Marne Soldiers develop their squad leadership skills in a tactical environment by attending the Marne Leader Development Course here at Fort Stewart.
Marne Leader Development Course, formerly known as ‘Thunder Run University,’ is a 14-day course that begins with classroom-based instruction focusing on administrative leadership skills, and the course culminates with a tactical exercise to stress small unit proficiency and teamwork.
The course is designed to enhance the 3rd Infantry Division Marne Leader’s ability to lead Soldiers in a stressful environment.
The course starts with a review of how to conduct an Army Physical Fitness Test and students are then assigned roles for the course.
The next day kicks off with an APFT, the goal is not the APFT itself, but rather how to administer an APFT.
It is at this time, as an outsider can see the cadre taking a step back and observing how the soldiers are running the APFT.
The next several days the cadre instruct the students on some key administrative topics such as the Marne 7 Principles, the Marne Standards, and anti-hazing programs.
Then the cadre go over topics such as land navigation, the Troop Leading Procedures, and how to read, understand and execute an operation order, a warning order, and a fragmented order as well as a class on conducting an ambush and reconnaissance mission to better prepare students for the culminating tactical field exercise.
At the end of each day, there are practical exercises, where students get hands on with what they learned throughout the day.
The purpose of the MLDC is to embody the Marne 7 principles and to train soldiers as if they were in an austere environment.
Master Sgt. Nicholas Maney, the noncommissioned officer in charge of MLDC, developed the course content, which is designed to improve soldiers’ squad level leadership skills at the junior soldier level.
Students must complete a field training exercise and obtain at least a minimum score of 70 percent on every quiz to pass the course. “Students must succeed in all assigned leadership and support positions,” said Maney. “Then, they must earn greater than a 61 percent score from fellow students on peer evaluations.”
“Peer evaluations are a grade in this course, there is always room for improvement and shared knowledge. One of the end results is geared to open up a network and a line of communication throughout the division,” Maney said.
Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey T. Stewart, assistant noncommissioned officer in charge for MLDC, helps bring everything together. He goes through lessons and uses the feedback from students and the cadre to improve the course.
“A good thing with this course is it’s not just learning the regulations, but it’s based on experiences and sharing what us as instructors have been through. A standard is a standard, and it does not matter if you are in a garrison or a deployed environment. That is what we are trying to teach here,” Stewart said.
Students who graduate from the course are expected to bring their knowledge and skills back to their units.
“Graduates return to their respective units physically and mentally tough, proficient in squad sized dismount operations in austere environments. Graduates will understand how to plan, coordinate, and execute small unit missions confidently and completely with little to no guidance,” said Maney.
Students are tested, not only physically but, mentally as well throughout this course.
During the last day of the tactical exercise, the soldiers were walking through every terrain imaginable, and their bags and weapons that were once light and carried with ease, were now getting heavier and heavier.
“Realizing the breaking point and overcoming the stress to accomplish the mission is an important lesson taught throughout this course,” said Stewart.
The assigned leaders for each group for the tactical exercise used motivational words of encouragement, and or helped carry the load of their soldiers assigned to them.
Soldiers overcoming stressors is an important part to completing a mission. Resilient leaders are better equipped to help their Soldiers through stressful situations while in an austere environment.
“The superior stress management ability of a MLDC graduate will enable them to push their subordinates further and faster than what previously thought,” said Maney. “They will also possess a better understanding of the limits and complexity of leading Soldiers in adverse conditions during tactical operations,” he said.
“I want to leave a clear understanding that Soldiers are capable of a lot more than what they give themselves credit for,” said Maney. “All it takes is applying the resiliency skills that we as Soldiers are so often taught.”
The Marne Leader Development Course is a division command sergeant major and command general collective idea with the focus on the reinforcement of discipline and cohesion in the units.
“With this course, everyone will be taught the same information and standardize training across the division,” said Maney. “Those graduates from the MLDC can bring their newly acquired knowledge back to the units to guide and develop soldiers within their ranks.”
Graduates obtain the ability to lead by example.
“Leaders need to show their soldiers that they challenge themselves before they can challenge their soldiers,” said Stewart. Leading by example is a staple for the noncommissioned officer corps and that is one asset someone would gain by attending this course, he added.
“Strive to accomplish something better than what you did the day prior,” said Maney.
| Date Taken: |
03.07.2017 |
| Date Posted: |
09.05.2017 16:39 |
| Story ID: |
245851 |
| Location: |
FORT STEWART, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: |
151 |
| Downloads: |
0 |
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This work, The Marne Leader Development Course brings cohesion to the 3rd Infantry Division, by SFC Joseph Truckley, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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