Training Value of Reserve Brigade Exercises!

[geo]

xcept when said unit is a composite unit cobbled together by the Bde.

 

[aesop081]

xcept when said unit is a composite unit cobbled together by the Bde.

I travel on NATO orders fairly frequently.  Even when it is as part of a composite training unit, the home unit OR is responsible for producing the one-sheet travel orders. The form doesnt even have to be signed by a CO, the unit chief clerk can do it.  The composite unit you are refering to has been assigned a CO, and he can delegate the issue of nato travel orders to home units before personel deploy.  There is no reason why higher formation needs to be involved.

 

[Haggis]

All that will be required for military pers on duty will be a NATO travel order and current ID card. No passport needed.

THREAD HIJACK ALERT

A frequently overlooked fact is that neither a passport or a NATO Travel Order and valid I card is a guarantee of entry into the US.  If a member is deemed "inadmissable" by US Customs and Border Protection s/he can be either detained or "bounced" (returned to the country of origin) at the port of entry.  Usually this is as a result of a dual citizenship held by the member or a prior criminal conviction in Canada.  The US does not recognize a Canadian pardon.

THREAD HIJACK ALERT ENDS.  THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION.

 

[geo]

Haggis.... I don't consider your comments as a hijack... very pertinent to Res Bde FTX that have been taking place in the USA for the last couple of years.

 

[Haggis]

Haggis.... I don't consider your comments as a hijack...

That's good... 'cause I'm not editing the scrolling thingy I worked so hard to get right.

Now, back on topic:  I think there is value added to going south for Bde or higher FTX's.  That being said, we have to realize that there's an awful amount of staff work required and we are always subject to the operational requirements of the host nation, right up until the last minute.  (I remember an ex a few years ago where my company was double booked at the MOUT site with a SEAL Team.  We ended up providing some OPFOR for them when theirs was a no-show.)

I'm a firm believer in "outside the box" thinking (and I live in a pretty big box, built by guys like PPCLI Guy) but I have also seen many Reserve FTX's bite off far more than they can chew to give troops "a taste of everything" as was alluded to earlier by covering all phases of war in 36 hours.  To that I say:

a. take a weekend and do one or two things very well (i.e convoy escorts, recce patrols, ONE raid).

b. take a week and do three things very well (advance to contact, hasty defense, deliberate attack).

c.  support the damned ex properly!

In both cases, make time for proper Battle Procedure, including rehearsals, and provide as much "real time" support as possible. (If a flag officer has to miss his Griffon taxi flight so a Transport Pl Comd can do a route recce by air, then so-be-it.)  The misson comes first, always.

So far the LFCA "Guardian" series has done pretty well at this, but we really need to get the A&B echelons fleshed out and working better.  Nobody works harder on those exercises than the A&B ech units, supporting the F echelons.  They are chronically undermanned.  They need troops just as much as they need trucks.

 

[geo]

we're singing the same verse I guess.....
Crawl, walk THEN run.
Learn the theory, walk it thru & then play for keeps.
Much value can be extracted from the OBSERVER CONTORLLERS & the PXRs / critiques after going thru the activity.  It is time consuming but, you're suddenly dealing with multiple sets of eyes, ears & contents in between.... though you musn't take critiques personaly.

 

[TangoTwoBravo]

I find that a lot of exercises take the "run, stumble, fall" approach to training design. 

I like limited aims and maximum time at the lowest levels.  You can take shortcuts later if you've trained cohesive sections and platoons.  Best reserve Ex I was on had us conduct a two-week exercise and we only went above Troop level on the last two days.  We also focused on one thing (advancing to contact), although of course hides and replens were also practiced.  Low-level training lets the troop/platoon leadership sort things out in private.

 

[geo]

There is no doubt that if you know your basics - Section & Platoon/Troop in the Advance, Attack, Defence, Withdrawal etc, doing it, at one point or another on a Coy/Sqn, Bn/Reg't, Bde level will be a whole lot easier.