Reset--rebuilding FA core competencies for future full-spectrum operations.

Attention to detail and technical competence always have been the hallmarks of the Field Artillery branch. However in the War on Terrorism (WOT), FA units have performed a wide variety of missions, arguably more than any other branch.

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Initially in WOT, the FA conducted missions using its core competencies. Beginning with the ousting of the Taliban in Afghanistan to entering Baghdad and removing the Saddam regime, units have performed their primary mission of synchronizing the integration of all fires to support maneuver and delivering timely and accurate cannon and missile fires.

But things have changed since the initial phases of those campaigns. In the almost four years since entering Baghdad, FA units and personnel have performed a myriad of nonstandard missions, including being assigned areas of operations (AOs) as infantry task forces; providing training oversight to Iraqi Army, police and border police units; providing convoy security; performing base defense force operations; providing personnel for military training teams (MiTT)--and more. Field Artillerymen have performed these nonstandard missions and performed them well--a tribute to FA Soldiers and leaders.

While there are benefits that come with deploying to perform these missions (such as leadership skills developed to their fullest), there are costs. Soldiers performing these nonstandard duties have difficulty maintaining proficiency in their primary duties as Field Artillerymen and fire supporters.

The easy answer to this problem is "Conduct sustainment training." But that assumes units in WOT have enough time to conduct the training and have experience performing the tasks in their core competencies so "sustainment" training will be all that is necessary. In fact, many of our most junior Soldiers and officers have not performed their core competencies since leaving their initial FA training courses because of the high operational tempo (OPTEMPO) of deployments in WOT.

Degradation Documented. Beginning in 2005, the FA School, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, saw the impact of degraded core competencies in the officers returning to attend the FA Captain's Career Course (FACCC). The school's survey of the FACCC students revealed that more than 90 percent of these officers had not participated in qualification-table training. Additionally, more than half had not been involved in the execution of a live-fire mission since their FA Officer Basic Course (OBC) or FA Basic Officer Leader Course III (BOLC III).

Instructors had to provide remedial training to get the students to a level of proficiency to complete the course. Some may say, "Well, that's the instructors' job." But the question follows: "How much good will the remedial training do if the young officer goes to a unit and trains for and deploys to conduct nonstandard missions several more times?" The lack of experience-based knowledge is creating a "bubble" in the career progression of officers and NCOs.

As awareness of this issue surfaced, the FA School began to look for ways to address it in its instruction. One of the first initiatives was the "Rapid Redesign of the FACCC," incorporating more situational-based practical exercises on not only counterinsurgency tasks, but also FA core competencies. (See the article "Rapid Redesign of FACCC: A Four-Week Process for Updating Courses for an Army at War" by Major Robert A. Krieg in the July-August 2006 edition.)

In July 2006, the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army tasked Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) that then directed the FA School to assess FA junior officers, given the mission to execute FA core tasks or assigned in other-than-FA-specific missions during Operations Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Enduring Freedom (OEF). The survey was to determine if they had degraded basic branch skills and needed additional or refresher branch training. Using the survey of the officers in FACCC and survey sent to commanders in the field, the school determined that the skills of junior officers in fire direction, fire support and weapons-specific leadership were adversely affected. More importantly, it was apparent that core competencies of Field Artillerymen of all ranks performing nonstandard missions were affected.

The tasking was later expanded by the Combined Arms Center (CAC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, to include assessing the impact on staff sergeants (SSGs), sergeants first class (SFCs) and majors (MAJs). The FA School sent surveys throughout the FA force to gather the additional information. The feedback confirmed and even expanded the findings of the initial surveys.

The key competency areas most affected by rank and military occupational specialty (MOS) are shown in Figure 1.

With both a short-and long-term impact on the branch, these findings were alarming. The FA's ability to function across the spectrum of conflict and its units' abilities to plan, coordinate and synchronize fires for contingency missions is degraded. As a side effect, Field Artillerymen who are not tactically and technically proficient in their branch continue to be promoted to more senior levels of FA responsibility.

