A report from home station sill: preparing for war today and tomorrow.

Preparing our Field Artillery Soldiers for war remains the most important thing we do at Fort Sill--or for that matter--the most important thing any of our Field Artillery commanders do at home station. I would like to share some initiatives I have seen and applaud them.

Operation Bedpost. Fort Sill's Army Training Center (ATC) is now in full swing executing what is called "Operation Bedpost." Operation Bedpost is another name for the weapons immersion program where the trainee keeps his weapon all day and, literally, hangs it over his bedpost at night.

After a Soldier's first basic rifle marksmanship in Week One of his training, he keeps his weapon with him at all times, sort of like the old Army. Given that physical security in our ATC barracks--our "Starships"--is no less than that of any Fort Sill range or in a forward operating base (FOB) somewhere in Afghanistan or Iraq, the weapons remain with the Soldiers at night secured over their bunk bedposts and not in arms rooms. The only difference is in leader attitude as the young privates know nothing different.

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Each Soldier is responsible for his weapon 24 hours a day, including marksmanship proficiency, maintenance, security and safe handling at all times. At the ATC, not only basic combat training (BCT) Soldiers, but also advanced individual training (AIT) and one-station unit training (OSUT) Soldiers participate in Operation Bedpost. Our intent is to conduct weapons immersion also in the basic officer leader's course (BOLC) II when it comes to Fort Sill in January 2006.

Some old timers have coached me that this weapons immersion training is not new. I "Roger that" but also acknowledge that peacetime migration has taken us away from that program and Operation Bedpost brings us back to train as we'll fight.

We already are seeing positive results from this program with improved maintenance, increased confidence and muzzle awareness, and improved marksmanship.

FOBs at Fort Sill. The ATC has established a FOB for BCT and OSUT Soldiers to train them in a realistic contemporary operating environment (COE). It also decreases the time to transport Soldiers to and from training areas, allowing more time to train the Chief of Staff of the Army's designated warrior tasks and battle drills.

Ultimately, we envision about five FOBs at Fort Sill in support of schoolhouse training: individual mobilization training (IMT), officer education system (OES), NCO education system (NCOES), warrant officer education system (WOES), and III Corps Artillery and mobilization unit training.

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Live-Fire Convoy Training. I mentioned convoy live-fire training at Fort Sill in my last column. We are continuing this training to standard.

At this point, it's worth coaching unit leaders that live-fire training at Fort Sill or your home stations is a higher risk event. As unit leaders, you must ensure range officers-in-charge (OICs) and NCOs-in-charge (NCOICs) are certified properly, and, most important, you commanders must assess the exact points of highest friction or risk on your live-fire lanes and mitigate those risks with, among other things, leader presence.

As part of its deployment training, III Corps Artillery has used leader innovation with range control assistance to create convoy live-fire lanes. The training on the transit hardball roads involves dual-side engagements with "Shoot" or "No-Shoot" targetry. In addition, the convoy remains in a "red status" until it returns to the secure FOB motor pool where Soldiers finally clear their weapons in "clear barrels." That is realistic training.

This training is further enhanced with a battalion command post (CP) in the FOB motor pool tracking the convoy along its route. The CP uses radio communications as well as the movement tracking system (MTS) available in the continental US (CONUS).

Balancing Lethal and Nonlethal Training. Spot reports from CONUS dirt combat training centers (CTCs) suggest a trend of some concern. Given that the training rotation scenarios reflect more nonstandard missions and stability and support operations (SASO), there clearly is a tendency for FA units to focus entirely on delivering and coordinating nonlethal effects.

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It is essential we continue to maintain our ability to deliver accurate, timely and responsive lethal fires.

I have asked the CTC observer/controllers (O/Cs) to emphasize that units maintain a balanced rotation, ensuring they can plan and execute both lethal and nonlethal fires and effects.

