Fires Seminar 2011

[Fires Seminar 2011]

17 MAY 2011- FIRES SEMINAR DAY 1
Speaker 1
General Cone, TRADOC CDR, kicked off the first day of the Fires Seminar speaking on the “Army Operating Concept.”
His talking points included:
Training is one of the major challenges we will face in the future. Currently the demand of OPTEMPO down range is limiting training time in the Garrison environment. Upon a units return, training needs to be a Commander Centric Business. In order to maximize effective training time between deployments, training must be balanced with “Top down” directed MTT training and training owned by the Commander.

When discussing the Profession of Arms, there needs to be a dialog to identify these fundamental concepts among the ranks. The solution needs to start with the current generation and address mastery of their knowledge in the Profession of Arms.

With the Army Learning Concept there is a need to deliver information anywhere to the right audience.

Challenges to policies driving the way ahead include finding a balance and giving officers the opportunity to serve in both TRADOC and down range. We need to bring talent and experience back to TRADOC.

Speaker 2

Following General Cone, MG Halverson spoke on the “State of Fires.”

His Talking points included:

7% of the Army’s personnel and equipment are Fires Soldiers, serving in the 13 or 14 series branches; showing that the vast majority are located on Active Duty in Brigade Combat Teams.
The current issues that both branches are facing in the current operating environment is that ADA is a “high demand, low density unit” and that Field Artillery branch remains one of the highest deployed branches in the Army.
MG Halverson also explained the close relationship that the Fires community has with the Acquisition Corps of the Army. This is important to maintain the technological advantage that the United States currently holds over their adversaries.
MG Halverson explained the solutions to the Warfighting Function which begins with understanding joint partner capability. Using this determines the possible ways for Fires to support their missions.
It’s imperative that the Fires Community share intellect through FKN, Blogs and White Papers. Lessons learned needs to be applied and shared to facilitate leader development.
The attributes that the Fires Community needs are critical thinking, adaptable, innovative, and culturally astute Soldiers. The way to produce these types of leaders is to facilitate an environment where life- long learning is not only encouraged and expected.

Speaker 3

COL Hisle, JACI Director, followed MG Halverson speaking on “Joint Fires.”

His talking points included:

Joint and Coalition Interoperability is critical to current and future operations of the US.

Joint Fires Observer – graduation rate is currently at 80%. Many allied countries are following our lead and implementing JFO training. Because the Air Force cannot provide us with enough JTACS, in order to fill this gap, the Army is trying to have at least one JFO per platoon.

JAGIC – Joint Air/Ground Integration Cell - USAF is standing up13 ASOCs across Army Installations.

Way Ahead –

Education Changes in BOLC and CCC
Senior Leader Education
Precision Fires Training
Increase US JFO MTOE Allocation to 4300 – Multi-National Adoption
ABCA Joint Fires Project team – CSPRM Interoperability 2011/12
JAGIC in Division – CTJF Development


Speaker 4

Mr. (SES) Tison, Assistant Deputy US Army G8, followed COL Hisle speaking on “Investment Strategy/ Army Modernization.”

His talking points included:

FY11 Budget- DoD requested $703.3B, H.R. 1473 provides $688B, Army requested $245.6B, H.R. 1473 provides $239.2B

Infrastructure is not growing as fast as our Forces.
Our National Economic situation requires all of us to do our part in restoring Economic Security.

Unresolved Challenges- Civilian workforce reduction, TESI reduction, AC end strength reduction, Global posture review, implementation of efficiencies, organizational consolidations, and Energy security investment requirements.

$400B Security spending reductions beyond savings in FY12 Budget

[Bill Jakola]

This morning's discussion of FM 3.0 upadte was especially interesting. I eagerly await its rollout and publication now scheduled for October.

The idea of trimming the Army's operations manual back substancially, to about a third of its current size, to focus on just those areas of fundamental importance, seems to be a key element to the changes.

The reduction in volume will force people to go elsewhere to find greater ammounts of information, but should also increase substancially clarity by reducing and purifying the cental ideas.

Bill Jakola

[Pete]

Bill, your previous message written in the King's English, not Army-speak, is refreshing. There were no Army buzzwords or PowerPoint words like "integrating," "optimizing," "leveraging," or acronyms people have to look up. Strunk and White's book The Elements of Style should be the way military professionals speak if we want to get everyone on the same sheet of music. Being clear is an absolute imperative when operations are being planned and briefed, so even the lowest private understands. It's like that line from an old song:

Men who mean just what they say, men who wear ...

[Ken White]

ALL others to follow, one hopes. The absolutely scary lack of clarity in most far too large to be useful FMs is mind boggling...

I'm old, I'm supposed to be verbose -- doctrine writers, not so much.

[slapout9]

Bill, is the Army going to get back in the Guided Missile Business like they are supposed to be?

