GRAFENWOEHR, Germany -- Soldiers from 2d Cavalry Regiment (2CR), located in Vilseck, Germany, attended the 7th Army Training Command (7ATC) Combined Arms Training Center (CATC) Heavy Weapons Leadership Course (HWLC) live-fire event at the Grafenwoehr Training Area in Grafenwoehr, Germany on May 23, 2024.
The course was offered by CATC, with 2CR providing the tube-launched, optically-tracked, wire-guided (TOW) missile systems mounted on an Anti-Tank Guided Missile Stryker Vehicles, and other small arms and crew served weapons. The training instruction was conducted by the 316th Cavalry Brigade Mobile Training Team under the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) Maneuver Center of Excellence.
“[I’m] very proud of this course and everything that we do. We travel all around the world; train Soldiers across the Army,” said Capt. Joshua Ciccolini, tactics instructor for the HWLC out of Fort Moore, Georgia. “We work really hard to increase lethality for the force and generate leaders so that we are ready.”
7ATC CATC is a professional training institution that is quality assurance accredited by TRADOC and NATO and provides a curriculum that meets the ever-evolving needs of the U.S., Allied and partner forces in the region. Courses are operationally relevant covering deployment readiness, medical and logistical sustainment, leadership development, and combat skills.
Centrally located in Germany, CATC offers an economical alternative to attending U.S. military training schools in the states. As an Army accredited institution, Soldiers in the region can attend TRADOC compliant instruction taught by certified instructors without having to return to the U.S., which saves time, money, and resources while enhancing readiness.
“We take what is being delivered at the big Army level, and we take that and provide that here in theater,” said Lt. Col. Austin Luher, Director of the 7ATC CATC. “And what that does, is it allows all the forces here in theater to be able to come here to the Combined Arms Training Center and get the instruction they need in order to stay individually ready and proficient in their tasks and battle drills so that they do not have to travel back to the continental United States.”
Luher went on to say that the Army sees so much value in that return on investment that they are developing a similar capability in the Pacific.
In March of last year, CATC hosted a TRADOC seven-member Army Quality Assurance Evaluation team during their TRADOC reaccreditation, which resulted in an overall assessment score of 96.8%, putting CATC in the top tier of accredited institutions in the U.S. Army. Being accredited allows CATC to teach TRADOC proponent courses, and is the Army’s formal recognition that an education and training institution meets or exceeds established Army standards.
In addition to being TRADOC accredited, CATC has been NATO accredited since March of 2017. Every six years, the center is reevaluated to renew its accreditation. The process is not an automatic stamp of approval, but a thorough evaluation process that ensures CATC has the quality control measures in place to maintain the high NATO standard.
NATO conducts education and training to strengthen relations with partner nations and to ensure their headquarters and forces are ready, effective, and interoperable. NATO Education and Training (E&T) activities are core functions for preparing the NATO command structure and NATO Force Structure for current and future missions. CATC is a designated E&T institution available to Allies and partners.
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