Army Force Generation (ARFORGEN). In 2006, Forces Command (FORSCOM) implemented the ARFORGEN model for managing the training and deployment of forces. The overarching purpose of ARFORGEN is "to provide combatant commanders and civil authorities with trained and ready units task organized into modular expeditionary forces tailored to joint mission requirements with a sustainable campaign capability and depth to conduct continuous full-spectrum operations in persistent conflict" (Headquarters, Department of the Army, Army Campaign Plan, Coordinating Draft, Change 4, Annex F, dated 27 July 2006).

This model consists of three force pools: Reset/Train, Ready and Available. These force pools comprise the structured progression of increased readiness within ARFORGEN (see the explanation of ARFORGEN in Figure 2).

Implementing any new process Armywide takes time to mature, and ARFORGEN is no different. The Army has termed this maturing period for ARFORGEN as the "bridging phase." This phase is projected to last until FY11 when the objective model will be fully implemented. The ARFORGEN objective envisions units constituting a particular force pool for approximately one year. The model would allow a unit one year to reset (recover from its recent deployment and then retrain its core competency tasks) and one year to conduct mission-specific training for a future deployment.

During the Reset/Train period, Soldiers who are eligible attend their respective professional military education (PME) courses. Units would be without those Soldiers until either they returned or replacements were assigned. The remainder of Reset/Train would provide adequate time for the commander to build and train the leadership teams within the unit. When a unit receives a deployment assignment, be it a traditional FA or a nonstandard mission, the unit would have approximately one more year to train for that mission.

The ARFORGEN model enables Soldiers of all ranks to reestablish their core skills, mitigating the effects of conducting nonstandard missions while deployed--a good plan. However, the model won't be fully implemented for several years. The model's implementation must factor in the limitations of the size of the overall force that is providing the formations for the high OPTEMPO of deployments with each impacting the other. The Department of Defense (DoD) is addressing the first factor, the size of the force, by asking for an increase in troop strength.

However, until the ARFORGEN is implemented as projected in 2011, units are in the bridging phase, working with a significantly different timeline than the objective ARFORGEN model. Essentially, the timeline for the Reset/Train and Ready pools are condensed to between 12 to 18 months, depending upon when a unit receives a mission based on a request for forces.

This roughly translates into six to nine months for commanders to reintegrate their units and conduct reset training, leaving six to nine months for mission-specific training. Currently, the majority of the units are experiencing the shorter timeline of 12 months total. Within this shorter timeline, it is a challenge for FA units to train the FA force on core competencies to doctrinal levels.

Commanders at all levels have to deal with limited time to train their mission-essential task lists (METLs). So they must choose between training the tasks their troops will perform during a deployment or training on FA tasks for the future proficiency of their Soldiers and leaders.

FA School Assistance. Without question, commanders must prepare their units for the missions they will execute while deployed--be they FA or nonstandard missions. Also without question, the FA School must provide units with individual Soldiers trained in FA skills for current mission requirements and the future of the branch. Additionally, however, the Chief of the Field Artillery directed the FA School develop a plan to help units reset the operational FA force.

The Directorate of Training and Doctrine (DOTD) was appointed the lead agency at Fort Sill to develop this plan. After considering many courses of action (COAs), the school is addressing the needs of the FA force in two forums: institutional-based training and unit training support.

Institutional FA Training. Before the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army tasking, the school already had begun examining ways to improve institutional training of the FA core competencies for individual Soldiers in their respective ranks and MOS.

Each element within the FA School responsible for developing and executing the courses looked at methods to provide the Soldier a more realistic training experience. One example of such a change is what the NCO Academy (NCOA) is doing in its Basic NCO Courses (BNCOCs). The NCOA is incorporating a four-day live-fire exercise into its BNCOCs where the students go to the field and execute their core competency tasks of training their subordinates to execute FA tasks. The first such live-fire exercise is in March and integrates the operations of BNCOC students in MOS 13M Multiple-Launch Rocket System (MLRS) Crewmembers, 13P MLRS Operations/Fire Direction Specialists and 13F Fire Support Specialists. In April, BNCOC students in MOS 13B Cannon Crewmember, 13D FA Tactical Data Systems Specialist and 13F will experience integrated operations during their live-fire exercise.

