The academic side of war fighting: How the Army resolves differences among multinational partners

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Jacob Sawyer | Hungarian and American Soldiers take part this Easter morning with briefings during JCAP or Joint Common Academic Program. JCAP's goal is to develop effective interoperability solutions for participating units training at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center, and facilitate rapid integration between all participating nations. Saber Junction 15 prepares U.S., NATO allies, and European security partners to conduct unified land operations through the simultaneous combination of offensive, defensive and stability operations appropriate to the mission and the environment.  

HOHENFELS, BY, GERMANY

04.18.2015

Story by Sgt. Jacob Sawyer  

Joint Multinational Readiness Center

HOHENFELS, Germany - Unlike the Army's combat training centers at Fort Irwin and Fort Polk, the Joint Multinational Readiness Center here faces a unique problem: how to turn a multinational force into a capable and unified land force.

Resolving the problems posed by language barriers, equipment differences and cultural divides all begins in an academic setting.

During exercise Saber Junction 15, a large-scale exercise between 17 NATO Allies and partner-nation armies during the month of April, U.S. and multinational leaders from various training units are participating in the Joint Combined Academic Program, or JCAP.

For four days at the beginning of each exercise rotation, training units are required to participate in a series of forums and practical exercises to prepare the unit for their upcoming rotation.

JMRC implemented JCAP to help units develop effective interoperability solutions and facilitate rapid integration between participating nations.

Participating units discussed and came to terms with command and control, equipment variances and the intricacies of interagency operations, said Command Sgt. Maj. Jimmie Brown, Regimental Support Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment.

Much like the Leader's Training Program at the Army's stateside combat training centers, JCAP offers an opportunity for leaders at all levels of the brigade to hone their skills prior to the start of a rotation. Where the two programs diverge is the introduction of what's dubbed Multinational Interoperability.

"Ultimately, as we push this out to other units, it's really exposing the training audience to multinational interoperability and integration issues, and then assisting them in problem solving," said Lt. Col. John Pirog, a senior trainer for the JMRC's observer-coach-trainer Mustang Team. The observer-coach-trainer teams, or OCTs, administer and track the bulk of the training at the JMRC.

JCAP consists of two phases. In phase one, OCTs travel to a future training unit's home station -- whether in the U.S. or in Europe -- between four to six months prior to a unit's arrival to JMRC. Phase one introduces the brigade's leadership to the overall structure of the rotation, some of the challenges they will face and some lessons learned from previous rotations.

Phase two of the JCAP is held in Hohenfels at the beginning of the rotational exercise. During phase two, leaders from all participating nations have an opportunity to interact, understand and develop procedures across a wide spectrum of war fighting functions.

It's at phase 2 where the issues arising from multinational training are resolved.

"One example is preventing fratricide through friendly unit marking," said Maj. Frank Adkinson, the operations officer for the OCT Mustang Team. "Another example is various radios and the encryptions in them, because every country has radios that work differently, and so we have to identify those and bridge the gap."

The Mustang OCT team is the lead coordinator for JCAP, but all of JMRC's teams provide input and are key to its success.

"JCAP continues to evolve as it has become a focus at JMRC," Adkinson said. "As we increase our knowledge of interoperability challenges, we can present them to the units early. They are coming here better armed with understanding those challenges and working through the solutions early."

• Date Taken: 04.18.2015
• Date Posted: 04.22.2015 10:45
• Story ID: 160794
• Location: HOHENFELS, BY, DE