Combined Arms Center commander: Army's future depends on training, education

By Mike Casey, Cobmined Arms Center-TrainingJune 25, 2014

Lt. Gen. Brown, Industry Day
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Lt. Gen. Robert Brown addresses defense industry representatives and other Army officers at the Training and Education 2025 and Beyond Industry Forum, at Fort Eustis, Va., June 18, 2014. Brown is the commanding general of the Combined Arms Center at... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Brig. Gen. Joseph Martin Opens Training and Education Industry Forum
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Brig. Gen. Joseph M. Martin gives opening remarks during the Training and Education 2025 and Beyond Industry Forum, at Fort Eustis, Va., June 18, 2014. Martin is the deputy commanding general of the Combined Arms Center-Training, which hosted the ev... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT EUSTIS, Va. (June 24, 2014) -- Lt. Gen. Robert B. Brown said training and educating Soldiers will be the keys to the Army's future.

Brown, commanding general of the Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, delivered the keynote speech at the Training and Education 2025 and Beyond Industry Forum. The forum was held Wednesday and Thursday, here.

The forum provided industry representatives with an opportunity to understand the Army's future needs so industry can provide the Army with the right tools to train and educate Soldiers. The event was hosted by the Combined Arms Center-Training, Fort Leavenworth.

Brown contrasted how the Army benefited in Desert Storm from the fielding of the Bradley, Abrams and Apache with the qualities the Army will need in 2025 and beyond.

"The majority of that (Desert Storm) effort was a revolution in big-ticket items," Brown said. He acknowledged that development of network and cyber systems will be important, but not as critical as past materiel programs.

"They will not lead us," he said. "What will lead us is the human dimension: how we train Soldiers, how we educate Soldiers and how we assess Soldiers to really optimize the human performance. Those areas will be absolutely keys for our revolution in the future."

Yet some imperatives will remain constant.

"We need tough, realistic training," Brown said. "That's what saves lives."

To prepare Soldiers, the Army is improving home station training through exercises that combine live, virtual and constructive training, Brown said. Panelists at the forum discussed how the Army is moving to enhance this type of training.

He said the Army must learn how to deliver training and educational materials at the point of need, which means making them accessible on mobile devices.

Brown compared how he learned as a young Soldier with how young Soldiers learn today. Brown said he relied on reading doctrine and field manuals.

To train and develop the next generation of Army leaders, the force has to use videos, podcasts, simulations, gaming and other innovations, he said.

At the forum, panelists discussed the Army's efforts to deliver materials to Soldiers when and wherever they need them.

Brown urged industry representatives to design new systems that are easy to learn and easy to operate, which will allow Soldiers to focus on accomplishing the mission. This issue of trainability was the subject of another forum panel.

"If we work together," Brown told the industry representatives. "We will get the right training and educational tools to remain the best Army in the world."

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