Shaping Future Armor and Cavalry Leaders

During this era of persistent conflict, it is important to highlight that our focus has not shifted from the enduring lessons of troop leading procedures, mission execution, and leadership. We recognize that today’s operating environment requires a small-unit leader who is capable of conducting full-spectrum operations in an extremely dynamic environment. Essentially, our task and standards have not changed, but the conditions certainly have. Our goal is to produce armor and cavalry leaders who are not only relevant to today’s immediate needs, but also possess a solid foundation of learning that will serve the mounted force in the future. Recent changes to the Basic Officer Leader Course are due largely to feedback received from the operational force. The intent of the following article is to present the course as it stands today and encourage a dialogue that will continue to be a driving factor in shaping the future of our junior armor and cavalry leaders. — LTC Jim Brown, Commander, 2d Squadron, 16th Cavalry Regiment Training Platoon Leaders The implementation of the Basic Officer Leader Course (BOLC) concept for training lieutenants has led to some remarkable changes in how we develop future armor platoon leaders. Long gone are the days of the Armor Officer Basic Course and training armor officers only in platoon-level armor tactics, primarily in the classroom. Today’s Armor BOLC III trains lieutenants to be capable of leading either armor or reconnaissance platoons in the context of company-level operations in a full-spectrum environment. The course focus is on developing lieutenants into platoon leaders in three primary areas: troop leading procedures (TLP), mission execution, and leadership. Armor BOLC III is divided into four primary phases: weapons, tactics, contemporary operating environment (COE), and field training exercises (FTX). Weapons phase. The weapons team provides students the training necessary to achieve a level of technical proficiency required to lead platoons. During 26 days of training, students in weapons phase initially receive 2 days of training on maintenance and supply, as well as 2 days of training on operating Force XXI battle command-brigade and below (FBCB2) and single-channel ground and airborne radio system (SINCGARS) radios. During the next 22 training days, each lieutenant will spend 11 days on the tank track and 11 days on the Bradley track. On the armor track, each student must successfully complete the tank crew gunnery skills test (TCGST) and conduct gunnery, which includes firing a total of eight engagements (four day and four night) from a combination of gunner and tank commander positions. On the Bradley track, each student must successfully complete the Bradley crew gunnery skills test (BCGST) and conduct gunnery, which includes firing six engagements as a Bradley commander (three day and three night). Students will also become familiar with light cavalry gunnery by engaging targets with the M240B and M2.50-caliber machine guns from an M1025 HMMWV gunner’s position. Tactics phase. The tactics phase of Armor BOLC III is divided into three tracks: fundamentals, armor tactics, and reconnaissance tactics. Each class is assigned 10 instructors: two captains serve as senior tactics instructors (one armor and one recon) and eight sergeants first class (four 19K and four 19D) serve as platoon trainers, commonly referred to as the “Black 6.” All instructors have recent combat experience and at least 12 months platoon sergeant experience. Each instructor is interviewed before assignment and required to complete 3 months of training and right-seat rides to certify their abil- — 47 ity to teach, coach, and mentor future platoon leaders. Using the tank platoon as a training platform, the fundamentals track of the tactics phase focuses on TLP and occurs primarily in the classroom. Over the course of 8 training days, students initially receive large-group classes from a senior tactics instructor, or the team chief, on fundamentals of maneuver, call for fire, direct fire planning, and reporting. The group is then split into platoons for small-group instruction and terrain board exercises and to conduct practical exercises during the first 2 days. Extensive instruction follows over the next 3 days on threat tactics, intelligence preparation of the battlefield (IPB), and operations order (OPORD) development. On day 5, the students brief their first operations order in a small group setting; and building a terrain board, conducting a rehearsal, and fragmentary orders complete day 6. The final 2 days of the fundamentals track are conducted in the close combat tactical trainer (CCTT) where the lieutenants continue to develop basic skills in multiple simulation scenarios. COE phase. Following completion of tactics fundamentals, the class transitions to the COE