FORT BENNING, Ga. (March 19, 2014) -- Infantry Basic Officer Leadership Course is aiming to improve the training of its lieutenants through the implementation of the Adaptive Soldier Leader Training and Evaluation model.
IBOLC has piloted a training team concept as part of the 2nd Battalion, 11th Infantry Regiment, to closely follow the ASLTE methodology. Training and Doctrine Command developed ASLTE to give instructors and training developers 21st century competencies to develop adaptive Soldiers for future operation environments.
Capt. Tim Downing, commander of D Company, 2nd Battalion, 11th Infantry Regiment, said the team training concept was first used in IBOLC in December. With the previous legacy model, cadre was responsible for the coordination of opposition forces, food and water, ammunition and evaluating the students as they executed missions.
"With training teams, the only focus is on the current training event or preparing for the next company. They learn from us and they will keep trying to make it better with instructions," Downing said. "The next company gets the benefit of that experience. When a new platoon trainer comes in, it's not a big deal because he's surrounded by guys who have done it so many times."
IBOLC students from D Company took on their first scenario-based Leader Forge exercises with a fully staffed training team March 10-17. The exercise included day and night operations with a company search and attack, air insertions and defense and deliberate company attacks.
"My cadre is keeping the lieutenants engaged, so they will stay focused on the scenario and the training team is focused on making sure the scenario is seamlessly executed," Downing said. "The training teams make sure there's not a break in continuity."
Capt. Whitt Dunning, training team officer, said the greatest advantage of using one training team instead of individual platoons is planning training events in less time.
"It has definitely improved and provided realistic training for the lieutenants, which is something we strive for," Dunning said. "My team will get many opportunities for repetition, which allows us to identify ways to make it better and implement it within two to three weeks instead of four or five months."
Downing said training teams are expected to continuously improve the coordination of training exercises and evaluation of students with each company. As a result, students will receive quality training to help them remain focused and competent as future leaders, he said.
"Until the end of cycle, they have to continually react to whatever we throw at them to make sure they go thorough the decision-making and planning process without a down time or a break," he said. "That's the best way you can replicate the stress you encounter in a deployed environment. When you're deployed, there's no time off ... it's always game on and that's what we have to represent."
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