Photo By Sgt. 1st Class John Healy | Major General Viktor J. Braden, commander of the 35th Infantry Division, gives his...... read more read more
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FORT BRAGG, NC – “It’s a volatile world. We don’t know what the next day will bring,” says Major General Victor J. Braden, commander of the 35th Infantry Division.
He’s giving his closing remarks during a mid-point after-action review for the Warfighter Exercise, a staff focused exercise where the 82nd Airborne Division, supported by the 35th Infantry Division, match wits against their peers in a massive war-game. The exercise is designed to be the one of the final tests for a unit before going into actual combat.
Braden has watched his staff struggle against an imaginary enemy for the past two weeks, using that time to identify possible areas on improvement and resources to make his staff stronger as a whole. This is a fortuitous opportunity, as the 35th Infantry Division will be conducting their own Warfighter mid-way through next year.
I need a group of leaders who will bring us into the next fight, says Braden. “You’re here to provide that core group.”
Seated throughout the room are the key leaders of the 35th ID, headquartered in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Together they signify more than 500 years of military experience.
The role of these officers it to carry out the combatant commander’s intent, relaying that sense of purpose all the way down to the lowest echelon of troops while simultaneously feeding key information back up the chain of command, information that could influence the tide of the war.
It’s called “top-down planning, bottom-up refinement,” says Lieutenant Col. Jesse Smith, commander of the 2nd Battalion, 351st Infantry Regiment, 177th Armored Brigade. “We want it from the two star all the way down to the lowest private.”
Smith and his fellow battalion commanders in the 177th Armored Brigade, First Army Division East, are serving as OC/T’s (Observer, Coach / Trainer) for the 35th Infantry Division. Their role is to coach and mentor the staff of the 35th ID during their ongoing partnership, providing feedback based on their observations made while working with the staff.
“We’ve been there. We’ve all sat where they’re sitting and we’re able to share our lessons learned through all that sweat,” says Smith. “We’ve all done this, and we’ve made the same mistakes, so we’re able to mentor better because of it.”
The 177th Armored Brigade is one of the units under First Army designed to implement the Army’s Total Force Policy, an initiative focuses on integrating active duty and reserve-component forces in training such as the Warfighter, partnering the reserve-component 35th ID with the active duty 82nd Airborne Division.
Their on-going partnership affords them the opportunity to build lasting relationship with the Soldiers they’re training, resulting in more competent, capable leaders.
“Our goal isn’t to critique,” says Col. Jack E. Vantress, commander of the 177th Armored Brigade.
The goal is to build the 35th ID “as a staff,” says Vantress. “The pinnacle of an operation is something that’s completely synchronized. We always aspire to get to that point.”
One of the benefits to conducting exercises like the Warfighter is that if gives commanders the opportunity to test some of their more junior officers.
“In a warfighter, we’re not having to maneuver actual forces, so we can make some mistakes and get some good learning points out of it,” says Smith. “In the response cells, you have majors playing the role of brigade commanders now, and they’re seeing a very large picture that they would normally never see.”
Another added benefit is the opportunity to put leaders in roles outside of the scope of their normal duties, says Smith. “That’s allowing them to see a larger picture. We’re really given an opportunity to groom some more junior picture to ultimately become better leaders.
One of the challenges faced by the staff of the 35th ID is identifying what the commander needs to know about the situation on the ground in order to make an informed decision.
“The key is in understanding the enemy,” says Vantress. “Does the commander have to make a decision if this information requirement is answered.”
“It’s always evolving,” says Lieutenant Col. Erica Christie, the Chief of Sustainment for the 35th ID.
The information required by the commander changes based on each individual mission, says Christie. The struggle is determining what’s important right now.
This mode of thought can be dangerous. If a staff spends too much time being reactive, they may fail to consider the impact that certain courses of action might have on the future of battlefield.
The key is to toe the line, says Vantress, being flexible enough to react to what’s currently happening in the fight while maintaining momentum towards accomplishing the overall mission.
“It’s about the prioritization of what’s important for this fight and what’s important for the next fight,” says Vantress. “Sometimes the fight gets going so fast that it’s hard to focus on anything else.”
The process of constantly re-evaluating what information is required for a commander to be successful in battle is the driving force in shaping the doctrine of command, says Vantress.
| Date Taken: | 02.10.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 04.12.2019 10:29 |
| Story ID: | 310339 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 62 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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