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Social Media Spotlight
Deputy commanding general of Initial Military Training speaks on war against suicide
provides a suicide prevention public service announcement video featuring Maj. Gen. Bradley W. May, deputy commanding general of Initial Military Training, speaking on suicide prevention.
"In this suicide prevention message, Maj. Gen. Bradley W. May, senior commander of Army Element Eustis (Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.) and deputy commanding general of Initial Military Training refers to suicide as an invisible war."
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The state of the Armor and Infantry
click the image below to view video
The 2012 Maneuver Conference was held recently where key leaders from around the Army gathered to discuss the pertinent issues in today's Maneuver force. During the conference the Armor and Infantry School Commandants updated these leaders about the new and innovative programs they are using to build the soldiers of the future.
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Doctrine 2015:
Delivering doctrine to the
point of need
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Sound off about the Army Service Uniform
The U.S. Army wants YOU to sound off about your Army Service Uniform.
In an effort led by U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, a survey site has been developed to get feedback from the field about the Army Service Uniform. This survey is for all Soldiers, who must have AKO access to participate.
The ASU survey is part of the Army's effort to solicit continuous feedback on the equipment it provides to Soldiers. The feedback gathered by the survey will be used to determine possible adjustments or improvements that can be made to the ASU.
The survey site officially launches Sept. 17, 2012, and will remain active until Oct. 9, 2012, so make sure to take the time to offer your input and make your voice heard.
Click here for your input to the survey.
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Army applies Soldier feedback, NIE results as it readies network upgrade for fielding by Amy Walker and Claire Heininger,
U.S. Army | |
A Soldier from 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division, stands before a Warfighter Information Network-Tactical Increment 2 Point of Presence in May 2012, during the WIN-T Increment 2 Initial Operational Test and Evaluation and Network Integration Evaluation 12.2 at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. (U.S. Army photo by Amy Walker)
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Having used legacy communications equipment during tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, Sgt. 1st Class Michael Rayfield is ready to see the Army send its new mobile network to the field. "After seeing this technology in action, I couldn't imagine going back to the way we were fighting the battle before," said Rayfield, a brigade senior signal noncommissioned officer for 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division. "Based on what I have seen and where I have been in the past, [Warfighter Information Network-Tactical] Increment 2 has reached a milestone in the ways that we can get information to our fighting forces."
Known as WIN-T, the Warfighter Information Network-Tactical is essentially the Soldier's Internet, providing high-speed, high-capacity voice, data and video communications.
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Cone discusses command progress, suicide prevention during town hall
by Ryan Poole, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command
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Gen. Robert W. Cone, commanding general of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, discusses TRADOC's progress on command initiatives, Army-wide areas of concern and facility upgrades on Fort Eustis, Va. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Steven Schneider)
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Gen. Robert W. Cone, commanding general of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command led a Sept. 13 town hall meeting at Fort Eustis' Jacobs Theater where he shared the command's progress throughout last year, and held a question-and-answer session with the Soldiers and civilians assigned to TRADOC.
"It's been an incredible year," Cone said. "TRADOC was put in a position where it had to perform to set conditions for the Army into the future, and it has truly been a magnificent year."
The meeting began with Cone acknowledging TRADOC's impact on the Army as a whole, progress with its command initiatives, addressing Army-wide areas of concern, and talking about the ongoing facility upgrades taking place across the installation.
TRADOC is a key leader in four of the Army chief of staff's five priorities.
These priorities include developing the force of the future (Army of 2020); sustaining a high-quality, all-volunteer Army; adapting leader development to meet future security challenges; and fostering continued commitment to the Army Profession.
Cone said TRADOC will have trained more than 700,000 Soldiers by close of fiscal year 2012. Prior to the war, TRADOC trained roughly 400,000 Soldiers and last year, trained more than 600,000 Soldiers.
"Much of the increase in Soldiers being trained comes from structured self-development and online courses," Cone said.
He pointed out that teaching via online courses does not lessen the workload for TRADOC because executing state-of-the-art online courses still requires instructors to grade papers and provide feedback.
Besides the increase in the volume of training at TRADOC schools and courses, Cone believes the quality of the training has also improved through the extensive application of the "Army Learning Model."
"A year ago I could talk conceptually about the Army Learning Model, but today I can go out on the ground and walk into most of our schools and centers and I am very impressed by the things that they are doing," Cone said.
Cone used the Intelligence Center of Excellence as an example of leveraging and incorporating technology into the classroom. One digital application the students are using has reduced training time from seven to two hours.