[Fires Seminar 2011]

18 May- Day 2
Speaker 1:
LTC LaFace and COL Dvoracek, Combined Arms Center – Training, spoke on FM Changes to 3.0/7.0

LTC LaFace stated that FM 5.0 will now describe the entire planning process as well as the Design. The language between FM 3.0 and 5.0 have been married to articulate expectations and end state to Commanders. Mission Command is replacing Battle Command and C2; and is made up of the Art of Command and the Science of Control.

COL Dvoracek spoke about FM 7.0 Changes focus on the development of subordinate leaders and the aspects of leader development that doesn’t change overtime in order to avoid republication every few years.

Speaker 2:
After COL Dvorcek and LTC LaFace, LTC Morrisey, Fmr Cdr, 5-5 ADA; LTC Delaney, Fmr Cdr, 1-321 FA and LTC Golden, 160th SOAR spoke on the Employment of Tactical Fires

4 Take Away from LTC Delaney were FA is shooting in OEF, FA BN HQ’s are essential, Soldiers need to be trained on Excaliber, and the 5 requirements for Accurate and Predicted Fires remains THE essential task.

LTC Morrisey spoke on C-RAM and multiple TTP’s for the intercept piece of CRAM where there was only a sense and warn capability.

Speaker 3:
After the First Panel, COL Hite, Concepts Chief for Field Artillery; LTC Elfendahl, Concepts Chief, ARCIC; LTC Cook, ; Mr. Stone, DOTD Director, MCoE spoke on the Fires WarFighting Functional Concept.

LTC Elfendahl begin the brief with the link between the doctrine of ACC, AOC, and AFC for Fires lays in the Full Spectrum Operations with Soldiers skilled in core competencies and non-fires missions to rapidly transition between missions.

COL Hite said that the Fires WarFighting Functional Concept has expanded and will include: AMD, EW, Joint Fires and indirect fires in order to link all targeting assets together under doctrine.


Speaker 4:
After the Second Panel, LTG Formica, CDR ASMDC-ARSTRAT spoke on Space and Missile Defense for the Warfighter

LTG Formica stated that the USAMDC/ARSTRAT provides more than 830 Soldiers and Civilians in support of Ballistic Missile Defense and Space Operations, in as many as 6 teams.

He also said The current trend is leaning toward integrated air and missile defense. This is moving away from solely ballistic and theater missile defense, which has been identified across the AOR.

[Fires Seminar 2011]

Day 3 Fires Seminar 2011- FA and ADA State of the Branch

State of the ADA Brief (COL McCants)

Branch is relevant and ready to take on any task thrown their way. ADA is a high demand force.
Where we are- ADA passed their accreditation by TRADOC this year. BAE training will now occur at Ft. Sill and the Fires Center of Excellence. After Captains complete CCC they will get ADAM Cell Training before they go back to the Force. ADA will implement more distant learning with the implementation of ALC 2015.

Today’s Environment- Wide Area Security drives more requirements for ADA to be more engaging with the Army as it updates itself in the fight.

With budget cuts occurring, SLAMRAAM procurement was canceled, however, it accelerated Counter Rocked, Artillery, and Mortar Capability. Funds recouped from SLAMRAAM and MEADS will be reinvested back into the ADA portfolio.

AMD Strategy- Versatile and networked organizations, maintain Patriot viability, move forward with IFPC, defeat emerging ballistic missile threats, balance demands on units, explore CUAS/CMD capability, and common C2 picture.

State of the Field Artillery Branch (BG Vandal)

BG Vandal listed his top priorities as the Commandant of the Field Artillery School as Leader Development, 13 CMF training focused core competencies and closer synchronization with CDID and DOT-D. What issues do you think need to be addressed by the Field Artillery School?

Field Artillery’s Assessment of itself has determined the areas of sustainment are: Development of Precision Fires, Flexible agile leaders, OEF Fires, Joint Fires Integration, Recruiting and Retaining 13 CMF and MTTs to meet Operating Force Needs. What do you think about the Field Artillery’s Assessment?

Field Artillery has identified several areas for improvement to include: Fire Support Skills, Precision Fires, Shoot and Move, Technical Skills Erosion, OPD, Role of FSCOORD and COFs, TRA – Senior Leader/ Senior Mentor, Collective Training and Lack of Collective Training. What areas do you feel that the Field Artillery needs to improve in?

[Pete]

In April or May 1945 Patton's Third Army captured a railroad train loaded with the booze hoard of a Nazi bigwig. Patton being the kind of guy he was, every G.I. in his army received a bottle of brandy, a bottle of wine and one of champagne. For the next couple of days the entire Third Army was stumbling drunk.

Dad, a corporal clerk-typist (two stripes over a "T") who was sober at the time, walked out of the headquarters of his 105mm battery in a stone farmhouse in Germany only to see the battery's 105mm howitzer tubes pointed at the HQ building while staggering drunken G.I.s prepared to fire a live mission at the Wehrmacht. Dad shouted "Check Fire" and that was the end of that particular fire mission.