The January 19, 2014 edition of the NY Times featured an
article entitled “After Years at War,
The Army Adapts To Garrison Life” (see: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/19/us/after-years-at-war-the-army-adapts-to-garrison-life.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&_r=1).
Unlike some of the topics I’ve posted about over the years,
I have had significant experience with the conflict versus garrison mentality.
When I attended ROTC Summer Camp in 1968 the training focus
was on getting us cadets ready to be 2 LTs in Viet Nam. Training was rather
primitive compared to today’s world of simulations and on-line learning. There
was also no such thing as gender equality or even sensitivity. I can still
recall the picture up top (photo source: Wikipedia) being used as a training
aid for mortar emplacement – don’t even ask.
Fast forward to my first Reserve Command, the 519th
ASA Company in 1981 and the emphasis was on paperwork. Paperwork such as the
monthly copier report, the Oil Analysis program and what seemed like an
incredible sea of endless, meaningless reports.
Training time and resources were minimal and those actually
where the days of two weeks a year active duty. Range time was actually
something to look forward to since it was an infrequent occurrence.
Bringing this forward to MISO today. Iraq is over (for the
moment anyway), the withdrawal from Afghanistan is under way and the budget
clashes are ensuing.
Rather than pontificate what the “Big Army” or SOCOM should
do – let me offer some ‘old guy’ advice to Group, BN and Company Commanders.
Of course you have to appease your higher echelon masters
with accurate and time responses to their requirements, but you also have a
responsibility to your troops. As the CDR you are the readiness and morale
champion. You need to blend the crap that comes with garrison life with mission
critical and combat survival skills realistic training, and you will have to do
this under budget constraints.
I found that junior officers and NCOs are far more creative
than you might expect. Given that most have been deployed, the know what the
job is like under stressful conditions and should be able to come up with some
cost-effective, yet creative and challenging training that you can include in
your activities.
Unfortunately we never get to pick the when or where of our
next conflict. We always seem to train to the last one as they say. However, we
know a few things:
1.
The next conflicts will likely be in the Middle
East, Africa or perhaps Latin America.
2.
Target audiences are likely to range from highly
sophisticated and technology savvy to illiterate.
3.
The political wisdom of when to use the military
and more importantly when not and when to disengage continues to elude the
executive and judicial branches.
4.
Conflicts are very likely to be active MISO
first, available reserve MISO next and depending on the extent and need – more reserve
MISO.
Hopefully our future conflicts will be minimal, however, we
can’t take that chance and it is up to the Troop Leaders to insure that
realistic and challenging training is as much a part of tomorrow’s garrison
life as painting rocks white was a part of garrison life in the past.
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