Cone noted that the time saved by using digital training resources like "apps" can be applied towards reinforcing other skills such as oral and written communication.
Cone noted that one of the most important accomplishments of the command is the launch of "Doctrine 2015."
Doctrine 2015 transforms the Army's doctrinal base to deliver doctrine -- clear, concise, current and accessible -- to the point of need. The first level of Army doctrine -- Army Doctrine Publications -- consists of 15 foundational manuals about 10-15 pages long that capture the enduring principles inherent in land warfare in the 21st century.
The ADPs are now available via the new "Doctrine 2015" website, here. However, now that the doctrine is available, Cone believes the challenge now is to get Soldiers to use it. "The biggest problem with doctrine is not writing it; it's getting the force to use and understand it," Cone said.
The TRADOC CG also discussed several Army-wide concerns such as suicide, discrimination, hazing, and sexual assault and harassment.
"We have to look harder at preventing suicides, and we have to think outside the box," Cone said. "In my mind Soldiers are in the top one percent of Americans when they raise their right hand to join the Army. This loss of life, this tragic loss of great Soldiers is just unacceptable to me."
In regard to sexual harassment and hazing, Cone made it clear to the audience that there is zero tolerance for those actions in the Army and TRADOC.
"Sexual harassment is like a cancer in an organization that takes happy, willing participants and takes away their ability to contribute. I will not tolerate that in TRADOC," Cone said. "It amazes me that in the year 2012, I have to stand up in front of an audience and talk about things like racial or gender discrimination."
Cone emphasized that TRADOC should work as a team, and that those who support discrimination, harassment or hazing cannot be part of the organization
He concluded the town hall by discussing the improvements to TRADOC's new home -- Fort Eustis. The commissary will be upgraded starting in November, the Post Exchange upgraded started in May, and fitness facility improvements are also ongoing for Anderson Field House.
Cone says there will be about $425 million invested in Fort Eustis to make it a better place to live. Half of this has already been spent and the remainder will be used for improvements in the very near future.
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TRADOC commander describes key initiatives, stresses importance of lessons learned in battle
by Sue Ulibarri, Maneuver Center of Excellence
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Gen. Robert W. Cone, commanding general of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, speaks to Fort Benning Soldiers and attendees of the 2012 Maneuver Conference at the Columbus Convention and Trade Center in Columbus, Ga., Sept. 18, 2012. (U.S. Army photo by Ashley Cross)
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"Supporting the current fight" was among the three areas of focus Gen. Robert W. Cone, commanding general of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, conveyed to Soldiers and defense industry leaders during this year's Maneuver Conference in Columbus, Ga., Sept. 18.
The annual Maneuver Conference is hosted by the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning. "My priority is the obligation and commitment to you, those who have been in the fight or will soon be heading into the fight," he said. TRADOC currently supports the force by overseeing and providing initial military training, functional training, professional military education, mobile training teams and collective training assistance. Cone also commented on the capabilities of the Asymmetric Warfare Group that gathers and analyzes relevant information from theater operations and applies its benefits in the training environment across the Army. "AWG brings us the ability to see the next fight and to adapt our learning methods," he said. "We have members of the AWG with operational units in a variety of areas of conflict. Through their observations and lessons learned, which they bring back to us, we improve the operating and generating force." Cone's second area of focus included the structural transition of the force to the Army of 2020. He noted the importance of the Army's capability to be operationally adaptable and able to win across a full range of military operations. "The Army must be able to win the fight, first and foremost, and then we must focus on preventing future threats and, thus, develop the force based on these evolving threats," he said. Building a winning strategy includes the ability to function in a joint operational environment where the Army conducts a wide range of missions, while retaining the ability to focus more narrowly on projecting power to deter and defeat aggression as specific threats emerge worldwide. The combination of a narrow focus within a wide lens allows the Army to adjust more rapidly to potential threats, he explained. Human transition was the final area of focus during Cone's discussion. He explained that TRADOC addresses human transition through the "Army Profession," leader development, the "Army Learning Model," "the Squad" and "Doctrine 2015." A winning strategy in particular must include changes in how the Army develops Soldiers as members of the profession, said Cone. The Army Profession encompasses defining the Army as a profession, certification, strengthening standards and improving feedback, he said. The Army leader development strategy also entails broadening the knowledge and experience of leaders; better "talent" management; rebalancing the pillars of leader development through education, experience and training; and the development of strategic leaders. Executing the human transition involves developing innovative and adaptive leaders--they are the key to operational adaptability, Cone said.
