FA in the Long War: A New Mission in COIN

[Jedburgh]

From FA Magazine, Jul-Aug 06, by LTC John Nagl (Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife) & LTC Paul Yingling:

The Field Artillery in the Long War: A New Mission in COIN

...The Army and the FA would benefit greatly if the King of Battle would take primary responsibility for developing host-nation security forces. The Army would benefit by ensuring that an important new mission is led by a branch that can take a holistic approach to innovation. The FA would benefit because its newly formed fires brigades are ideal for this vital mission...

...Assigning the Fires Center at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, responsibility for developing the host-nation security forces would benefit the Army as a whole. Innovation occurs best when one branch or service takes a holistic approach to developing a new capability...

Ten Steps for the FA Branch to Embrace the COIN Mission of Advising Host-Nation Security Forces

1. Revise “DA Pamphlet 600-3 Commissioned Officer Development and Career Management” to recognize service as a host-nation security force advisor as a key developmental assignment for Field Artillery officers.

2. Create a leader’s course for developing host-nation security forces at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in cooperation with the COIN Academy at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

3. Develop a plan for transitioning fires brigades and their subordinate battalions into advisory units.

4. Propose to Forces Command (FORSCOM) that future MiTT/BTT/PTT/SPTT requirements be filled by fires brigade units.

5. Assign Iraqi and Afghan exchange officers to Fort Sill.

6. Develop cooperative programs with the Defense Language Institute, Monterey, California, and colleges and universities for Arab area and language studies; endow one or more chairs in these institutions to support culture and language training for Field Artillerymen.

7. Assign a liaison officer (LNO) to Fort Riley, Kansas, to coordinate host-nation security force development doctrine with the 1st Brigade Combat Team (BCT), 1st Infantry Division (1/1ID).

8. Assign Field Artillerymen with experience in developing security forces to the combat training centers (CTCs) to serve as observer/controllers (O/C) during fires brigade mission readiness exercises (MRXs).

9. Assign LNOs to the MultiNational Security Transition Command, Iraq (MNSTC-I) and the Phoenix Academy, also in Iraq, to provide feedback on training Iraqi security forces.

10. Offer FORSCOM a fires brigade to reinforce and, eventually, replace 1/1ID with a fires brigade as the lead unit for training units deploying as security force trainers.

[RTK]

From FA Magazine, Jul-Aug 06, by LTC John Nagl (Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife) & LTC Paul Yingling:

The Field Artillery in the Long War: A New Mission in COIN

Another great article these two warfighters wrote together when they were Majors is in the Jan/FEB 2003 edition of Military Review regarding the Army officer as a complete warfighter.

[Jedburgh]

Another great article these two warfighters wrote together when they were Majors is in the Jan/FEB 2003 edition of Military Review regarding the Army officer as a complete warfighter.

...as a former NCO I tend to dislike writings that are directed narrowly at officers, but I found the one I posted above interesting, and since you mentioned this one by the same authors, here it is:

The Army Officer as Warfighter

[RTK]

...as a former NCO I tend to dislike writings that are directed narrowly at officers, but I found the one I posted above interesting, and since you mentioned this one by the same authors, here it is:

The Army Officer as Warfighter

I couldn't agree with you more. Especially since COIN is a squad leader and platoon fight with company level leadership taking on the roles historically reserved for squadrons and battalions I think articles like these can very well come to have meaning to NCOs every bit, if not more than, the way it has meaning to junior officers. Unfortunately, I think when you title a piece directed towards commissioned officers, it sometimes discourages the NCO corps from engaging the piece.

This is a subject I have often lamented as well, to the boarderline of professional embarassment. I don't think we do enough to aid in the professional development of our junior NCOs like we do with junior officers.

As part of the site staff for both companycommand.com and platoonleader.com I would love to see a senior NCO form a like minded website for the non-commissioned officers in the force. I'd do it, but my expertise does not lie in the realm of NCOs, having never been one, and I would do the profession a disservice by attempting to jump in their Wheaties. NCOER.com and other like minded sites do a pretty good job at capturing the administrative aspects of what NCOs do, but I have yet to find a site so far that the Army is willing to put under the AKO umbrella like they have done with CC.com and PL.com.

[SSG Rock]

Thats a damn good idea!