20th Public Affairs Detachment

Story by Staff Sgt. Anthony Taylor

The battle staff non-commissioned officer course 14-09 graduated becoming the first group of NCOs to graduate from the video tele-training course on Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, May 22.

"According to Command Sgt. Maj. [John] Fourhman, he has been in need of officers, mainly battle staff officers, so senior NCOs will be filling in those positions," said Master Sgt. Mario Hernandez, senior trainer for the resident battle staff course at Fort Bliss, Tx.

The two phase course teaches NCOs how to operate on a staff that is currently in a wartime situation and in garrison operations.

"[Lt. Gen.] Lovelace was the lead push on getting this course approved in [Kuwait], because so many junior Soldiers that are operating on this staff need the training and need to be aware of what their responsibility is and exactly what the staff functions are," said Master Sgt. Shavetta Wallace, 4th Sustainment Brigade. "But the person who really put everything together and has been with this since the beginning is Sgt. Maj. Hawbecker."

After gaining approval in January, Sgt. Maj. Joseph Hawbecker, U.S. Army Central Aviation G-3 Sgt. Maj., was responsible for making the course come to life. He was challenged with preparing all of the logistical arrangements such as requesting the maps, the materials for the students, a location for the course, identifying who has completed phase one and finalizing the work in order to begin the course.

During the course, one of the challenges faced for the new course was the time factor. The VTT course was being received from Fort Bliss, Texas, which arranged the class to operate from 1645 to 0300.

"Some say that it should be easy because it's reverse cycle training, but this is in a [class] learning environment, and that's different," said Wallace.

Another challenge that resulted from the time factor was the meals. The students ate lunch at 2000, which was the same time that the dining facility closed, so the instructors left for the DFAC around 1930 to pick up the meals and bring them back to the academy where the students would have lunch.

According to the instructors and students, other than the time, and initially adjusting to the VTT, there seemed to be no other significant challenges for the first VTT battle staff class. Wallace mentioned that since this course began, they have already been receiving requests for future courses from units in Iraq.

"Before BSNCOC came along, officers did the military decision making process when they received the order, but now they teach the NCOs how to track the battle on the battlefield and make the plans and orders, and do what the officers have been doing," said Master Sgt. Daniel Gales, USARCENT G-6 NCOIC and battle staff class leader.

"I enjoyed it and think the instruction was great."

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