Molding masters of combined arms maneuver

FORT BENNING, Ga., (May 20, 2015) -- For the first time in recent history, second lieutenants in the Infantry Officer Basic Leader Course experienced mounted live fire in support of dismounted operations.

"When we talk about training fundamentals, as part of being smart, fast, lethal and precise, they are actually training in a live fire scenario combined arms maneuver," said Maj. James Zanella, brigade operations officer, 199th Infantry Brigade (Leader Development).

The IBOLC students of C Company, 2nd Battalion, 11th Infantry Regiment, conducted a combined arms live fire exercise May 14-15 at the Digital Multipurpose Range Complex.

The CALFEX had four Bradley Fighting Vehicles and two M1A2 Abrams tanks providing direct fire support from 120 mm, 25 mm, .50-caliber and M240 weapons systems. There was indirect fire from 81 mm mortars while one reinforced Infantry squad with attached M240B team and platoon headquarters element seized key terrain and suppressed the main objective, Zanella said.

"They never, in the past, operated with Bradleys firing, and they've never employed mortars and Bradleys and tanks at the same time," said Lt. Col. John Grantz, battalion commander, 2nd Bn., 11th Inf. Regt. "All of that combined is combined arms, not just Infantry."

As an Infantry Soldier going to a Mechanized Infantry unit, 2nd Lt. Tyler Dickson, appreciated the insight into another side of the Army.

"Being able to do a whole platoon maneuver provided some pretty good perspective," Dickson said.

He said he valued the familiarization with a fighting vehicle.

"Maybe when I get the opportunity to be in charge or lead one of those operations, I'll have a good idea of how it works and how the operations are expected to go."

Grantz said the exercise is in line with the Maneuver Center of Excellence's Commanding General Maj. Gen. Scott Miller's desire for the course to produce "masters of combined arms maneuver."

"Any place (the students) go, they're going to operate with all arms. They're not going to just operate as an isolated independent Infantry platoon - they're going to have all of (this) when they go down range, so we need to teach them how to use it here," Grantz said. "And, here, we've never taught them how to integrate all that stuff in one place on one live fire."

Grantz said in the future the course will include aviation as well.

The CALFEX included the integration of two emerging technologies, Zanella said. Robotic Human Type Targets provided a moving threat signature and the InstantEye II small, unmanned aerial system provided real-time, full-motion video to both the support-by-fire and assault elements. These were provided to the students with a trained operator.

"It was a first on a lot of levels," Zanella said.

The integration and use of the RHTTs and InstantEye were so successful, that IBOLC is continuing to integrate them into other live fire exercises, Zanella said.

"It's really giving the lieutenants what they need to be able to lead their Infantrymen when they get down range," Grantz said.