Augmentation for FA as Maneuver Units. Also of concern is when an FA battalion or Fires Brigade is given the nonstandard mission of serving as a maneuver formation because it requires certain augmentation to perform its mission; FA battalions and division artilleries (Div Artys) deployed in the Central Command area of responsibility (AOR) frequently serve as maneuver units. This augmentation includes the creation or assignment of an additional fire support element (FSE) at the battalion level or a fires and effects cell (FEC) at the BCT level.

The article "1st Cav Div Arty as a Maneuver BCT" by Colonel Steve Lanza, et al, discusses the augmentation required to serve as a BCT in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) II. The 1st Cavalry Div Arty as the 5th BCT not only required a FEC, it also required further augmentation, based on the mission, enemy, terrain and weather, troops, time available and civil considerations (METT-TC), which Steve discusses in some detail. The standing Div Arty FEC was otherwise engaged with division-wide fires and effects.

Another article in this edition, "1st ID in Iraq: The FFA HQ [Force FA Head-quarters] Mission Endures" by Colonel Rich Longo, includes information about the Div Arty's serving as a BCT head-quarters during OIF II. This Div Arty also required a FEC and other augmentation, based on METT-TC, which Rich discusses briefly.

FFA HQ and Fires Brigades. The value of having a FFA HQ remains key throughout the spectrum of military operations, major combat operations (MCO) to SASO. At every echelon, the FFA HQ maintains the "high ground," ensuring all available sensors and shooters are linked, our delivery systems are coherently positioned, gaps or redundancies in capabilities are resolved, and the joint fires and effects community can support the maneuver commander's intent.

At the unit of employment (UEx) level, a Fires Brigade likely will be assigned the FFA HQ role. The three-star UEx will have the same force structure to fulfill the FFA HQ role as the two-star UEx will have. The UEx requires support similar to the support the 75th FA Brigade out of III Corps Artillery provided the 1st Cav during OIF II when the 1st Cav Div Arty executed nonstandard missions as the 5th BCT.

We will closely watch the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and 2d Infantry Division Battle Command Training Program (BCTP) Warfighter exercises this summer. Both divisions will serve as UExs with Fires Battalions organic to their BCTs, and each will employ a Fires Brigade.

In MCO, the ability to mass joint fires--including cannon and rocket artillery fires--remains paramount. The organic cannon battalions that have two batteries of eight howitzers (2X8) each will need additional reinforcing cannon and rocket fires from the Fires Brigade.

Determining the tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) to ensure that every available asset is in the fight at the decisive battlespace and time demands we examine and define the support relationships among Fires Battalions organic to the BCTs and the Fires Brigade battalions. This relationship will drive the FA's ability to leverage horizontal and vertical connectivity within joint fires networks.

Training the Organic Fires Battalions. I recently asked several maneuver brigade commanders the question, "How will you know when your organic Fires Battalion is ready to fight?" The answer to that question is not an easy one.

One strong indicator would be for the BCT commander to go to a hilltop with his Fires Battalion commander, pick a target, direct that it be engaged by 16 guns and then start his watch. This would give a good measure of marksmanship and the battalion's ability to master the five requirements for accurate predicted fire. But as most of us know, that is only part of what the Fires Battalion, in concert with the BCT's FEC, brings to the fight.

The Army has decided there will be 12 Fires Brigades: six in the Active Component (AC) and six in the Army National Guard (ARNG). Obviously, not every UEx will benefit from the physical presence of a Fires Brigade at home station. And although base realignment and closure (BRAC) announcements have not been made at the time of this writing. I don't expect the Army to station four Fires Brigades at Fort Sill. The four FA brigades on Fort Sill will transform into Fires Brigades with some stationed elsewhere. I expect that at least four AC Fires Brigades will be on posts collocated with one or more UExs.

That said, I strongly advocate the Fires Brigades establish habitual relationships for training and certification with the resident BCTs' organic Fires Battalions. Given geography, the Fires Brigades' training and certification of FA units likely will cross AC-ARNG boundaries.

