'HR' University training helps USANATO Soldiers refine critical support skills

By Greg Jones, USANATO Bde. PAOMarch 26, 2018

Allied Forces South Battalion 'HR' University
1 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – National Support Soldiers from U.S. Army NATO Brigade's Allied Forces South Battalion take notes during a class on evaluations Feb. 28 during the AFSOUTH 'HR' University, a training event focused on developing a wide variety of human resources suppor... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Allied Forces South Battalion 'HR' University
2 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – National Support Soldiers from U.S. Army NATO Brigade's Allied Forces South Battalion explore training versions of complex personnel information systems Feb. 28 during the AFSOUTH 'HR' University, a training event focused on developing a wide variety... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Allied Forces South Battalion 'HR' University
3 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – National Support Soldiers from U.S. Army NATO Brigade's Allied Forces South Battalion discuss current trends and techniques in evaluations Feb. 28 during the AFSOUTH 'HR' University, a training event focused on developing a wide variety of human reso... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Allied Forces South Battalion 'HR' University
4 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Staff Sgt. Tyrone Duncan, a human resources specialist with the U.S. Army NATO Brigade G-1, provides instruction in evaluations to National Support Soldiers from Allied Forces South Battalion Feb. 28 during the battalion's 'HR' University, a training... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

Lago Patria, Italy March 1, 2018--U.S. Army NATO Brigade's Allied Forces South Battalion held Human Resources focused training as part of the brigade's ongoing efforts informally called HR University Feb. 26 to March 1 at Allied Joint Force Command, Naples.

The USANATO Bde. Consists of roughly 1,000 Soldiers who serve in either Peacetime Establishment positions within the NATO command and forces structures, or as National Support Element Soldiers providing all manner of training, administrative and medical support to those PE Soldiers.

The NSE Soldiers, often at remote locations and operating a one-person office, are responsible for coordinating a wide variety of administrative needs, training events and other services to remotely stationed Soldiers and their families. Often these one-person shops are the only connection between remotely stationed USANATO Soldiers and the services they and their families rely on.

"Those NSE Soldiers are basically like a whole orderly room, and it's all (the PE Soldiers) have, so they have to be able to log into the HR systems, and provide all kinds of customer support," said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ronald Carrion, AFSOUTH S-1 Officer In Charge.

To help ensure that personnel in NSE units are capable in all aspects of HR services, battalions have been holding HRU events, gathering personnel from as many as a dozen countries to a single location to receive in-depth training in topics ranging from HR information systems, to evaluations processing and management, to medical and administrative readiness procedures.

"These are perishable skills so it is important to gather all the Soldiers here and hold this training on a regular basis," said Carrion. "Some of these Soldiers didn't have access to some of the systems, or didn't do certain functions in their previous units, so HR University gives us a chance to sharpen those skills, brush up on their training, and do some of those transactions they may not have had a chance to do before."