Another initiative being looked at is developing a capstone exercise that would incorporate Soldiers in advanced individual training (AIT), NCOA and all officer education system (OES) courses. This exercise would require Soldiers at each level to perform all execution and supervisory core-competency tasks in the fire support chain.

Also, the FA School is participating in TRADOC efforts to improve and streamline institutional training, including the development of the new Army learning model for FACCC. Fort Sill was chosen as one of the sites to develop and conduct a pilot course in Fourth Quarter, FY07. The FACCC pilot will lay the foundation for future PME instruction.

One element of the pilot is that much of the information common to all the branches' captain's career courses will be instructed via distributed learning methods so students can complete the courses at their own pace, either before or during the resident phase of the course. The resident portion of the training also will incorporate more distributed learning methods. This will allow the resident instruction to focus on core FA skill training, ultimately, providing better trained Soldiers to the force.

While the institutional training can be adjusted to meet the overall force training needs, it is still basically a one-size-fits-all approach. This doesn't apply when trying to develop a training program for units. The training provided must meet the specific needs of the unit--must be flexible enough provide the training each unit commander needs.

Unit Training Support. The FA School determined two ways it could help train units: develop a "Reach Back" capability via the Internet, using downloadable training support packages (TSPs) and web-based interactive multi-media instruction and other educational training materials; and provide mobile training teams (MTTs) to support specific individual and limited collective training. Both of these training methods provide flexible direct assistance to units.

Units redeploying from OIF and OEF can access the Internet for Reach Back support. In most cases, these units return with key leaders with subject matter expertise in FA tasks still in their ranks, even after training for and conducting non-standard FA missions for more than a year. However, they return with some level of atrophy in their proficiency. Also, a promotion and subsequent change in duty position or level of responsibility affect the level of FA expertise a Soldier has in his job.

Some FA NCOs and captains, virtually, have had no time on their weapons systems as leaders. In these circumstances, FA leaders must have easy access to essential training references and materials.

During 2006, DOTD created a Reach Back capability on the Fires Knowledge Network (FKN) that included existing Internet TSPs and lesson plans from existing course programs of instruction (POI). The link is titled "FA Reset/Refresher Training." Much of the material was available already through other channels, such as the Army Correspondence Course Program (ACCP) and the distributed learning portion of courses, such as the Reserve Component FACCC.

While the consolidation of links to all of this material allows for a "one-stop-shop" enabling a simplified search for training material and references, the required navigation to get to the information was rather cumbersome. Some of the material was actually on the FKN server, while other material, such as the ACCP courseware, resided on a server not located at Fort Sill.

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Although for the most part, this was transparent to the user, it still presented challenges for the student. If the material was part of a course that provided a completion credit toward promotion points or certification, there was a learning management system that controlled access. These obstacles created a path to the information that was not always intuitive for the user.

So the FA School is creating a true one-stop-shop by putting all the training materials on one server located at Fort Sill with the site projected to be operational in April. This will provide units simpler access to TSPs, web-based or distributed training materials and downloadable references. Access will require one AKO login.

Leaders will have the option of having Soldiers complete training from the server or download a TSP to help plan and execute training. The content is being structured to enable a user to access the material within only three to four "mouse clicks." The Reach Back server also will have a learning management system to enable commanders to track a Soldier's completing his assigned training.

The consolidation of these training materials and references will not replace current programs for Soldiers to receive constructive credit for completion. The Reach Back resource's greatest attribute is that it will give the Soldiers access to information quickly to meet immediate training needs.

Reach Back is a resource for unit training after redeploying. It also will provide units sustainment training while deployed--although access to the Internet while deployed is a factor.

Currently, the FA School is developing approximately 1,000 hours of interactive multi-media training to be accessed via Reach Back covering all MOS. Some of the training is already on Reach Back while other products are still being certified.

In addition, Reach Back will have lessons learned feedback to facilitate the sharing and distribution of experiences and tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) from OIF and OEF.

Once the Reach Back server is operational in April, units will receive information on how to use its capabilities.