"Warfighting is a human function, and the most important aspect of achieving the Army of 2020 is how we capture lessons learned," Cone said.
"As leaders, we must tell our Soldiers how important they are to our Army -- they are members of a profession," said Cone. "Leaders are responsible for making the hard decisions when it comes to Soldier care. We, as senior leaders, must make the tough calls as we ask our Soldiers to do the same."
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Military credentialing initiatives a top priority for TRADOC
by U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command Public Affairs
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Current and future credentialing initiatives being spearheaded by U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command will help Soldiers like Spc. William Stevens, interior electrician, earn civilian credentials for military training. Verifiable credentials that are readily recognized by industry can not only improve the Army profession, but can also help Soldiers by providing a smoother transition to the civilian workforce. (U.S. Army photo)
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In June, President Barack Obama announced a "We Can't Wait" initiative to help service members obtain civilian credentials and licenses for manufacturing and other high-demand skills they received from attending military schools.
"Our economy needs their outstanding talent," Obama said in his June 1 address to Honeywell employees in Golden Valley, Minn. Under the president's direction, the Department of Defense established the Military Credentialing and Licensing Task Force. The Task Force's goal is to identify military specialties that readily transfer to high-demand jobs; work with civilian credentialing and licensing associations to address gaps between military training programs and credentialing and licensing requirements; and to provide service members with greater access to necessary certification and licensing exams. U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command's Training Integration Directorate is leading the Army's efforts to ensure Soldiers earn legitimate qualification in their respective military jobs and are competitive in the civilian workforce once they leave the military. "Quite simply, we have a huge opportunity here to leverage the skills taught by TRADOC's world-class schools to help our service members and veterans," said Maj. Neil Wahab, TRADOC training staff officer. TRADOC is responsible for teaching roughly 140 military occupational specialties, or MOSs, to enlisted Soldiers throughout 14 schools across eight locations. These schools provide nearly 200,000 Army professionals each year with opportunities to become experts in their field. One example of a partnership between the military and manufacturing professionals is the U.S. Army Engineer School, located at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. The Engineer School is collaborating with the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, or SME, to expand certification to engineer officers and warrant officers to test on SME's Certified Manufacturing Technologist or Lean Bronze Certification. "The Army's engineer school was asked to partner with the Society of Manufacturing Engineers as part of the president's Military Credentialing and Licensing Task Force," said Sgt. Major Michael W. Dobbs, Directorate of Training and Leader Development, USAES. "We have been charged to run a one-year pilot program to assess the potential of engineers to meet SME's credentials." For the rest of this story, click here.
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Check out the NEW online home of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command!
Be sure to check out TRADOC's new look at www.tradoc.army.mil, your link to the latest news throughout U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. The site provides an overview of TRADOC's top priorities as well as current command initiatives. The new look also provides access to other TRADOC Public Affairs products, including TRADOC This Week and TRADOC Daily News. |
TRADOC Trivia: The Special Forces sergeant who wore this uniform on display at U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command Museum of the NCO gave a lecture at the U.S. Army Sergeant Majors Academy in 1983. What do you suppose was the topic of the lecture?
A. How to protect your financial life back home in case of a long absence
B. Reintegrating into the military and civilian life after a period of imprisonment
C. How to prepare for the possibility of capture by the enemy
D. Negotiating forcefully with your captors to improve your fellow prisoners' conditions
E. All of the above
F. A, B and C only
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Sgt. 1st Class Aaron Baca of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence crawls through a tunnel at the Fort Eustis, Va. obstacle course as part of the 2012 Advanced Individual Training Platoon Sergeant of the Year competition Sept. 25, 2012. Baca serves at Fort Huachuca, Ariz. as an AIT platoon sergeant. (U.S. Army photo by Stephanie Slater)
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AIT Platoon Sergeant of the Year competition underway, 'out of order'
by Stephanie Slater, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command
Soldiers seeking the title of 2012 Advanced Individual Training Platoon Sergeant of the Year encountered an unanticipated turn of events at the competition going on now at Fort Eustis, Va.
Competitors are purposely unaware of the order of events, but past competitions can sometimes hint a certain order. Not the case this year. The competition began with a command sergeants major board. Usually, this event takes place toward the end of the competition.
The winner, who will be announced during a ceremony Sept. 28, 2012, will serve a one-year tour at the Initial Military Training Center of Excellence, Fort Eustis, Va., as an enlisted adviser. In this role, he or she will provide ground-level experience and insight into the Army's initial entry training. AIT platoon sergeants are top-performing professional noncommissioned officers, or NCOs, from virtually all branches of the Army who play a critical role in the success of AIT training. After basic combat training, new Soldiers attend AIT, where they become experts in their specific military occupational specialties, known as MOSs. The AIT platoon sergeants mentor the new Soldiers, working with them after classes and on weekends to teach and reinforce technical lessons and WTBD.
