Units and METL Training

[Randy Brown]

The problem I have it's that we are trying to focus on everything - and the CMETL/DMETL switch does not take into account the most important factor IMO - training time.

Case in point - units create the DMETL's off the FORSCOM SWA Guidance, Army Warrior Tasks, and the DMD/MEEL's they are given. Taking a FA BN who is training on a CMETL mission and then making them a DETOPS BN - has anyone done the troops to task list on the differences in tasks and then the time associated with the new tasks. Obviously there is some crossover between the CMETL and DMETL task list - but would be interested to see a no-bullcrap training time difference between the two.

Fire for effect!

Training time is the proverbial elephant in the unit leadership meeting. Personally, I've yet to see ARFORGEN executed in anything other than a hurry-up-and-(re)deploy mode, with two big side helpings of "here's your new mission set" and "reclass a chunk of your MOS make-up." Think flash-to-bang times of less than 12 months, and outside of units' official ARFORGEN windows. You can make an arty guy into a provisional MP in that timeframe, but can you make him a good one?

Adding to the frustration, DMD/MEEL are not available from theater in a timely manner, and commanders are busy juggling the problem of how to train/test 100-percent Warrior Task and weapons qualifications prior to M-day.

So, while I like the concept of the CMETL/DMETL, in that it puts some names and documents to how we're already doing business, I'm not sure the overall concept itself does much to solve the training-time problem. Wasn't the old rule-of-thumb something like, "Use 20 percent of the available time for leaders to plan, 80 percent for troops to prepare for mission execution?"

[ODB]

Many of the recent posts are hitting on what I was trying to get at when I posted about a units METL. I was looking at it in the sense that no matter what fight we are in there are certain basic/core tasks that units must maintain proficientcy in. I used FA and ADA as examples, but it is the same across the board. IMO an example of this with an Infantry unit would be this: currently they don't need to be able to conduct large scale movement to contact but must be able to react to contact. Which is one of their basic/core tasks. I understand it may be easier for an Infantry unit to maintain their proficientcy in this than say and FA Battalion to maintain proficientcy in gunnery skills, but again IMO this is one of their basic/core tasks that should be maintained.

patmc was glad to read your unit was getting back to gunnery skills. But wonder if now you'd have the time to maintain proficientcy in both? Or will it start all over again because 180-120 days from deployment someone will finally let the secret out of their pocket what you'll be tasked to do. We are just as bad if not worst with letting folks know what they will be doing in time for them to train for it as we are with managing personnel.

[Ski]

The good news with all of this is that HQDA and FORSCOM are starting to wake and smell the chai - I suspect some major changes are coming down the pike in the next few months with regards to the entire "D" process (DMETL/DMD/MEEL).

[patmc]

ODB, I agree with you that if we received an infantry type mission, we probably could not maintain METL for both.

My BDE Commander was able to maintain both while deployed as a BN Commander bc his BN was tasked as 1 FA BTRY and several IN companies, so they rotated duties to keep people trained. They lucked out with that configuration.

My deployment, we deployed for convoy escort, but were later tasked to provide 2 howitzer sections, and had to rob from 2 batteries to fill them. Those on the guns did nothing besides FA. When they came back, we had to retrain them for convoy escort.

The best a unit can hope for now is early WARNO for their deployment mission so they can adequately train up.

patmc was glad to read your unit was getting back to gunnery skills. But wonder if now you'd have the time to maintain proficientcy in both? Or will it start all over again because 180-120 days from deployment someone will finally let the secret out of their pocket what you'll be tasked to do. We are just as bad if not worst with letting folks know what they will be doing in time for them to train for it as we are with managing personnel.

[Randy Brown]

I've recently been engaged in some conversations--both on-line and around the water cooler--regarding optimal brigade-level task organization and equipment for COIN missions. I wanted to take the opportunity to say that this thread--with its concurrent discussion of METL, past and future--has really helped me round out my thinking on the training side of the house.

Andrew Povard's recent SWJ article on Force Structure for Small Wars was what got the conversational ball rolling around the hallways here. There's also a related SWJ discussion, if you're interested.

Also, I thought I'd mention a METL-related question (if not exactly related answers) regarding "Brigade-level COIN METL tasks" has been recently posted to the Battle Command Knowledge System's (BCKS) COIN forum. AKO log-in required. I think it's fair to say that the discussion there is gravitating more toward supporting tasks than actual BCT METL, but it's all good.