Decisive training shapes Warrior Brigade into a cohesive team

By Staff Sgt. Carlos R. Davis, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team Public AffairsSeptember 19, 2014

Decisive training shapes Warrior Brigade into a cohesive team
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii -- The 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, senior leadership took part in a new leader orientation course Sept. 16-18 on Schofield Barracks to improve the basic knowledge of stryker capabilities. The tw... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Decisive training shapes Warrior Brigade into a cohesive team
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii -- Col. David Womack, commander of 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, provides an opening statement to the senior leadership across the brigade during the new leader orientation course Sept. 16-18 on S... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Decisive training shapes Warrior Brigade into a cohesive team
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii -- Lt. Col. James Tuite, commander of 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, gives a brief on stryker gunnery and how to improve the overall unit effectiveness with l... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii -- Leaders from the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, gathered together for the week of Sept. 15 for a new leaders orientation course on Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

"We came here to shorten the learning curve for the new Stryker Brigade leaders and to help improve them as a vital force as a whole," said 1st Lt. Brian Schramke, the stryker warfighter forum operations officer assigned to 7th Infantry Division.

Over the past few months many of the brigade and battalions staff has either left the island for a permanent change of station or assumed a different role within the brigade, so the brigade took this opportunity to forge it's staff into a cohesive team.

Throughout the week the leaders held classroom discussions on digital training, new gunnery standards that will be coming out in the near future, discovered new ways to accomplish gunnery, familiarization of the stryker platform, and learned from other brigades who have gone through Combat Training Center rotations and pass deployments to better help their new leaders.

As the 25th Inf. Div. moves forward and refocuses on Pacific operations, the brigade is using this training opportunity to better prepare its leaders for the mission on hand.

"The mission of the 2nd SBCT is to deploy and conduct unified land operations and theater security cooperation exercises as part of a rapidly deployable contingency response force, but also be trained and ready to deploy a skeletal force that can support emergency requirements in our area of responsibility across a full spectrum of operations to include engaging with regional partners and furthering the Pacific Army Commander regional goals," said Maj. Timothy Wright, the brigade executive officer.

Even though the mission for the brigade may seem pretty broad, Col. David Womack, the brigade commander, understands that it will take time, dedication and hard work in order to accomplish it.

"We might not be where we want to be the first time we go out and train, we might not shoot what we thought we were going to shoot the first time we step out there on the range, but we must take notes and conduct an After Action Review [AAR] and place it back on the calendar so we can get back out there and do it again," he said. "We must establish in our culture the process of the AAR of grow it, learn it, and then share it across our formations just like we are doing today and that is how we are going to achieve greatness."

The new leaders orientation has helped to expand the knowledge base of the leaders in the brigade and prepare them for future contingency missions in the Pacific and abroad.