FORT SILL, Okla. (Nov. 20, 2014) -- Students in Field Artillery Basic Officer Leader Course-B Class Nos. 6-14 and 7-14 learned not only how to fire on a gun line and operate a fire direction center (FDC), but also the complexities of serving as joint fires observers (JFO).
As part of an Army pilot program, the JFO course was integrated into the FA BOLC-B curriculum without lengthening the course.
"This is the first class that they're integrating JFO into the (program of instruction). We don't get more time with the students. We teach them more instruction in a shorter period of time, and they've achieved the same standards," said Capt. Alexander Kowaleuski, FA BOLC-B instructor.
He said the students exceeded most expectations by learning the additional skill on top of their already grueling course load.
"It's not like a college course ... Here they have eight hours of instruction every day. And, then they have homework and they have PT in the morning.
"I asked my students yesterday where this washed out in their life experiences. Unanimously they said this was the hardest course they've ever gone through."
After 18 weeks and three live fire exercises, the students put their classroom learning into practice during their final exam: the Red Leg War.
"All lieutenants shoulder all the duties in this exercise and subsequently they get to see that it's not as simple as, 'You, this is me. Adjust fire. Over.' It's: I have to be able to get comms with everybody I need to speak to get the support that I need for the maneuver element. And, then the other side of it is that I have to make my timeline and be ready to support the maneuver element," said Kowaleuski.
Before the exercise the instructors briefed students on the tactical situation and gave a concept of operations and the field artillery support plan.
Then, the students went to work in the three field artillery components: the FDC, the gun line and as JFOs.
"The FDC is like the brains of the field artillery. The observers are the eyes and they communicate to the brain. The brain does its smart math functions and converts everything to the guns, so the guns can shoot where they want it to land," said 1st Lt. Daniel Cheng, Firing Point 188 officer in charge.
Cheng stressed the importance of the lieutenants rotating through the different positions.
"When students graduate from FA BOLC, they're trained to be fire support officers, which are the observers; they're trained to be fire direction officers here in the FDC and then they're also being trained as platoon leaders which is managing the gun line. So being able to do all three aspects here, they know what they have to do as field artillery officers," said Cheng.
The students said the experience will help them serve as future leaders.
"I think it's good to know the jobs of those we're going to lead. We're going to be the subject matter experts. When Soldiers come to us with a question we need to be able to answer that or at least know the resource to be able to find the answers," said 2nd Lt. David Dawson, who is going to an M777 unit in Hawaii.
When asked why the Army was piloting the JFO course as part of FA BOLC-B, Sgt. 1st Class Jason Thompson, A Battery, 1st Battalion, 30th Field Artillery, said it's because it gives commanders more options on the battlefield.
"Over the course of the last 13 years we've been fighting it has come to the forefront that having that subject matter expert on the ground who understands that concept of not only planning, but also the execution has become vital. The maneuver commanders want that.
"For lack of a better phrase, it's a security blanket. You know you're going to stir up the hornets' nest, you want to make sure you've got that big fly swatter. Now you've got that guy."
While the majority of the students were at FP 188, near Contingency Operations Location Mow-Way, the rest walked lanes and called the FDC for the JFO portion.
"Here they had about a month, month-and-a-half calling for fire and then transitioned into a joint fires observer role. Other classes previous to this would've had all the way through Red Leg War and then they would go into a two-week course where their job was just to learn JFO," said Kowaleuski.
While the instructors agreed there is no substitution for experience, they said this pilot course also took away the need to correct bad habits.
Thompson said in this format each second lieutenant learned the proper way from the start on how to request, adjust and control surface-to-surface fires, provide targeting information in support of Type 2 and 3 close air support terminal attack controls, and perform autonomous Terminal Guidance operations.
"They are taught the little intricacies of how to take not only the indirect fire -- the artillery and mortars -- but also the rotary wing and fixed wing and put them all together and make them all hit at the same time and be able to coordinate that symphony," said Thompson.
Students in Class No. 6-14 graduated Nov. 18 at Kerwin Auditorium. Future FA BOLC-B classes will follow the Legacy program of instruction, which teaches the JFO course separately.
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