Training the Soldier for COIN

[Ken White]

You are spot on with your comments on training management. Few commanders are doing it. The excuse you often hear is "there is not enough time, we deploy in only a 10,9,8,7,6.... months".....

I'd add that what many also fail to do is realize that not only can they train in theater, they must. You owe it to the kids to do that even though they'd rather you did not. I'd also point out that most of them can pick up the important things -- the critically important basics -- pretty quickly and integration instead of subject tackling is the key.

You and RTK got it; training is everything is training and all that.

[Xenophon]

I take issue with the highlighted and underlined sentence. It sounds as if The "system" is bringing you down, which, to be honest with you, is a pretty weak excuse. Here's a list of questions designed to determine training planning and strategy at your level. It should help you identify weaknesses within your own plan that you can affect at your level.

My complaint isn't about the system bringing me down. Like I said, the required Marinenet PTP courses are easily bypassed so no unit training time is wasted. I advised Strategic LT to do as such. The quality of the Marinenet training is a tangent, the point is: prac app, prac app, prac app. To expect the Marinenet slide shows to produce effectively trained Marines is simply ludicrous, the only way to ingrain the covered skills is through effective, practical unit training. Since Marinenet does nothing to contribute to this, subjects covered by Marinenet need to be retaught by the Marine's unit. Teach it once as a unit, reinforce as needed, and don't waste time staring at a box.

As for my team, I can't take credit for it since I'm not in charge but we just finished up DMOC. Who would you rather have working on your injury in a fire fight? My Lance Corporal and I who did a real life surgical tracheotomy on a live patient in less than 90 seconds yesterday or a soldier or Marine who cycled through Marinenet First Aid slides in between games of solitaire and repeated viewings of break.com videos

[RTK]

My complaint isn't about the system bringing me down. Like I said, the required Marinenet PTP courses are easily bypassed so no unit training time is wasted. I advised Strategic LT to do as such. The quality of the Marinenet training is a tangent, the point is: prac app, prac app, prac app. To expect the Marinenet slide shows to produce effectively trained Marines is simply ludicrous, the only way to ingrain the covered skills is through effective, practical unit training. Since Marinenet does nothing to contribute to this, subjects covered by Marinenet need to be retaught by the Marine's unit. Teach it once as a unit, reinforce as needed, and don't waste time staring at a box.

As for my team, I can't take credit for it since I'm not in charge but we just finished up DMOC. Who would you rather have working on your injury in a fire fight? My Lance Corporal and I who did a real life surgical tracheotomy on a live patient in less than 90 seconds yesterday or a soldier or Marine who cycled through Marinenet First Aid slides in between games of solitaire and repeated viewings of break.com videos

I think in your disdain and contempt for Marinenet you missed jcustis' point. It's the tasks that are important, not whether or not Marinenet is used. The bottom line is are your Marines/Soldiers trained properly for success on the modern battlefield? And at the end of the day did you aid in their training or impede it?

PTP is the same thing as FORSCOM training guidance; a list of mandatory classes before deployment. That's what jcustis was talking about, not the damnable computer program.

[jcustis]

Xenophon,

I have a simple answer for you. If your leadership is directing that Marines absorb PTP training through Marinenet classes alone, then they have failed. Plain and simple. Although Marinenet has become the host of a wide range of training, there is nothing in the TECOM PTP order that says Marinenet is the primary source of training.

My complaint isn't about the system bringing me down. Like I said, the required Marinenet PTP courses are easily bypassed so no unit training time is wasted. I advised Strategic LT to do as such. The quality of the Marinenet training is a tangent, the point is: prac app, prac app, prac app. To expect the Marinenet slide shows to produce effectively trained Marines is simply ludicrous, the only way to ingrain the covered skills is through effective, practical unit training. Since Marinenet does nothing to contribute to this, subjects covered by Marinenet need to be retaught by the Marine's unit. Teach it once as a unit, reinforce as needed, and don't waste time staring at a box.

If your command made the courses mandatory, then yes, they chose expediency over effectiveness. I think you're looking at the PTP through the straw of your unit's choices. Although Marinenet is a resource, I know of no units that are using that resource alone. There are still many Marines and contractors running basic platform instruction, which is exactly what my soon-to-mobilize unit will leverage off of. Marinenet doesn't factor into the equation at all, beyond annual training requirements.