The FA School also will provide MTTs for more robust training--when the degradation of the unit leader skills have atrophied to a level that the unit cannot refresh the trainers via Reach Back. The school can provide MTTs for weapons-specific training and maintenance, manual and automated gunnery training, and fire support planning and execution training. Other training support capabilities, such as radar training, can be added, based on unit requests. The MTTs are tailored to meet the training needs of the unit commander using any of the resources available at Fort Sill.

While the FA School is willing to support any requests for MTTs, there are competing requirements. For example, instructors cannot be taken from their courses.

To receive MTT support, a unit must follow certain guidelines. First, the unit processes a training request through its chain of command up through FORSCOM to TRADOC so funding for the support is allocated with WOT funds. Requests must be submitted approximately 120 days in advance for coordination and staffing. This allows TRADOC to capture resource costs to establish a baseline for projecting future requirements.

Second, the training must be of short duration for the FA School to be able to support it--as a general rule, one to two weeks. The third guideline is the training must be to train-the-trainers. In most cases, the FA School can't provide enough personnel and time to train entire units, so the focus is on enabling leaders. Finally, units must provide or coordinate for the equipment needed to conduct the training.

To date, the FA School has executed one MTT in support of reset for the 18th Fires Brigade at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The training consisted of two weeks of manual gunnery computation and safety training and two weeks of advanced FA tactical data system (AFATDS) refresher training for the brigade's 13D MOS personnel. The brigade provided all the equipment required to conduct the training, while the MTT provided the instructor equipment.

Another resource units can tap is the FA certification and qualification assistance provided by the FA Master Gunner Division at Fort Sill, as outlined in the column by Command Sergeant Major (CSM) of the FA, CSM William E. High, "The FA Master Gunner and Reset of the Redeployed FA Battalion," that appeared in the January-February edition.

Digital Training Resources. The 18th FA Brigade's AFATDS training was provided in cooperation with the Communications and Electronics Command (CECOM) personnel from Fort Sill and Fort Bragg, which are other agencies units can leverage for training support. Also, the battle command training centers (BCTCs) or BCTC hubs on most major installations can provide digital systems training at little or no expense to the unit. Fort Sill's BCTC is the Hamilton Digital Training Center, which is a hub extension from the III Corps BCTC located at Fort Hood, Texas.

Units can request training support from a BCTC online at http://www-bctc.army.mil. The centers offer classroom instruction on the operation of AFATDS, all-source analysis system-light (ASAS-L), maneuver control system (MCS), Force XXI battle command brigade and below ([FBCB.sup.2])/blue force tracker (BFT), and command and control personal computer ([C.sup.2]PC). The courses can be tailored to meet the unit's training needs.

The key to making the FA reset program effective is to ensure commanders know the training capabilities available to them and then identify training requirements as early as possible so the FA School can help plan their reset training.

A TRADOC Reset initiative in the development of the ARFORGEN Reset Training Assistance Team (ARTAT) in November 2006. This team, which includes representatives from Fort Sill, coordinates with units to determine reset training requirements before the units redeploy via the units' rear detachment personnel. This requires units to identify their training needs while still in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Maneuver Pre-Command Course (PCC) Training. Army transformation has made maneuver commanders responsible for training the FA force. To educate these commanders on FA unit training requirements, the Chief of FA trains them in the Armor and Infantry PCCs via video teleconferences (VTCs) for every class. The VTCs have been great successes, providing forums for two-way discussions with maneuver commanders, emphasizing their responsibility for the unique training requirements for the fire supporters and other Field Artillerymen in their formations. The FA School's Reset Team will continue to inform commanders on training and support capabilities through updates on FKN, the commanding general's monthly e-note, Redleg 7 Report, fires and effects VTCs and visits to units. Maintaining the core competencies of Field Artillery Soldiers and leaders is the priority of Fort Sill.

If units have questions about Reset training available or how to access the training, they can contact the author at [e-mail] or Lieutenant Colonel David Vineyard, Reset Coordinator, DOTD, at [e-mail] or by calling DSN 639-5903 or commercial 580-442-5903.