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Trainers to help Soldiers 'optimize physical readiness'
by David Vergun, ARNEWS
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Sgt. 1st Class Floston Arthur and Staff Sgt. Jamie Wall get some "hands-on" training with skeletal parts. They and others of the master fitness pilot are in the first MFT class since 2001, when the program was discontinued. (U.S. Army photo by David Vergun)
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The pilot course for the Army's new Master Fitness Training Program held its graduation ceremony here, Sept 21.
The 30 graduates will then return to their units to help "optimize physical readiness and human performance of Soldiers and train others Soldiers to do what they're doing," said Maj. David Feltwell, a physical therapist with the Physical Readiness Division, and one of the three Master Fitness Training, or MFT, instructors. "The benefits master fitness trainers can bring to their units is enormous," Feltwell said. They include higher combat readiness, reduction in injuries, an Army-wide standardized training program with standardized outcomes, improved physical and mental performance and higher self-esteem, among others, he said. The MFT program isn't new to the Army. It was discontinued in 2001. However, a lot of performance research, program testing and validation studies were conducted in those intervening years and in 2010, the result was publication of TC 3-22.20 "Army Physical Readiness Training" and now the enhanced MFT program, according to Feltwell. He expects TC 3-22.20 to become a field manual by next month. He sees MFT graduates fanning out to the battalion level at first. Then, and as more Soldiers become MFT-certified, they will be embedded at the company level. "Master fitness trainers will consult with their commanders, sergeants major and first sergeants to plan training programs customized to the needs of their unit and mission," he said. "The purpose of the program is not to raise physical fitness scores," he added. "But higher scores will be one of the expected outcomes. And we predict that with fewer injuries, more Soldiers will be able to take the APFT, raising individual and unit average scores." For the rest of this story, click here.
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2013 Army Campaign of Learning What is it?
The Army's Campaign of Learning 2013 will look at America's Next First Battles to help transition the current Army of execution to one prepared for the security challenges of 2020 and beyond. The campaign, led by U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command's Army Capabilities Integration Center, consists of multiple efforts using various methods to achieve its objectives.
These methods include studies, science and technology, seminars, wargames, experiments, and live exercises. The Campaign of Learning includes Unified Quest, the Army chief of staff's annual Title 10 future study plan. By exploring plausible future developments in society, the environment, technology and people, the Army can identify a plausible and credible future operational environment to identify what these changes may mean and what capabilities the Army should develop to meet these challenges.
What has the Army done?
Last year's Campaign of Learning and Unified Quest events focused on what the Army must do and how the Army fights to challenge the ideas, concepts and required capabilities within the Army Capstone Concept and the Army Operating Concept. During the 2012 campaign, the outcomes from efforts were synthesized and insights helped Army senior leaders to prepare the Army for 2020 and beyond.
What continued efforts does the Army have planned for the future?
The Army's Campaign of Learning 2013 builds upon the insights from 2012. Unified Quest 2013 will focus on two efforts: one will help develop the Army of 2020 the other will explore the deep future of 2030-2040 through the lens of America's Next First Battles and, for 2030-2040, First Battles after Next. Respectively, two seminar wargames will explore how well the central ideas of operational adaptability and integrated distributed operations enable the Army to accomplish its missions and tasks in the future operational environment. In addition, experimentation will transition Army 2020 initiatives to the operating force for further examination in a corps warfighter exercise.
Why is this important to the Army?
The Army must not only focus its efforts toward the current national security strategy without losing the knowledge and skills gained from more than 10 years of war, but it must also look to the future as well. Through the Campaign of Learning's efforts, the Army will be able to achieve both these objectives by identifying capabilities needed, as part of the joint force, to protect U.S. national interests and achieve strategic objectives in 2020 and beyond.
For the rest of this STAND-TO!, click here.
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 Intermediate Level Education Program
What is it?
Intermediate Level Education program prepares midgrade officers to serve in command and staff positions as majors and lieutenant colonels and consists of a common-core curriculum and a follow-on professional credentialing program.
What has the Army done?
The Army's goal is to revive the professional importance of ILE by increasing the course's relevance and participation. Optimizing ILE will afford active component Army Competitive Category officers the opportunity to complete the program through one of three venues: a 10-month resident course, at a satellite campus or through distributed learning.
