1. Nearly every day, we hear of some innovative technique that some other company has used to achieve great results. There are no limitations, except for range and safety regulations, that you should place to restrict your training. If a company trained exactly the same way all the time, life in the Corps would become very boring for the members of that company. As the Company Commander, you have the responsibility of avoiding this boredom to make your men more adaptable to changing battlefield
conditions and to inspire innovative leadership at all levels. Some of the easiest ways of doing this are by encouraging and implementing input for junior leaders, varying training techniques, and by being
personally enthusiastic about the training.
2. Your senior Staff NCO‘s are good sources of information and ideas about training. They have valuable experience and have participated in a lot of different training. Another good source is your own intuition. First, try to imagine exactly how your company is going to accomplish a given task in a direct combat role. Next, try to envision how you can achieve the highest level of simulation in peacetime.
Finally, develop a training technique that satisfies the conditions and standards of the task and is efficient in time and resources. The following paragraphs describe some of the many selected training techniques.
Remember, use your imagination.
5302. TACTICAL EXERCISE WITHOUT TROOPS (TEWT)
1. TEWTs are primarily used to train leaders. They are well suited for this because they allow you greater time to observe and to critique individual leaders than is normally possible during other tactical exercises. A TEWT can be a very good training device for all levels of leadership, from Fire-Team Leaders to Regimental Commanders, in both defensive and offensive exercises. The basic objective of a TEWT is to have the leaders being trained analyze the mission, estimate the situation, prepare a plan of action, and finally explain their proposed plans and actions to you.
2. Normally, you will follow a sequence similar to the following:
a. DETAILED PLANNING. Your planning should include an analysis of leadership tasks to be performed, selection of compatible terrain, request for support equipment, draft of an operations order that will require the prerequisite leadership functions, and schedule of time.
b. EXERCISE BRIEFING. This should be a detailed brief of the nature of the exercise, control measures, and objectives of the exercise. This phase, like the planning phase, may be done in advance of the actual exercise day.
c. DISPLACEMENT. Treat this movement as a training opportunity as well.
d. ISSUE THE ORDER. During this phase, pay attention to your commander‘s intent and overall company mission.
e. AFTER ACTION REPORT. While observing and questioning leaders being trained as they conduct their analysis of the area and development of their estimates, you should avoid
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being overly critical. If you would like to encourage confidence and intuitive behavior in your leaders, avoid the zero defect syndrome and give them a chance to explain themselves and to learn from their mistakes without fear of failure. Open and free discussion is the key to reaping the maximum benefit from this phase.
f. DEBRIEFING PHASE. Now, you have the leaders explain their proposed plans and actions.
You have two options: first, you can debrief in a group setting, or you can have individual debriefs.
If it is to be accomplished in a group setting, it is best that each leader debrief while you ask questions and take notes. This will avoid the possibility of subsequent leaders ―borrowing‖ too much from previous briefs.
g. DISCUSSION AND CRITIQUE PHASE. This is the most important phase. It is here that you interpret doctrine and develop mission clarity and a company‘s cohesiveness of thought. You should have an open and constructive discussion. Ensure that everyone participates and that no one is
brutalized. Critique each leader‘s plan and methodology personally, and then hold an open discussion with the other members. Highlight good and bad points to each leader‘s plan.
5303. TERRAIN WALK (TW)
1. As with TEWT‘s, TW‘s are primarily used to train leaders. However, any small group can participate in a TW. A TW allows you more time to observe and to critique individual leaders than are normally possible during other tactical exercises. A TW is a very good training device for all levels of leadership in both defensive and offensive exercises. The basic objective of a TW is to have those leaders analyze the mission, develop an estimate of the situation, prepare a plan of action, and finally explain their proposed plans and actions to you. A TW differs from a TEWT in the nature of how it is conducted.
Normally, you will not allow the member of the group to separate and to develop their estimates
individually. Instead, you keep them together and literally walk through the exercise as a group. As you cover the ground, you should encourage and critique discussion as the plan develops.
