Provider Stakes brings RSSB leadership together

Photo By Sgt. