Photo By Spc. David McCarthy | Sgt. Maj. Sean Rice, 82nd Sustainment Brigade S-3 non-commissioned officer-in-charge,...... read more read more
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FORT BRAGG, N.C. - Any operation in the Army requires planning and preparation. Often, many fail to realize just how much planning has to go into an event to make it work. For the students attending the Theater Logistics Planners Program at the Army Logistics University at Fort Lee, Va., they are immersed in it daily.
“This course gives you a whole new level of confidence in yourself,” said Sgt. Maj. Sean Rice, 82nd Sustainment Brigade S-3 non-commissioned officer-in-charge and the first enlisted soldier to attend the Theater Logistics Planners Program Course. “That confidence is bolstered through being involved in the premier logistics course in the Army and by the fact that you are truly a demonstrated master logistician upon graduation,” he said.
The Theater Logistics Planners Program Course is held twice a year and is a five and a half month long course, immersing students in every aspect of sustainment planning.
“The Theater Logistics Program was created from a previous course when it was identified by the Combined Arms Support Command [CASCOM] commander that there was a gap in the Army education program for logistics at the operational level,” said Lt. Col. Alexander Greenwich, director of the Theater Logistics Planners Program. “The TLPP was re-invented to create planners. We needed the equivalency of the planning capability that the School for Advanced Military Studies [SAMS] produces for the Army,” he said.
Greenwich went on to clarify that before the Theater Logistics Planners Program Course existed, Army logistics officers attended the Logistics Executive Development Course. The course was designed to get logistics officers to see the bigger picture, see who the players at the strategic national level were, and develop skills to assist in the executive or operational level of sustainment.
When the Logistics Executive Development Course was replaced with the Theater Logistics Planners Program Course, it was made a compliment to the School for Advanced Military Studies Course. Whereas School for Advanced Military Studies graduates had more of a focus on operational maneuvering, Theater Logistics Planners Program graduates could bring that same level of advanced operation from the sustainment operations side.
The Theater Logistics Planners Program Course is taught so that students will have a full comprehension of logistical operations at the corps level and above. Throughout the course students are constantly tested on the “So what?” factor. The “So what” factor refers to the question - why is what you are briefing important? That lesson begins at the very start of class.
“Initially you have a lot of academic and classroom-oriented work in this program,” said Capt. Matthew Panepinto, Delta Company Theater Logistics Planners Program Student. “I have learned that you have to make sure that the information that is available to you is both relevant and credible,” he said.
However, simply verifying the information is not enough. Theater Logistics Planners Program students are taught to look at information from all angles.
“When you present information to a superior, whether that’s your company commander or your brigade commander, you have to consider what this information means to them as a leader,” said Panepinto. “You have to consider how the information you are giving them will assist them in managing the organization and support soldiers going forward,” he said.
The Theater Logistics Planners Program Course has traditionally been reserved only for senior company, field grade officers and DoD civilians. However, with Rice being the first enlisted soldier to attend the course, there is the potential for great opportunities for the senior enlisted corps. “The training here makes me a combat multiplier wherever I go,” said Rice. “TLPP- trained sergeants major now represent a double-edged sword as the Army learns to do more with less,” he said.
While the potential addition of senior non-commissioned officers to the course could prove to be a force multiplier for the Army, the instructors warned that the course is not for everyone.
“You have to realize that Rice is a unique individual,” said Greenwich. “He’s got skill sets that not a lot of sergeants major have that I’ve ever met in my 27 years have come close to; so he’s a unique guy. But the keyword is, are they qualified?” he said.
Greenwich delineated that many sergeants major are precluded from attending the class because of their own military education. Rice recommended a possible solution.
“You’ve got to have the formal education to attend this course,” said Rice. “One of the requirements for this course is four years of college. If you can start an NCO out young on his or her career path and give them the time for their education, they should be able to attend,” he said.
The uniqueness of the Theater Logistics Planners Program Course makes for a powerful learning environment paired with students who want to learn as much as they can about sustainment operations.
“TLPP gives you the ability to take the appropriate action to get done what is needed,” said Maj. Theresa Armstrong Theater Logistics Planners Program Course facilitator and instructor. “It gives you the confidence, the knowledge and the doctrinal base to know where you’re coming from and be able to reach out and not be afraid of getting it done,” she said.
As the Theater Logistics Planners Program Course moves forward, the instructors are hopeful that commanders will begin to see the potential that the Theater Logistics Planners Program program has for the future.
Students are doubly rewarded not only by the unique instruction they are receiving, but by the fact that their training gives them 12 credit hours of advanced training at Florida Technical University. Rice is planning on using the credits to help him work toward the completion of his master’s degree.
“Our graduates are proven assets,” said Greenwich. “The word is slowly getting out there because our graduates can hold their own when it comes to applying the skill sets they learned here,” he said.
As for the senior Non-commissioned Officer Corps getting involved, Rice has a few suggestions. “The implications of this course for the NCO Corps are huge; we need to get the senior NCO Corps more involved,” said Rice. “The return on the investment in this course is invaluable,” he said.
| Date Taken: | 04.05.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 05.01.2012 17:20 |
| Story ID: | 87681 |
| Location: | FORT LEE, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 66 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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