2. You will follow a sequence similar to the following:
a. DETAILED PLANNING. Your planning should include an analysis of leadership tasks to be performed, selection of compatible terrain, requests for support equipment, draft of an operations order that will require the prerequisite leadership functions, and scheduling time.
b. EXERCISE BRIEFING. This should be a detailed brief of the nature of the exercise, control measures, and objectives of the exercise. This phase may be done before the actual exercise day.
c. DISPLACEMENT. Treat all movement as training, as well, and not just administrative movement.
d. ISSUE THE ORDER. During this phase, you should pay particular attention to your commander‘s intent and overall company mission to avoid confusion.
e. THE ACTUAL WALK. While covering the ground of choice, you can discuss important tactical considerations and learning objectives of the exercise, open and freely for maximum benefit. Again, you may have the tendency to over-critique. This may defeat the purpose of the walk as your juniors may become hesitant to speak.
f. DISCUSSION AND CRITIQUE. This is the most important phase of all. You have the potential here to develop mission clarity, interpretation of doctrine and the company‘s cohesiveness of thought.
Use this time wisely and constructively.
5304. SIMULATION EXERCISES
1. The main values of this type of training are flexibility and economy. The exercises can vary in scope and size. The required resources used can be modest or very elaborate. The degree of complexity and breadth is the option of the individual coordinating the exercise. There are also some commercial models which have been designed after historical battles and utilizing mock systems that are very similar to those equipment sets used in a tactical environment by your personnel. There are combat simulators that can be set up on computer networks to develop individual and team combat tactics. Additionally there are a growing number of combat simulators aboard Marine Corps installations to practice convoy operations, tactical communications, and utilization of advanced technology systems. Utilization of these base maintained simulators may require coordination similar to range requests. There are also means to simulate operations without these technology driven simulators. Like most other training devices, your only limiting factor is imagination.
5305. LIVE-FIRE EXERCISES
1. SAFETY. In all live-fire exercises, safety must be the prime consideration. Once must strictly adhere to all range and weapons safety regulations. However, safety considerations should not unduly dilute the total effectiveness of the exercise. These exercises can be realistic as well as safe. Many company commanders do not value live-fire exercises because they perceive them as unrealistic and oppressively restrictive. Also, they feel that there are too few live-fire ranges and that repetitive training on them soon becomes boring to their Marines. Unfortunately many company commanders do not realize the vast amount of flexibility that can be employed in these exercises. In the following paragraphs, we will explore a few examples of how live-fire can become very realistic when directed at actual combat targets.
2. COMBAT TARGET ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SERVICE RIFLE. This type of live-fire exercise is also known as transition firing. According to the principles of this type of shooting, training progresses in three distinct stages: preparatory training, known distance qualification, and field firing.
The Marine Corps is traditionally very good in the first two stages. Not so, unfortunately, for the last.
The ―transition‖ between the second and third stage of training contains live-fire exercises. You can find canned exercises, but these are frequently criticized for their lack of realism. The following are some of the ways that you can add realism to these exercises. No matter what the live-fire opportunity is, you, as commander, should ensure that all live-fire exercises are conducted with full field gear.
3. MOVE AND SHOOT EXERCISES. In these exercises, the objective is to have your riflemen move and shoot. The premise is that, during actual combat operations, this is how your Marines will operate while engaging the enemy. The amount of movement can be very small for the training to be effective.
Normally fire exercises progress in increments requiring little movement at first and then become more complex using a variety of firing positions. A simple example is as follows: In the first stage, your marines will stand ready on the firing line and wait for the target to appear. When the target appears, they fire one round from the off-hand position and then take one or two steps forward and assume some other position, preferably a rested position. Next, the riflemen start at the ready, fire one round off-hand, take a couple steps, assume a kneeling position, fire another round, and finally move another step or two and assume a prone position. At each stage, the firing gets more complex and the variety of positions increases in magnitude. The culmination is to have the riflemen start behind the firing line and assault forward using a variety of firing positions. A frequent complaint during this type of training is that shooters can‘t tell if they are hitting the target. You can overcome this by placing inflated balloons or drop down targets in the target area.