But the more daunting issue is how to train our future Fires Battalion commanders, particularly those commanding the organic cannon battalions. Aside from 10 days in the current FA Pre-Command Course (PCC), the last time most battalion command selectees have had schoolhouse fire support and artillery training was eight to ten years earlier during their captain's career courses. Clearly, recent fire support and delivery system training and experience provides the most valuable credential in the "BCT trenches," ensuring these FA commanders are successful.

In theory, because these battalions belong to the BCTs, the BCTs train and certify them; however, with the number and complexity of units organic to the BCT, this is a "tall" order.

Where feasible, the 06 Fires Brigade commander is the obvious one to help the BCT commanders train and certify these battalions. However, he should not have to depend only on his personal relationships with those Fires Battalion and BCT commanders to do the job; he must have a more formalized relationship with them. In cases where there is no 06 Fires Brigade commander, we must look for alternative solutions. These might include Fires Battalion time at the CTCs before their BCT rotations or, perhaps, the use of Fort Sill-based mobile training teams.

We don't have all the answers yet. But what is clear is the FA will not lower its delivery system or fires and effects co-ordination standards.

Joint Fires and Effects Course and Tactical IO Course. Both the Joint Fires and Effects Course (second iteration) and the Information Operations (IO) Course (pilot) are now in the execution mode. The Joint Fires and Effects course is well attended and feedback is most positive. The current IO Course is full with feedback from the attendees also positive.

The Joint Fires and Effects Course is for personnel in all services, AC and Reserve Component (RC), and focuses on teaching joint doctrine and TTPs for planning, synchronizing and executing joint fires and effects in support of a joint task force (JTF) or joint force commander (JFC). Army seats for the August course are full; however, seats are available for the October course via the Army training and requirements system (ATTRS) or, for other-than-Army personnel, by calling the Fort Sill G3 at DSN 639-2199/5124 or commercial [phone]/5124 or the Joint and Combined Integration Directorate (JACI), Fort Sill, at DSN 639-1701/8671 or commercial at [phone]/8671.

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As the Army's proponent for tactical IO, we have developed the IO Course for NCOs, warrant officers and officers, AC and RC, who coordinate lethal and nonlethal IO effects in joint fires and effects cells (JFECs) at the BCT level, in the fire support element (FSE) at the battalion level or on tactical IO teams at lower levels. It focuses on IO and effects-based operations at the brigade level and below. Seats are available through ATTRS or by calling the Fort Sill G3 at DSN 639-2199/5124 or commercial at [phone]/5124.

New Command Sergeant of the FA. In April, CSM William E. High took over as the new CSM of the FA and Fort Sill and became my new Battle Buddy. CSM High is fresh out of the Global War on Terrorism, recently returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom as the CSM for the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Artillery. He served as the CSM of 2d Battalion, 320th Field Artillery, also in the 101st Division.

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Bill High not only brings strong leadership skills and the personality to get the job done, but also an incredible branch-wide balance of Field Artillery NCO experience. He has served in heavy and light units and in every combat leadership position from Section Chief of a Lance missile section and Platoon Sergeant of a multiple-launch rocket system (MLRS) platoon to First Sergeant of five different firing batteries. He is airborne-, jumpmaster- and air assault-qualified and has served as a Senior Drill Sergeant and S2 Operations NCO.

I welcome Bill High as the CSM of the Field Artillery, a great leader who knows Soldiers and knows what they need in the COE.

The Field Artillery and Army are undergoing incredible change as we are at war and, simultaneously, transforming into a modular force. We, at Fort Sill, don't have all the answers for the issues facing the branch, so I welcome your input: [e-mail].

Be advised that, through it all, your branch leadership will ensure we maintain the FA's ability to provide accurate, responsive fires when and where the US Army, our sister services or allies need them. That's the really important part of our job, the part that can save lives and turn the tide of high-intensity battles when the going gets really tough.

Today, as some of the Army's "smart guys," Redlegs are devising unique training at home station and adapting, innovating and firing artillery daily to accomplish unique, nonstandard missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. I am proud to be your Chief.

Major General David P. Valcourt

Chief of Field Artillery