Throughout the last decade of war, midgrade officers placed less importance on ILE as a key development process and more importance on deployments. However, this led to later attendance and officers not being fully prepared for key developmental positions. This education reform is necessary to maximize earlier preparation of officers and to select the right officers for each venue. What does the Army have planned for the future?
An ILE selection board will be conducted in conjunction with the Major Promotion Selection Board convening in October 2012 to consider YG 2004 officers for attendance at the ILE 10-month resident and 14-week satellite campus beginning in January 2014. Officers not selected for either a 10-month resident or satellite campus will complete ILE by distant learning. Every officer will have the opportunity to submit preferences for the various 10-month resident programs. The ILE Selection Board will determine officers' selection for ILE 10-month resident and 14-week satellite campuses. Based on selection, an Army Human Resources Command panel will slate individual officers into one of the 10-month resident programs (i.e. CGSC, Sister Service, Foreign, ILE Interagency Fellowship, Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation) and schedule 14-week satellite campus selectees into one of four locations (Forts Gordon, Belvoir, Lee or Redstone). AHRC will publish the selection results for each program and venue concurrent with the Army major promotion results.
For the rest of this STAND-TO!, click here.
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Bobbie Salazar, a personal protective equipment team member, helps Chief Warrant Officer 2 Nathan Smith, a pilot with Troop A, 7th Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 159th Combat Aviation Brigade, don the Joint Protective Aircrew Ensemble, designed specifically for aviators. The 159th CAB is the first stateside Army unit to field the JPACE. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. Xeriqua Garfinkel)
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Soldiers from the 159th Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division become the first Army unit in the continental U.S. to receive the latest Joint Protective Aircrew Ensemble at Fort Campbell, Ky., Sept. 20.
The JPACE is a flame resistant, light weight, chemical and biological protective coverall that resembles a standard flight suit worn over the physical fitness uniform and consists of an inner CB lining attached to an outer shell.
"It's a one-piece jumper flight suit," said Michelle Bonanca, a chemical engineer from the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center in Massachusetts. "They can wash it up to four times, and it will still keep its chemical protection," she said.
It consists of a neck dam for additional protection for the throat, field expedient repair kits and provides 16 hours of protection while in a chemically contaminated area.
This will replace the existing Joint Service Lightweight Integrated Suit Technology for aircrew members conducting ground and flight duties while in an exposed region.
"I've seen the old uniforms," said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Nathan M. Smith, a pilot for Troop A, 7th Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 159th CAB. "I think this is a little bit easier to manage. This looks like a well put together system," he said.
The JPACE has been in the works since 2007 and already issued around the world.
"It's a big step up from what we were working with before," said Maj. Damon Bird, the protection team chief from the Capabilities, Development and Integration Directorate of the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence in Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.
"The other services have adopted it as well as the Air Force and the Navy. So, across all the joint services it, has become the program for aviators for chemical suits," Bird said. "The aviators will have a little more freedom of movement within the cockpit. We always try to provide a better product to the warfighter."
Army units in Japan and Korea have already been fielded the suit, but the 159th CAB is the first stateside unit to receive this equipment and training.
"We were looking for aviation units that were going to deploy ... so they had time to get the training and practice with the suit before they were deployed," said Bonanca.
"It's pretty exciting that we are the first," said 1st Lt. Amanda Box, the chemical officer assigned to Headquarter and Headquarters Company, 7th Battalion., 17th Cavalry Regiment., 159th Combat Aviation Brigade. "It says that we are stressing the importance of the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear program."
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TRADOC Trivia: Answer
The correct answer is F. - A, B and C only.
This is the Prisoner of War uniform of Sgt. Maj. Dennis Thompson, who was a POW of the North Vietnamese for over five years. He was taken prisoner after the 1968 Battle of Lang Vei in which the Lang Vei Special Forces camp came under massive enemy armor and infantry attack. As a POW he continuously resisted his captors' efforts to force him to break the Code of Conduct by writing anti-American statements. He encouraged other POW to resist also and as a result he spent almost three years in solitary confinement while his captors attempted to beat and starve him into submission.
Upon his release in 1973 Sgt. maj. Thompson completed Ranger school and served as a first sgt. in the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment.
This artifact display continues to educate and inspire students at the U.S. Army Sergeant Majors Academy.
To view Thompson's transcript, click here.
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TRADOC This Week is the official newsletter of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. Contents of TRADOC This Week are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. government or the U.S. Army. The appearance of advertising found on links included in this publication does not constitute endorsement by the U.S. Army.
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