Phase. The COE team executes a rigorous 10-day training event that focuses on full-spectrum operations in an urban environment, ranging from interacting with the local populace to an urban high-intensity assault on a village. Day 1 consists of classroom instruction on traffic control points, improvised explosive device (IED) identification, Islamic cultural awareness, urban IPB, and patrolling. Four days of field training follow, where students receive classes, immediately followed by practical exercises on traffic control points, IED identification, detainee handling, urban patrolling, information engagement, infrastructure assessments, integration of host nation forces into U. S. operations, building seizures, and cordon and search. During these events, three platoons will continue to use the infantry brigade combat team (IBCT) reconnaissance platoon as a training platform, and one platoon will be organized into a Stryker reconnaissance platoon. The next 6 days are devoted to a challenging urban operations FTX, which is conducted at Fort Knox’s great urban train ing facilities — Redwing, Anaconda, and Zussman. Contracted foreign language speakers, role playing as policemen, mayors, religious figures, tribal leaders, and shop owners, add to a realistic environment. The urban operations FTX places lieutenants in a rural area of approximately 50 square kilometers in which three working villages operate. The scenario simulates an operating environment where missions transition from offensive operations to stability operations. Students run on a 24-hour mission cycle where each day is divided into four 6-hour mission blocks. This allows adequate time for TLP, as well as restarting missions to validate learning points covered during the after-action review (AAR) process. The platoon leaders’ actions directly affect follow-on missions with a free-flowing script that professional foreign language speakers enable the instructors to employ. For example, if a sheik or imam is harassed at a traffic control point on the night of day 1, then the area reconnaissance mission the following morning will meet with hostility from that particular tribe, potentially escalating into open violence, requiring consequence management in subsequent missions. This fluidity teaches the lieutenants the importance of the second- and third-order effects of their actions in an area of operations. The urban operations FTX integrates several combat multipliers, to include aviation support, indirect fires, and engineering support. These combat multipliers provide lieutenants firsthand experience with calling for fire under specific urban terrain rules of engagement (ROE) restrictions, the integration of close combat attack aviation, and the use of engineer assets for common operating picture (COP) improvement and survivability. Additionally, when events permit, the lieutenants from BOLC III may operate jointly with rotational units, such as U. S. Navy Special Operations Command (SOCOM), U. S. Army SOCOM, U. S. Army Rangers, and international units, visiting the Fort Knox military operations in urban terrain (MOUT) facilities as part of their annual training objectives. Armor and Reconnaissance Tactics Following the COE phase, students move back to the tactics phase where they are divided into two groups; half to armor track and half to reconnaissance track. The armor track of BOLC III is conducted over 12 days; 2 days of classroom and terrain board instruction focus on offensive and defensive operations, followed by 4 days of TLP and execution of platoon-level operations in CCTT. Students are required to pass a challenging, comprehensive armor tactics exam on day 7, after which they deploy to the field for platoon situational training exercises (STX). The STX phase. The platoon STX trains students gradually, beginning with crew-level operations on day 1, section-level operations on day 2, and platoon-level operations on days 3 and 4. Missions are kept relatively simple in nature at this point during the course, which allows the cadre to teach, coach, and mentor students in the execution of IPB; TLP; OPORD production and briefing; formation and movement techniques; battle drills; direct-fire planning; fire distribution; and control, reporting, and execution of actions on contact. On each tank, a staff sergeant mans the loader’s station, known as the “crew station trainer” (CST); a branch-qualified tank commander ensures the safety of both the crew and tank, and teaches students how to employ the tank effectively. Each platoon executes three missions per day, with an AAR facilitated by Black 6 following every mission. A day of recovery completes the armor tactics training, at which point students transition to the reconnaissance track. Figure 1 48 — BOLC III Course Flow Foundation Training Weapons Phase Tank Gunnery/Bradley Gunnery Bradley Gunnery/Tank Gunnery T ti

