Photo By Sgt. Meighan Herzberg | Soldiers attend the Observer Coach/Trainer Humvee Egress Assistance Training class...... read more read more
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HOHENFELS, Germany — It was back to school time in Bavaria as the Joint Multinational Readiness Center’s Observer-Coach-Trainer Academy kicked off the month of September with an instructional course to prepare first-time OC/Ts for upcoming training sessions at the JMRC’s Hohenfels Training Area.
Many of the students in the course were tasked with observing and coaching during Combined Resolve XIV.
The academy’s objective is to train military subject matter experts how to observe, coach and train units during the planning, preparation, and execution phases of simulated combat operations while at JMRC. Upon graduation, the attendees are certified tier-one observer, coach, trainers (OC/T). The OC/T’s main purpose in any exercise is to act as a neutral third-party set of eyes for the participating units and denote both their shortcomings and strengths.
The academy is a three to five-day course depending on the upcoming training sessions and time of year. Both active-duty and reserve component U.S. Army Soldiers attend the course alongside international Soldiers, including three Romanian Soldiers.
The September course included 114 students; some classes are small with just 20 Soldiers and some can be as large as 250 Soldiers, dependent on the upcoming exercises.
Sgt. 1st Class Lee Edmonds, of Craig, Colorado is currently the senior instructor at the Academy.
“The core of the academy is to give the students a basic understanding of JMRC duties, responsibilities and capabilities and conduct an after-action review course,” Edmonds said.
The academy includes classroom and hands-on instruction. The classroom is comprised of 19-20 subject areas broken into different blocks of instruction.
Hands-on portions of the course included the pyrotechnic safety course, the drivers’ orientation and check rides, and the HMVVWE Egress Assistance Training. Edmonds said that OC/Ts are trained to instruct more than just basic tasks; they are trained to observe and make quick corrections needed in the field.
Edmonds added that while the Soldiers serving as OC/Ts are already knowledgable in their fields, understanding the tasks and expectations that come with this job description is vital to exercise success.
“Students are already subject matter experts in their own field, but they need to learn how operations are conducted here at JMRC,” Edmonds said. “We get them to understand the exercise environment and procedures and how to perform their duties as OC/Ts.”
Edmonds further emphasised many Soldiers know how to do their specific military occupation well, but in order to become a proficient observer they need to understand exercise control and realize how “behind the scenes” events can create a training environment in which the tested unit will receive maximum training benefits.
Attendees of the training said that it was an important part of preparing them to safely monitor and supervise in the field.
“The instructors roll out the carpet for us and explain the OC/T process in depth and our job expectations,” said Staff Sgt. Terry Ludwick, a civil affairs specialist in the Army Reserves’ 407th Civil Affairs Battalion based in Minnesota who became a certified OC/T at the conclusion of the course.
“Becoming an OC/T gives me an opportunity to take a step forward and observe a team rather than just participating on a team,” Ludwick said. “All of the observing and reporting is key to improvement. It is key to ensuring that Soldiers have a successful training exercise.”
| Date Taken: | 09.19.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 09.29.2020 03:57 |
| Story ID: | 378376 |
| Location: | HOHENFELS, BAYERN, DE |
| Web Views: | 338 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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