EDIT: Ok, I'm tracking that your issue is with Marinenet and you misunderstood my post. I was referring to the breakout of required training that the PTP order lays out. RTK was on point.

[Strategic LT]

I would like to recommend a book on this subject.
"Small Unit Leadership: A Commonsense Approach" by Col. Dandridge M. Malone. It is available at amazon including a look at the table of contents and a free excert. Go check it out!

I have the book. It was a good read. I haven't looked at it in a while. I will check it out. Thanks

[soldiernolongeriniraq]

You're not an Army National Guard unit are you? Why are you redoing TTPs and basic skillsets everyone about the rank of E-1 already should know? If your SOPs aren't set 60 days before deployment, I don't know what to tell you.

You and your peeps have been there before, right? Or at least you've participated in NTC, JTC or some other advanced field exercise on conducting COIN in urban areas?

A great deal depends on where you're going. If its Anbar or Diyalah, there are skillsets and intel you will need that are inherent to those climes and places. If you're going to Baghdad or thereabouts, there are things you will need to know about that.

Theoretically, you have a forward party either participating in the departing or moving unit's RIPTOA, right? What does the advanced party think you should brush up on?

Your S-2 by now should have some idea about the place you're going. This will include a detailed ethnographic study of the tribal, kinship and clan-based structures of the population that depends on you for security and upon which you will depend for information and assistance.

As a LT, I imagine your role will be no higher than that of the platoon commander. As a platoon commander, if you haven't been to Iraq then you need to discuss this issue with a more senior officer who has conducted a competent COIN there, or one of your own more senior NCOs.

They will be the first to tell you that the more Arabic language and cultural skills you embrace now, the better you will be when you get to Iraq. How much Gulf or Iraqi Arabic do you know? Do you at least have a phrase book? Have you brushed up on the etiquette necessary to not completely alienate kinship leaders in your AO when you get there?

Has the 3-shop sent to you detailed paraphrases of the AAs left to your unit by the previous commander and his staff? If you will be working jointly with other service's units, such as USMC CAG, has the forward sent you the previous two CAG or PRT reports on their operations?

If your battalion (or another) has rotated there before, there should be a series of saved op ords (probably, inevitably, in PowerPoint). See if you can get a hold of those so you can see how other operations went down.

If you're not going to the same, or a similar AO, then your advance party should have requested some sample operational documents to look at. Ask your S-2 or your CO if he's seen anything like that.

Your 2 also probably has a list of every tribal and kinship leader in your likely sector, not to mention all the BOLOs you should be worried about. He can send it to you as a scanned document on AKO. Memorize it.

What will you be doing in OIF? Are you infantry? Scouts? Medical? Convoy escorts? REMFs?

Each speciality will require its own unique skillsets. If you're bound for an infantry placement, go over and over again the SOPs you've developed for operations out of your COP. Think divide the pie room clearing, detainee processing, et al. Ensure that every member of your platoon can easily transition to do the job just above and just below him. Stress weapons maintenance and complete proficiency on all aspects of crew served weapon operations.

If you're a convoy escort, you can't do too many reaction to IED drills. Build up that muscle memory. Understand how you will treat casualties and destroyed vehicles. Make sure that you, too often, are the casualty. Make Ensure that EVERY member of EVERY vehicle understands how to operate the radios and BFT. If you've never been in a complex attack, go through every possible contingency for SAF, IED/EFP/Mine, RPG, mortar, et al, attacks in all their various forms.

Assume, always, that there will be casualties. Assume that casualty might very well be you.

[RTK]

You're not an Army National Guard unit are you? Why are you redoing TTPs and basic skillsets everyone about the rank of E-1 already should know? If your SOPs aren't set 60 days before deployment, I don't know what to tell you.

I don't think he's redoing anything, so before we lay out the linear ambush and pile on, let's get some things in order.

StrategicLT is doing what a good leader does: Making sure his "i's" are dotted and "t's" are crossed before he deploys and getting an azimuth check from those who have BTDT.

The training management tangent was a pet peeve of mine. This was as good an entry point to cover it as any.

I've dialoged with him on AKO with a WARNO to bring it to SIPR. He's got what he needs and will do fine in theater. It never hurts to double check.