Two hundred students from the United Kingdom's Intermediate Command and Staff College (Land) are at Fort Leavenworth for a two-week exercise. Exercise Eagle Owl kicked off March 1 at the U.S. Army's Command and General Staff College and concludes March 12.
"It is, without a doubt, the highlight of our course," said Brigadier Paul Nanson, director of the exercise for the United Kingdom. "It's a historic event but its value has not changed," added Col. John Allred, his U.S. counterpart. "If anything it's more important because of the close coordination between coalition countries on today's battlefields," he added. Nanson agrees with that assessment, "as the U.K. concludes combat operations in Afghanistan it's important to build on the links forged in Afghanistan and Iraq. Future operations are likely to involve similar coalitions." Allred added "we have been warfighting partners in all major conflicts. It's important for them to understanding where we are coming from."
This is the ninth year for the twice yearly exercise between the two military colleges. It is the largest exercise of its kind among two allied nations stressing interoperability and understanding. The exercise is designed to give a shared understanding of U.S. and United Kingdom cultural and procedural similarities and differences, gain experience in brigade-level deliberate planning, and build professional relationships to facilitate future partnerships.
Nanson and Allred both said U.S. officers and UK officers have more in common than different. "I think we have the same ethos and same values," said Nanson. He went on to say the main difference is in the approach to problem solving, the UK's Combat Estimate or '7 questions' as opposed to the U.S. Military Decision Making Process. "It's a broadening experience, seeing things from our allies' viewpoint. They have different experiences and different ways of dealing with things than we do," said Allred. "I want them [students] to use all the tools on the belt."
Both officers said the value in the course is the collaboration between officers of different nations. Allred explained it is all about teambuilding, not just to accomplish the immediate goals of the exercise, but also networking, forming and maintaining relationships with their counterparts that will pay dividends in future operations.
During the exercise students spend one week planning using the American process and one week using the 7 questions. "We learn from one another," said Nanson. "We share experiences, share best practices. There are different ways to approach problem solving. One example is the American use of the design process. We're taking that back with us," said Nanson. He also observed American's like the 7 question approach because if considers the commander's intuition earlier in the process.
Allred noted that when the students are working with MDMP the American officers are coaching their British counterparts through the process. When they change to 7-questions the roles are reversed. A student doesn't realize how well he or she understands the process until they are in the role of coach and teacher, he said.
Students from the same CGSC class will participate in both Eagle Owl sessions this year. That's a change from previous years caused by the CGSC switching from two class starts per year to one beginning last August. Exercise planners had to take that into account.
There was a perception that using the exercises could be repetitive, said Allred. So, the planning team made adjustments in the design of the scenario. The second phase of the exercise (scheduled in May) will find the area of operations 60 days after the first phase concluded and things will have changed quite a bit. The second EO session will be balanced between combined arms maneuver and wide area security for the first week and then weighted to combined arms maneuver in the second week. "It's important to see how the students employ the doctrine involved in exercising multiple competencies," Allred concluded.
Nanson explained the UK continues to have two courses per year so the students who will attend the exercise in May are not the same as the ones that are here now. "I understand the significance of the change to a one course academic year for the Americans and am grateful for the work done to adapt the second session," he said.
The exercise is traditionally capped with a sports day and barbecue. On March 12, the officers will participate in various sporting competitions to include golf, skeet, physical fitness, volleyball, softball and soccer. The United Kingdom's military chefs will prepare the event ending meal at the fort's Frontier Conference Center that evening.
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