4. MOVING TARGET ENGAGEMENT. In the past, this type of firing has been very limited in application but has been universally accepted as the most likely form of firing that a Marine will have to perform in combat. The premise is that few enemy soldiers will cooperate and will stand still while we
take aim at them. Many ranges now have incorporated moving targets. Some of these are manually moved, while others are mechanically moved forward and backward, side to side, diagonally, at varying speeds, and in and out of view of the shooter. Similar to the move and shoot exercises, this type of firing exercise should be incremental, including firing from the most stable positions first and then providing more of a challenge to the riflemen with varying positions, distances to the target, and even shooter movement. This form of range training is the most advanced and can be utilized as the culmination range exercise incorporating static and moving shooters and targets.
5306. SITUATIONAL TRAINING EXERCISES (STX)
1. Situational training exercises are exercises with limited objectives. They relate to mission
accomplishment but will not in themselves accomplish any company mission. They are a segment of a mission; for instance, simply moving from an assembly area to a line of departure or reducing covered wire obstacles. These sound simple, but they are tasks that are often completed only after mass confusion and unending delays.
2. When you or your platoon commanders and squad leaders design and plan a STX, you must be as thorough as you would be in planning any training. It cannot be an instantaneous decision. A STX should be the result of careful mission analysis and unit evaluation; the planning must include a long look at training support requirements. You must designate the appropriate amount of time to complete all steps listed below.
a. Arrange for all material and training support requirements well in advance. Nothing is more frustrating than low levels of simulation with make-believe equipment.
b. Identify the individual tasks required to achieve the goals of the STX, and then train the unit to a high level of proficiency in them before attempting the STX.
c. Brief all members of the unit on the objectives and standards of performance for the STX.
Present the ―big picture‖ to ensure that everyone understands how this exercise fits into the overall battle plan.
d. Conduct a walk-through of the exercise before making the first full-speed run. This gives your individual Marines and their unit leaders an opportunity to iron out all the misunderstandings and faults that may exist.
e. Conduct your first full-speed through. As with all subsequent attempts, follow each run-through with a full detailed critique.
f. Finally, take advantage of environmental factors, like limited visibility, to continue a progression of challenges that result in total mastery of the collective and individual tasks involved.
5307. FIELD TRAINING EXERCISES (FTX)
1. Field training exercises are the culmination of your training efforts. It is during these exercises that you and your subordinate leaders see the fruits or errors of your training. During FTXs, your company will move towards the accomplishment of an actual mission. If your company is training alone, it will be a mission, or missions, which you have selected and planned to accomplish in combat. If you are training as part of a battalion exercise, it may be a mission that you have been assigned by the battalion
headquarters. Regardless of how you come by the mission, it should be selected based on a good mission analysis and unit proficiency evaluation.
2. A FTX can be considered the acid test for your previous training. It cannot be simply thought of as connecting several STXs together to form a collective mission. This is because STXs are designed for you to stop and start over after errors. During an FTX, if you blow it, you and your men will be embarrassed. If you blow it in actual combat operations, many of you may die. Nothing can be left to chance; not weapons maintenance, not personnel accountability, not even such mundane things as casualty reports and procedures. Additionally, a FTX allows you and your subordinate leaders a chance to react to unexpected situations and environmental factors, simultaneously coping with physical and mental fatigue. You will probably never be able to simulate the actual stresses of combat, but many FTXs come very close to duplicating some of the fatigue, physical hardships, confusions, and challenges that are in combat operations. It all comes together in a FTX.
