ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. (January 14, 2015) -- Well-trained and deployment-ready Soldiers don't just happen. They become well-trained and prepared by participating in training exercises that are well-planned and well-executed by expert planners.
A mobile training team from First Army's training exercise branch has been crisscrossing the nation since last summer, teaching brigade-level exercise planners how to build, coordinate and execute better training exercises.
Recently, the six-member training team brought the course back to their home base at First Army headquarters on Rock Island Arsenal.
The five-day Mission Command Exercise Planning course teaches First Army planners how to develop, design, plan, manage and execute staff training exercises for Army National Guard and Army Reserve units.
"The MCEP course is designed to train the members of the newly created planning and exercise teams at each of First Army's training brigades," said Maj. Robert Hegland, an exercise planner and mobile training team member who works in the exercise branch of First Army's training division. "The course uses a mix of classes, demonstrations, practical exercises and hands-on training to teach our brigade planners the detailed procedures required to develop and execute realistic training events."
During the MCEP course, planners learn how to schedule and organize training exercises, provide required manpower, develop storylines, plan for facilities and life support issues, and work with exercise role players.
First Army adopted the exercise planning procedures developed by the Department of Defense's Joint Warfighting Center and the Mission Command Training Program at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
"The course has been refined as we have applied lessons learned from our unique exercise experience working in the reserve component training environment," said Hegland.
Jim Clark, another exercise planner and mobile training team member who works in the exercise branch of First Army's training division, noted that the course not only improves and standardizes the elements of exercise design, but also increases planners' ability to integrate live, virtual, constructive and gaming elements into training events.
"The MCEP course teaches planners how the use of computer simulations and computer gaming can enhance reserve component training exercises," said Clark. "MCEP familiarizes planners with constructive computer simulations and Army-produced computer games that teach stability operations."
The procedures used in planning an integrated training environment exercise are the same as those used to plan any other exercises, Clark explained.
"However, mixing the various [active and reserve] components, unit echelons and training simulations increases the complexity of the development process and the resulting training event."
Clark, who has been with First Army for 11 years, says MCEP teaches First Army planners how to introduce emerging integrated training environment concepts to reserve component commanders and senior leaders during the development process.
"More importantly, the disciplined and integrated use of live, virtual, constructive and gaming tools and simulations in exercises enhances reserve component training by reducing resource demands and improving training efficiencies," said Clark.
In the past five months, Hegland, Clark and the other mobile training team members presented the MCEP course to more than 100 First Army planners and trainers at nine installations: Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois; Camp Atterbury, Indiana; Camp Shelby, Mississippi; Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey; Fort McCoy, Wisconsin; Joint Base Lewis-McChord; Fort Stewart, Georgia; and Forts Hood and Bliss in Texas.
Hegland explained that, while it's important for participants to understand the overall exercise planning process as taught in the MCEP course, it's critical they take away two key skills: creating relevant storylines and training event injects and managing exercise manpower.
Poorly written storylines and training injects can create problems during the exercise and cause confusion for the training audience, Hegland said.
"Keeping scenarios real, relevant and detailed, just as they would be in a combat theater, is key."
Understanding and properly managing the manpower required to support training exercises is also critical.
"Planners must ensure they have the correct number and type of support cells for administrative and training support and an adequate amount of support personnel to control all the information and activities during the training exercise."
The MCEP course is the first phase of First Army's three-phase program to improve exercise design.
"Phase two of the program is what we call our 'right-seat-ride' where we assist and advise brigade planners as they develop, plan and execute reserve component training exercises following the procedures learned in the course," said Clark.
During phase three, Clark said, First Army exercise branch members will mentor brigade training developers, working through issues or concerns during future exercises and presenting the MCEP course to new planning and exercise team members.
Clark already sees positive results of the MCEP program.
"Those brigade trainers who have taken the MCEP course are already involved in assisting reserve component unit staffs plan and source scheduled annual training and home station exercises," he said.
"We envision the MCEP training program increasing the quality of exercises conducted for reserve component units throughout the First Army area," Clark added. "Our brigade planners will now have the capacity to assist more reserve component unit commanders achieve their training objectives through well-designed and executed training exercises."
Social Sharing