Leader Training Program helps prep Ready First for NTC

Photo By Alain M. Polynice | Maj. Rafael Morrison, 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division operations officer (center), demonstrates the scheme of maneuver on the battlefield during the brigade combined arms rehearsal, at the Leader Training Program at the National Training Center, Jan. 25. (U.S. Army photo by Maj. Alain M. Polynice, 1/1 AD PAO)  

FORT IRWIN, CA, UNITED STATES

01.19.2015

Story by Maj. Alain M. Polynice 

1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division

FORT IRWIN, Calif. – The commanders and staff of “Ready First,” 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, traveled to Fort Irwin, Jan. 19, to conduct leaders training before their upcoming rotation to the National Training Center this spring.

The Ready First brigade and battalion leaders and staff officers, along with their brigade commander, Col. Ross Coffman, spent eight days at NTC’s Leader Training Program fine tuning their war fighting skills in preparation for NTC. The goals for the Ready First brigade were to ensure all commanders and staff training objectives were identified, standard operating procedures were validated and refinements identified, and developed NTC operation orders clearly outlined the start of reception, staging, onward-movement and integration to the start of the major training event.

The focus of LTP is to prepare company through brigade-level commanders, their staffs and command sergeant majors in the execution of their war fighting duties. Units attending LTP accomplish training objectives by focusing on how the opposing force fights, while applying the use of doctrine, tactics, techniques and procedures, troop leading procedures, parallel planning, reconnaissance and rehearsals.

The program first originated as the Forces Command Leader Training Program which was primarily conducted as a leaders reconnaissance prior to a unit’s NTC rotation. The program became more formalized in 1994. Since that time, LTP has expanded its curriculum to field grade commanders and their battle staff, company commanders, and sergeants major.

Tim Decker has seen many units come and go through LTP in his 16 years of service with the organization. Decker, who retired in 1997 as lieutenant colonel, is the staff coach responsible for coaching the brigade executive officer, the brigade operations officer and the brigade operation. Decker is one of many retired senior military leaders who brings a vast pool of knowledge and experience to the program and to the military units they coach.

“The coaches are all retired military personnel,” said Decker, a native of St. Louis. “It’s a pretty senior, very experienced military team.”

The LTP team, also known as the Wrangler Team, consists of five former brigade commanders, 10 former battalion commanders, eight War College graduates and a retired command sergeant major.

Another experienced member of LTP is Jim Klingaman, the LTP senior brigade coach. Klingaman, who retired from the Army in 2009 as a brigade commander, coaches the brigade commanders. He worked closely with Coffman ensuring the brigade’s training objectives were being met. Klingaman is also responsible for the overall conduct of LTP by the Wrangler team, one of several teams here at NTC.

Units coming to NTC normally attend LTP first before executing their NTC rotation exercise. For these units, the turnaround time after departing LTP varies between a few weeks to less than a month before returning to train. Staying true to its name, the Ready First brigade became the first unit, in the history of LTP, to attend the program several months prior to its NTC rotation.

“I’ve talked with Col. Coffman about this,” said Klingaman, a native of Buffalo, N.Y. “He specifically requested that this rotation [LTP] happen this early.”

Klingaman believes the Ready First brigade will have advantages to coming to LTP this early.

Due to the Army’s high deployment tempo in previous years, brigade personnel shortages were filled to increase manpower strength before attending LTP. Their NTC rotation would follow, allowing the commander to train with the same personnel he would take into combat.

“Now that we no longer have that sort of deployment tempo, it means units are getting more stable earlier, and have a much more deliberate training path to their NTC rotation and beyond,” said Klingaman. “They have an opportunity to come earlier.”

Klingaman notes the main advantage Ready First brigade will have by coming to LTP this early is that the brigade will be able to take the lessons they learned here at LTP and address anything that needs practice.

• Date Taken: 01.19.2015
• Date Posted: 02.05.2015 12:08
• Story ID: 153640
• Location: FORT IRWIN, CA, US