Soldiers of the 35th Infantry Division hit the ground running June 5-9 during their first annual training since returning home from a nine-month deployment to the Middle East. The Combined Arms Doctrine Directorate and Mission Command Training Support Program provided subject-matter experts to present information and facilitate discussion on changes to Field Manual 3-0: Multidomain Operations and the Military Decision-Making Process, respectively.
“As we come back from mobilization, we are really looking to rebuild the force,” said Col. Larry Leupold, 35th ID chief of staff. “We have Soldiers that are moving out to other opportunities, and we are bringing new Soldiers into the division, so as we build the team, we ensure we have the right training focus.”
Lt. Col. Bruce Adams, a doctrinal editor with the Combined Arms Doctrine Directorate, explained that key operational Army doctrine was updated due to the changing conditions in the operational environment.
“We started looking at the shift of the U.S. Army from counterinsurgency to the recognition of the importance of large-scale combat operations,” explained Adams. “We looked at current capabilities throughout the world, and how to define the threat that we’re facing.”
Adams said his team prioritized FM 3-0 because it provides the operational construct for the Army at every level and sets conditions for how all Army units conduct operations.
“We have a lot of institutional knowledge from operations we’ve conducted over the past 20-25 years,” said Adams, “but we recognize that the threat has changed. We are hoping this document helps us solidify that threat change and change the mindset of the Army as we train.”
The National Guard Bureau’s Mission Command Training Support Program conducted a four-day training program with staff with an emphasis on the Military Decision-Making Process and executing mission command tables at the division level.
“Command and Control training is the most complex of all unit training challenges and it is the most rapidly lost skillset,” said Scott Cunningham, senior training advisor with the MCTSP. “It is also the most impactful of all the warfighting functions, so that’s why the Guard wants to put special emphasis on helping units get to C2 training goals.”
“Command and Control training is not a one-shot deal, it’s a pathway,” said Cunningham. “We did some great training here and we will build on it, so our skills and abilities and capabilities get better over time.”
“I want the staff to be lifelong learners and to look at changes in the operational environment through a doctrinal lens as we refine our plans, standard operating procedures and tactical operating procedures,” said Leupold. “That’s what’s going to help us be successful as we move forward to warfighters and then on to our next operational assignment.”