5308. RESOURCES
1. PURPOSE. Training Command, Education Command, Marine Corps Institute, Marine Corps University, and the College for Continuing Education are all tremendous resources for professional and military specialty training. Many times, these resources are overlooked as sources of training that are readily available to you as a commander. Courses provided include occupational specialty courses (the basic MCI courses that most Marines are familiar with), Professional Military Education (PME) Courses, and reference materials. Great lengths have been made to capitalize on increased access to technology to put more of these courses at the finger tips of individuals and leaders in a global environment.
2. OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY COURSES. There are several hundred specialized skill training courses in which your Marines may enroll to increase MOS proficiency, leadership, and general
knowledge. These courses are meant to fill gaps in instruction received in formal schools and at the unit level. As a Company Commander, you can request your own library of courses pertinent to your unit‘s needs. For example, a battery commander may want one copy of each artillery course plus one each of Land Navigation, Terrorism Awareness for Marines, and Math for Marines. This provides a ready reference for his Marines and allows them also to continue their studies if they happen to lose their original materials. Growing unit and base libraries exist to assist in immediate availability of MCI course materials.
3. PROFESSIONAL MILITARY EDUCATION (PME). The Marine Corps provides multiple resources to provide PME to the appropriate ranked personnel. These courses include:
NCO Courses
SNCO Career Course SNCO Advanced Course Expeditionary Warfare School Command and Staff College
4. REFERENCE MATERIALS. There are a number of reference materials available, one of which is this handbook. FMF refresher handbooks, Family Team Building material, Platoon Commander
Handbook, Marine Battle Skills Training (MBST), and Marine Corps Common Skills (MCCS) Handbook are also popular examples of these references. There are others and it would serve your unit well if you researched this list and requested references and the quantity desired to support your unit‘s mission.
Many of these are available online, although by contacting MCI you can also have these sent to your command for free.
5. COLLEGE OF CONTINUING EDUCATION. Training and Education Command‘s College of Continuing Education designs, develops, and delivers both of the Marine Corps' officer distance education programs (DEP) - the Expeditionary Warfare School (EWSDEP), and the Command & Staff College (CSCDEP). CCE, through its satellite campus network and regional coordinators, also provides seminar versions of both courses.
6. MARINE CORPS INSTITUTE. The Marine Corps Institute has historically been responsible for the content, registration, distribution, testing, and completion certificates for both the enlisted and officer distance education programs (known as the 'box of books'). Currently, CCE develops the curricula for the officer DEPs, and the Enlisted PME Curriculum Branch (EPME website) is assuming that role for the enlisted DEPs. Current course materials are available in paper book version with a continuously increasing availability in CD versions and through the online web.
7. MARINENET. MarineNet is an online learning network which provides Marines with access to both military and civilian education programs. It contains libraries of online courses accessible from any PC on base or through a high-speed Internet connection. MarineNet offers commanders and unit training officers the ability to manage enrollments, proctor online exams, and create custom unit/command reports. Additionally, as PME courses are updated to take advantage of technology, MarineNet will become a central part of the Marine Corps' PME program.
8. UNIT VERIFICATION REPORT (UVR). Command Unit Verification Reports provide
commanders, unit training officers, and training NCOs with the ability to view the status of their unit‘s MCI program, enroll Marines, administer digital exams, and generate custom reports. Command UVR is accessed through the Command UVR link on the MCI Online homepage www.mci.usmc.mil or
www.mci.usmc.mil/CommandUVR.
9. MOS ROADMAPS. The MOS structure of the Marine Corps is the very bedrock supporting our organization for combat. It is crucial that every Marine is an expert in their MOS. Toward that end, MOS Roadmaps emphasize what every Marine must do to achieve that high level of MOS expertise, and
9. MOS ROADMAPS. The MOS structure of the Marine Corps is the very bedrock supporting our organization for combat. It is crucial that every Marine is an expert in their MOS. Toward that end, MOS Roadmaps emphasize what every Marine must do to achieve that high level of MOS expertise, and