Tank Track / Recon Track 12 Days / 12 Days Bradley Gunnery/Tank Gunnery Tactics Phase Tactics Fundamentals

Training Recon Track / Tank Track 12 Days / 12 Days 12 Days / 12 Days

Full Spectrum FTX Tank PLT FTX / Recon PLT FTX / Recovery Final Reqts

Full-Spectrum FTX Recon PLT FTX / Tank PLT FTX / Recovery a eq s Graduation

(94 total training days, including 44 days in the field)

The reconnaissance track is conducted over 12 days and uses the IBCT reconnaissance platoon (6 HMMWVs) as a training platform. The first 3 days of classroom instruction focus on zone and area reconnaissance, route reconnaissance, and screen missions. On each day, students receive large-group instruction in the morning, and then are divided into platoons for small-group instruction and terrain board practical exercises. Day 4 requires students to plan and brief a platoon OPORD, from the terrain board, for a zone reconnaissance mission. The students then participate in a 2-day dismounted reconnaissance STX, during which they conduct area recon, route recon, and screen missions; the first day is cadre led, followed by student-led missions on day

2. After completing the reconnaissance tactics exam, students redeploy for a 6-day reconnaissance platoon STX. Reception, staging, onward movement, and integration (RSOI) and section-level training occur on days 1 and 2, followed by platoon-level missions on days 2 through 4. FTX phase. The FTX team executes the culminating full-spectrum FTX, during which student platoons are organized into troops of armor and reconnaissance platoons and conduct company-level operations. Students from the Maneuver Captain Career Course fill the roles of company commander, executive officer, and fire support officer. The operational timeline for the exercise is designed to test students both mentally and physically. Each mission set, from receipt of the company OPORD to completion of the company AAR, lasts 9 hours. Over the first 4 days, students execute seven company-level missions: three high-intensity conflict and four stability. In addition to the wooded training area at Fort Knox, the 16th Cavalry Regiment built an urban training area, over the past 2 years, specifically designed for tanks and new tankers. “Al Talahasi,” built exclusively with unit funds and by soldiers and Department of the Army civilians, provides an urban training site for armor at low cost, but with great complexity. Many of our stability missions are conducted at Al Talahasi. On day 5, students execute transition day, where students in armor platoons turn in equipment for a recon platoon set; and recon platoons turn in equipment for an armor platoon set. The equipment turn-in process is followed by an extensive mid-mission AAR to evaluate student performance and conduct peer evaluations. The next 4 days consist of seven additional company-level missions; again, three high-intensity conflict and four stability. Each student serves as a platoon leader during this exercise and must successfully lead the platoon through TLP and mission execution. Key areas of emphasis are the platoon OPORD and delivery process, and the ability to employ the platoon effectively during actions on contact as part of a company team. Following the final mission, students conduct a full 5-day recovery operation to complete their maintenance training and prepare equipment for turn in and use by a future class. The evaluation at FTX serves as the final requirement to demonstrate that the lieutenant is prepared to assume leadership of the platoon in combat. Those who fail receive another evaluation and, if unsuccessful, are placed into a retraining program with the tactics team before being recycled into a subsequent class, re-branched, or eliminated from the service. Over the past 2 years, an average of 10 percent of each class has been recycled for failing to meet course standards; however, following dedicated individual retraining, those students have a graduation rate greater than 80 percent. We evaluate each student’s performance across the entire course, asking ourselves three questions that relate back to our focus on troop leading procedures, mission execution, and leadership:

• Troop leading procedures — can the student plan and brief an operations order that is tactically sound, doctrinally correct, and briefed in a manner which inspires confidence in subordinates?

• Mission execution — does the student have the technical and tactical competence to successfully lead his platoon during actions on contact in any organization or environment?

• Leadership — is the student capable of leading troops in combat; would I want to serve with this student in combat? If the answer to all of these questions is yes, we feel confident in sending the lieutenant to the operational force, ready to lead a platoon. Major Ryan Seagreaves is currently serving as the tactics team chief, Armor Basic Officer Leader Course III, 2d Squadron, 16th Cavalry Regiment, Fort Knox, KY. He received a B. S. from the U. S. Military Academy. His military education includes Combined Arms and Services Staff School, Armor Captain Career Course, Armor Officer Basic Course, Ranger School, Cavalry Leader Course, and Air Assault School. He has served in various command and staff positions, to include small group instructor, Maneuver Captain Career Course, Fort Knox; commander, Bravo Company, 2d Battalion, 70th Armor, Fort Riley, KS, and Baghdad, Iraq; assistant brigade S4, 3d Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armor Division, Fort Riley and Baghdad; and tank company XO, battalion scout platoon leader, and tank platoon leader, 3d Squadron, 8th Cavalry, 3d Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, TX. “In addition to the wooded training area at Fort Knox, the 16th Cavalry Regiment built an urban training area, over the past 2 years, specifically designed for tanks and new tankers. ‘Al Talahasi,’ built exclusively with unit funds and by soldiers and Department of the Army civilians, provides an urban training site for armor at low cost, but with great complexity. Many of our stability missions are conducted at Al Talahasi.” — 49