Lieutenant Colonel Loyd A. Gerber is the Chief of the Lessons Learned Branch in the Directorate of Training and Doctrine (DOTD) of the Field Artillery School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. In his previous assignment, he was a Fire Support Observer/Trainer, in Operations Group B of the Battle Command Training Program (BCTP), Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. During Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) I, he was the S3 and then Executive Officer of 1st Battalion, 17th Field Artillery (1-17 FA) in Task Force Iron Horse, 4th Infantry Division, from the 75th FA Brigade, Fort Sill. Also at Fort Sill, he was a Small Group Instructor for the FA Captain's Career Course. In other assignments, he was the Brigade Assistant Operations Officer, an Observer/Controller Team Commander and S3 of the FA battalion in the 2/91 Training Division, Fort Carson, Colorado; and Battery Commander, Assistant S3 and Liaison Officer for 3-321 FA Regiment in the 18th Field Artillery Brigade, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

By Lieutenant Colonel Loyd A. Gerber

Major/Captain
* Conduct battery- or battalion-level FA operations planning.
* Apply the science of tactical fire direction.
* Employ/synchronize fire support assets with maneuver.
* Understand the art of fire support planning at the task force level.
* Design automation training.

13B Cannon Crewmember Sergeant First Class (SFC)
* Conduct battery or platoon recon, selection, occupation and defense of
  position.
* Supervise firing battery personnel.
* Use gun-laying and positioning system.

13B Staff Sergeant (SSG)
* Train/supervise section personnel in cannon gunnery procedures and
  firing.
* Verify safe firing data.
* Supervise the operations of the M119, M198 and M109A6.
* Place the weapons system into its safe firing configuration--trails,
  lay, aiming point identified, boresight verified, safe, prefire checks
  performed, ammunition prepared and position improvement (TLABSPAP).

13F Fire Support Specialist SFC/SSG
* Provide fire support at the battalion or brigade combat team (BCT)
  level.
* Lead and train targeting elements from the corps to the battalion
  levels.
* Advise fire support sergeants in planning and coordination.

13D FA Tactical Data Systems Specialist and 13P Multiple-Launch Rocket
System (MLRS) Fire Direction SFC/SSG
* Perform technical/tactical fire direction.
* Perform advanced FA tactical data system (AFATDS) database management.
* Perform safety computation.

13S Survey Specialist SFC/SSG
* Perform all survey competencies.

13M MLRS Crewmember SFC/SSG
* Conduct reconnaissance, selection, occupation of position.
* Conduct MLRS/high-mobility artillery rocket system (HIMARS) battery
  operations.
* Conduct weapon-specific safety and process fire missions.

Figure 1: Survey and Assessment Results of Field Artillerymen's Skills
Decay Due to Conducting Nonstandard Missions in the War on Terrorism
(WOT)

ARFORGEN -- A strategy to provide a continuous flow of Army trained and
ready forces for full-spectrum operations. Active Component (AC) and
Reserve Component (RC) modular units move sequentially through three
force pools.
1. Reset/Train Force Pool -- units coming out of deployments or with
   manning, organization or equipment challenges meet those challenges
   and conduct individual and battalion-level collective training.
2. Ready Force Pool -- units conduct mission preparation and higher
   level collective training with other operational headquarters. Units
   are task-organized into two force packages: a Deployment
   Expeditionary Force (DEF) preparing to execute known or planned
   operational requirements or a Ready Expeditionary Force (REF) with
   each unit under a higher headquarters and conducting full-spectrum
   training.
3. Available Force Pool -- units that are capable of deploying with
   little or minimal pre-mission training. A unit package is either a
   DEF or a Contingency Expeditionary Force (CEF). DEF units in the
   Available Force Pool are either deploying or deployed and include
   units conducting homeland defense and support. The remaining CEF
   units are capable of rapid deployment but have not been alerted yet.
   When a unit is alerted for deployment, it transitions from a CEF to
   DEF. After redeploying, the unit begins its training and readiness
   transition to a DEF again in the Reset/Train Force Pool.

Figure 2: Army Force Generation (ARFORGEN). This information was taken
from the interview with the Army G3, Lieutenant General James J.
Lovelace, Jr., "Today's Army in Change--An Exciting Place to Be" in the
May-June 2006 edition, Page 7.