improve upon SOP's. However, what often happens is that this is not accomplished. Therefore, when the unit goes to the field it must waste valuable training time on the individual basics. This must be corrected if we are to attain the level of proficiency that is necessary for us to go to war and win with minimum casualties.
Squad, and even platoon level TACTICAL training should be carried out as often as possible while in garrison to improve individual and team performance and knowledge of critical tasks. Incorporated into this training should be historical lessons and scenario and free-play using designated OPFOR involving all members of the platoon and squads. This will help to drive home the importance of the lessons and to see how the various concepts actually work in war. A simple terrain model board or sand table can be utilized for simple war gaming. They can learn first hand through these historical lessons what often works and what does not work. This is a much cheaper way to learn the hard lessons of combat than to learn them in war. Soldiers must be encouraged to go to the U.S. Army Center for Lessons learned (CALL) web site and study these hard-bought wisdom.
http://call.army.mil/call.html
Unfortunately, we currently do no training of this type and are bound to repeat the mistakes of previous wars if do not begin training in this fashion.
Many might argue that "the time is just not there" for this type of training, but I believe this to be just one of many excuses that are used to justify our inherently weak training program as it exists in parts of todayâ€(tm)s Army. It is time that leaders at every level start accepting the responsibility of their position and assuring that the training we do is second-to-none. We have a moral responsibility to the Soldiers and their families to see that this happens because they are the ones who pay the ultimate price if we fail.
A Squad Leader in the 101st Airborne (Air Assault) Division
To whom it may concern,
First of all I want to tell you guys that this is the kind of web page I have been looking for a long time! The NCO oriented web pages are fine, but they are 'career oriented', and when they do focus on training they are in the context of how to go to the school, or how to pass, etc..not how to prep for combat. Anyway, excellent web page, on to my 2 cents.
Spent 4 years in the 82nd, 2nd Brigade, 2 of those as a team leader. What caught my interest was your topics on developing a 'leader' course for small units. In my 8 years in the Army, the 82nd Airborne Division's Pre-Ranger Course has been the best school I have ever been to. I learned more there in the first 3 days than in my year as a SAW gunner prior to making Sergeant (I came to 11B land on a reenlistment). Went twice through PRC and on the Ranger school, but I liked PRC much better. Learned more. What I would like to see in the infantry units is a 2-3 week course similar to PRC run locally to cut down costs. It would only take a handful of NCOs from the unit to run and NO OFFICERS!!!(just like PRC). The drawback to PRC is only those who have an iron determination to go to Ranger school volunteer. The main point of another combat course for NCO's across the Division would be not to water down the course so everyone passes (like PLDC)..maybe a better incentive for promotion, and I don't mean 4 promotion points like another Army school! It must hurt some people in high places to have to NOT follow a book's guidelines. Anyway, I think that a sister course almost the same as PRC, but without the stipulation of going to ranger school should you pass, would be perfect and something that we desperately need in our line units. EIB is great, live fires are good, patrolling as a unit is also good, but PRC is where I really learned to think in terms of patrolling, where to set up the ambush, what to do if I am stuck outside the firebase at night, etc.. I heard that the 82nd used to have the Division leader's course there at the old Recondo site (where PRC is now), bring it back!
Keep up the good work, and thanks for letting me voice my opinion."
Our response?
How about MANGUDAI training right now?
Mangudai Leader: General David Grange
Mangudai, the end-state: better units
Building the Combat Leader after CLC
U.S. Army INFANTRY manuals online
ARMOR IDENTIFICATION
http://www.armytimes.com
http://www.afji.com
http://www.aviationweek.com
FEEDBACK!!!
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