YAVORIV, Ukraine- - A mobile training team from 7th Army Training Command, based out of Germany, assisted the Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine with increasing the knowledge of Ukrainian Soldiers by teaching them Unit Training Management at the International Peacekeeping and Security Center here the week of Sept. 5.
The training involved teaching Ukrainian Soldiers how to devise training plans and ensure they are able to successfully execute the mission. The Ukrainian students primarily consisted of elements within the Combat Training Center who advise, train, and assist with planning training and missions.
"It's extremely important for the Ukrainian staff to know what goes into planning," said Master Sgt. Kenneth Sheppard, noncommissioned officer in charge of the Combat Training Center. "The training emphasizes the importance of knowing how to properly request assets through the appropriate channels within their ranks."
Sgt. 1st Class Rodolfo Cisneros, instructor and course writer for the unit training management course assigned to 7th Army Training Command has a lot of experience when it comes to teaching Soldiers. Cisneros spent two years as a drill sergeant and is currently an instructor at 7th ATC for the Army Basic Instructor Course, Digital Training Management System course, and the Small Group Instructor Training Course.
According to Cisneros, being in the military and wearing a uniform allows him to be more relatable to the Ukrainian students. It shows the students that he has experience with military training and understands the need to be efficient in training management.
Cisneros said that he wrote the course by examining the Ukrainian Land Forces' training doctrine to learn how they conduct training and ultimately combine their tactics with American Army tactics.
"We're not trying to sell them our doctrine, we're just trying to refine their way of training," said Cisneros.
A portion of the training incorporated Ukrainian Soldiers learning how to properly conduct an after action review once the mission is complete. The AAR allows Soldiers to understand what went well during the training, and how they can improve the training to obtain better results in the future.
"Recording AARs is recording historical data," said Cisneros. "If you get accurate historical data, you can enhance the training for the Soldiers."
Once the weeklong course is complete, Cisneros will conduct his own AAR to learn how the course was effective and any areas that need to be altered to suit the needs of the Ukrainian army. Being aware of these deficiencies will allow Cisneros to rewrite the course to better suit the next class he instructs.
The primary focus of the JMTG-U is direct training in the near term while helping the Ukrainian armed forces to build a sustainable and enduring combat training center at the IPSC. This training is one example of how this mission is accomplished.
Training a multitude of Ukrainian Soldiers in various mission essential areas is crucial to the success of JMTG-U; however, it can become extremely costly to send them to specialized training in another country. But 7th ATC bringing Mobile Training Team's to the IPSC is a cost effect way of getting subject matter experts to teach the Ukrainian Soldiers, said Sheppard.
Social Sharing