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Thread: Did I miss it or has anyone seen the latest FM 7.0 Draft?

  1. #1
    Council Member Ken White's Avatar
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    Default Did I miss it or has anyone seen the latest FM 7.0 Draft?

    I heard one was released last month with a real short turn around time. Holiday release and short fuses tend to mean a stacked deck...

    That is not a good sign.

  2. #2
    Council Member Pete's Avatar
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    Army releases new training manual

    By John Harlow/TRADOC News Service

    FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (TRADOC News Service, Dec. 16, 2008) – The Army released the new field manual FM 7-0, Training for Full Spectrum Operations, at the Training General Officer Steering Committee conference at Fort Leavenworth. Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, commanding general of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center, introduced the new manual.

    The new manual replaces the 2002 edition of FM 7-0, Training the Force.
    Is there a more recent version than the 2008 one in the link below?

    http://usacac.army.mil/CAC2/archives...nuary/FM70.asp

  3. #3
    Council Member Ken White's Avatar
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    Default A 4 Dec 09 Draft of FM 7.0, 'Training for Full Spectrum Operations'

    is on the street for staffing. I've been told it has a really short turnaround. That's what usually happens when the proponents or authors don't want changes, IOW, they're stacking the deck on some items in the FM. I hear it is an improvement over the 2008 edition but also that some things including known issues were ignored.

    Seems to me it would be quite useful for the FM 7.0 authors and the Army if there were a discussion of the manual and of what's needed to prepare for war in the current operating environment.

    I'm trying to locate a copy...

  4. #4
    Council Member Ken White's Avatar
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    Default Curiouser and curiouser...

    Doesn't seem to be one out there. Now ain't that weeerd...

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    I haven't found a copy, either. But, I'll take a stab at one thing you wrote, just for the sake of it.

    Quote Originally Posted by Ken White View Post
    Seems to me it would be quite useful for the FM 7.0 authors and the Army if there were a discussion of the manual and of what's needed to prepare for war in the current operating environment.
    I wrote something about this elsewhere, which I'll quote below...

    ... different operations do not differ from the bottom-up or demand different sets of skills. Different operations merely demand that the same skills be applied to a different situation. Some conclude that in current operations, which are taking the form of COIN operations, our forces are not performing satisfactorily because they lack “COIN skills” or other COIN-specific training. The problem is not that our Soldiers lack the proper skills. The problem is that they have not been taught to apply them to enough situations.

    The problem is our training methodology. For decades, training has been broken down into tasks that provide an 80-percent solution to most anticipated situations. I think it is fair to say that our current situation was not anticipated by the decision-makers and the tasks that units focused on were not part of any 80-percent solution for what we actually encountered. The lesson here is not that we need to become better guessers for future contingencies. The lesson is that we need to train in such a manner that future success is not dependent upon how fortunate we are in guessing at what tasks we need to train on.
    Now, I only raise this issue because I saw that you typed, "a discussion of the manual and of what's needed to prepare for war in the current operating environment." (emphasis mine). I would assert that in determining what's needed to prepare for war (in terms of training and force structure), it should not matter what the current operating environment is. Individual unit SOPs (the "P" in TTP) obviously need to be developed to fit the specific missions assigned. But the manner in which we train individual Soldiers and the core competencies of our units - that seems to me like it should be unaffected by the current OE. (I assert all of this partly for the sake of discussion, but also because I think it is mostly correct).

    ---------------------------------------------

    On a slightly different topic, I would add that I do hope some bit of confusion in the current 7-0 is cleared up...

    Here is a sentence from FM 7-0 Training for Full Spectrum Operations, paragraph 2-28 (page 2-6)…
    ”Soldiers well-trained in basic tasks—such as physical fitness, lifesaving skills, marksmanship, and small-unit drills—are essential to units confidently and successfully completing collective tasks.”
    Physical fitness is a condition. Marksmanship is a skill or set of skills. The way that I read that sentence, task = condition = skill = set of skills = drill. To make those words equivalent requires that their meanings be stripped away from them.

  6. #6
    Council Member Ken White's Avatar
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    Default You've hit on two points that really concern me about FM 7.0.

    Quote Originally Posted by Schmedlap View Post
    Now, I only raise this issue because I saw that you typed, "a discussion of the manual and of what's needed to prepare for war in the current operating environment." (emphasis mine). I would assert that in determining what's needed to prepare for war (in terms of training and force structure), it should not matter what the current operating environment is.
    I totally agree but I was pandering to those who wrote the Manual who probably believe that there is a current versus other war peculiarity in an effort to entice a link. I see I'm going to have to go to plan B...
    Here is a sentence from FM 7-0 Training for Full Spectrum Operations, paragraph 2-28 (page 2-6)…
    ”Soldiers well-trained in basic tasks—such as physical fitness, lifesaving skills, marksmanship, and small-unit drills—are essential to units confidently and successfully completing collective tasks.”
    Physical fitness is a condition. Marksmanship is a skill or set of skills. The way that I read that sentence, task = condition = skill = set of skills = drill. To make those words equivalent requires that their meanings be stripped away from them.
    That's only one of many boo-boos by folks who don't know how to train because they do words, not training. That is an exceedingly dumb and really meaningless paragraph and it has a lot of company in the 2008 version...

  7. #7
    Council Member Pete's Avatar
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    Default Army Training Network

    The following quotation is from the Fort Leavenworth Lamp in March of last year. Descriptions of the ATN website make it sound like the Battalion Training Management System on steroids. Access to ATN is not available to civilian pukes without AKO accounts.

    FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (March 12, 2009) - The Army Training Network goes online March 16 with the mission of becoming the one-stop shop and information source for Army training.

    "ATN is about the ability of trainers and educators to go to one spot where they can talk over their problems. If you want to know about training, you come here," said Jimmy Davis, ATN government team leader.

    The ATN Web site has the most current training doctrine available, Field Manual 7-0, Training for Full Spectrum Operations, published December 2008. Online "Training Management How-To" and "Training Solutions" in ATN replace the hardcopy FM 7-1, Battle Focused Training.

    "The thing about ATN is that it's live, it's current, it's now, unlike the two-dimensional documents that the Army has operated with for so many years," said Bill Brosnan, ATN contractor team leader.

    Davis and his small team of contractors have a combined almost 100 years of Army experience, at both the officer and noncommissioned officer levels, and in fields such as aviation, field artillery and military intelligence.

    The ATN team spent nearly three years writing the current version of FM 7-0. Davis said the process of formalizing new doctrine is lengthy for a reason, as doctrine is meant to be the foundation of standardized training for several years. He said he hopes having training solutions consolidated and archived online in ATN will reduce the time required to publish future revisions to FM 7-0.
    http://www.army.mil/-news/2009/03/12...dy-to-go-live/
    Last edited by Pete; 01-27-2010 at 04:28 AM. Reason: Add link

  8. #8
    Council Member Ken White's Avatar
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    Default I have AKO Access

    as a retiree and asked to join ATN earlier -- they may or may not accept me. If they do, I'll obviously be bound by their rules or restrictions. We'll see...

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    Council Member William F. Owen's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ken White View Post
    That's only one of many boo-boos by folks who don't know how to train because they do words, not training. That is an exceedingly dumb and really meaningless paragraph and it has a lot of company in the 2008 version...
    Amen.

    Sorry to be negative, but just on the flick through, I see a poorly written, faith-based politically correct document, aimed at pleasing the One-star reader rather than helping folks to train troops for combat and security operations.

    Note: I may be wrong, but I could not find the words "Kill" "Capture" and "Destroy" anywhere in this document. Destroy came up twice, but as a negative. So basically the Army doesn't want to train folks to do that?

    Enemy = "hostile, thinking, and adaptive enemy". Wow. As opposed to the friendly, unthinking and rigid enemy's Armies most train to fight?

    ...and if anyone wants to ask "could I have done better," sure I could and so could a good many others here.
    Infinity Journal "I don't care if this works in practice. I want to see it work in theory!"

    - The job of the British Army out here is to kill or capture Communist Terrorists in Malaya.
    - If we can double the ratio of kills per contact, we will soon put an end to the shooting in Malaya.
    Sir Gerald Templer, foreword to the "Conduct of Anti-Terrorist Operations in Malaya," 1958 Edition

  10. #10
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    Default Below was emailed to me by TRADOC Reps

    The Revised FM 7-0 Draft was posted to the Army Training Network (ATN) for review on 21 Dec 09 thru 22 Jan 10 for all readers to review and submit comments. Additionally, it was emailed to dozens of addressees. Please understand there must be a closing date for all such actions. Regardless, the ATN Team welcomes all comments. We are enclosing the link to the FM 7-0 Review Tool where Users must first register and then may download the Draft FM to review and submit any input. Just following the instructions at the link.

    https://atn.army.mil/frm_FM_70_Review_Tool.aspx

    Notwithstanding the comments by the gentlemen of the Small Wars Journal, paragraph 3 of our inaugural ATN Newsletter provides background articles and guidance influencing the changes proposed in the Revised FM 7-0. A link is also included for their background information.

    https://atn.army.mil/Media/docs/ATN%...ov09_FINAL.pdf


    Our Team stands ready to assist should you have any further questions.

    Regards,

    Paul "Joe" Sparks
    ATN Team/Forum Facilitator
    Contractor, Northrop Grumman
    Collective Training Directorate (CTD)
    Combined Arms Center - Training (CAC-T)
    US Army Combined Arms Center (CAC)
    Fort Leavenworth, KS 66027-1356
    Last edited by davidbfpo; 01-27-2010 at 03:36 PM. Reason: PM to author re email & phone shown (removed till clarified)

  11. #11
    Council Member Ken White's Avatar
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    Default Many thanks to you, pup and to the ATN 7.0 Team.

    Now I have to read it...

    The advantage of airing the document and receiving broad based input will, I think, outweigh the hassles deriving from the volume of (and the quality for some of) that input.

  12. #12
    Council Member Pete's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ken White View Post
    Now I have to read it...
    Well, what does it say? Does it spell the end of Western Civilization as we know it?

  13. #13
    Council Member Ken White's Avatar
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    Default 'Have to' is future tense, 'have read' is past tense

    I'm still in the 'have to' mode but after a quick skim I can tell you that Wilf pretty much has it right so that will likely not be the end of western civilization -- too bland and PC for that -- but it also will probably not improve western civilization -- which, properly done, it could do...

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    Default I have read it a couple times now.

    In reading the manual, I see a lack of focus on developing the types of Soldiers and leaders that the senior leadership is asking for. For several years now, and through two Chiefs, Army leaders have asked for an adaptive and agile force. While there are some aspects of this manual that will build towards that goal, there are just as many that will stifle its creation.

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