FORT BENNING, Ga., (Aug. 5, 2015) -- A total of 11 Small Group Leaders from the Maneuver Captains Career Course recently completed a weeklong visit to our nation's capital to gain a better understanding of how to operate in a Joint, Interagency and Multinational environment. The event is part of Maj. Gen. Scott Miller's initiative to create smart, fast, lethal and precise leaders through external educational opportunities that focus on integrating Army efforts at all echelons in the JIM environment, and building strong relationships with sister-service and interagency partners.
The week exposed the SGLs to the U.S. Agency for International Development, Office of Congressional and Legislative Liaison, National Defense University, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Commander's Action Group, J37 Operations, Army G3/5/7, the National Security Council, and the Marine Corps Infantry Officer Basic Course and Expeditionary Warfare School.
Additionally, the SGLs were able to meet with key personnel such as Rep. Steve Russell from Oklahoma, and Gen. Dan Allen, Army Vice Chief of Staff, and gain their perspectives on the current and future JIM environment.
The scope of learning during the visit was wide-ranging and introduced the SGLs to the methods in which interagency organizations can assist with planning and execution of operations, as well as the echelons at which they typically integrate, such as Joint Task Force Headquarters, Division Staffs and Brigades.
Following the USAID discussion, Captain Scott Krasko noted, "The awareness we now have of just how these agencies complement and assist our efforts and what products and analysis they can provide is extremely helpful to leaders as we train future company commanders and prepare to serve as field grade officers on higher staffs."
The NDU visit featured a brief conducted by Dr. Lamb and focused on Army institutional insights into the challenges of operating in a JIM environment; specifically forming new teams from across the sister-services and with interagency personnel, and how each group possesses institutional barriers that leaders must identify and develop methods of bypass by building trust in order to form a cohesive team. The SGLs were able to discuss their experiences with various JIM partners during deployments and compare and contrast examples of institutional barriers and methods they observed that were most effective in team building and achieving results.
Following the discussion, Capt. Michael Skok concluded, "the key to interagency working is not what you'd expect. Sure, cooperation, collaboration and coordination are important; the real key is the bureaucracy - not the bad kind most of us think of, but the multiple layers of checks, procedures, and networking necessary to balance the multiple equities of each player with a stake in the mission."
While visiting the Joint Staff, SGLs were shown the complexity of inter-service and interagency integration on the grand scale.
Discussion ranged from how the Army's Operating Concept and Regionally Aligned Forces have been received by elected officials, the Department of State, and other services. Furthermore, J37 personnel described in detail Global Force Management, how the numerous military security requirements are prioritized, and the levels of approval. The previous NDU visit enabled the SGLs to have an effective dialogue with the J37 personnel and hear their firsthand examples of challenges and best practices for planning and building teams in the JIM environment.
Future opportunities for training interoperability and enhancing the MCCC curriculum were identified during the visit with the Marine Corps IOC and EWS instructors at Quantico, Virginia. During the IOC discussion, the Marine Instructors and SGLs compared their methods of instruction and enjoyed a lengthy dialogue covering best practices for improving lethality, inculcating warrior ethos, teaching troop leading procedures and incorporating physical fitness as a tool for training teams through a mission based competition.
The Marine EWS visit opened the door for future efforts to improve interoperability through joint planning exercises and joint concept development between EWS Instructors and the SGLs, which will focus on identifying mission and interoperability challenges shared by both services and developing solutions collaboratively. As a result of the JIM focused visit to the nation's capital region, the SGLs are now smarter due to an awareness of joint services, agencies and their operating processes; they are faster now that they have a greater understanding of how to integrate, communicate, and collaborate with joint partners; more lethal as they incorporate available JIM capabilities; and more precise as they leverage JIM partner expertise to formulate effective plans and achieve desired results.
Capt. Andy Jenkins summed up the visit by saying, "this has been an incredibly unique opportunity to see how the elements of national power are coordinated and synchronized at the highest level. We have been able to see how the 'dash' in CIV-MIL is used. Now we can take this information back into the classroom and try to make the next generation of company grade officers communicate and integrate even better with their JIM partners."
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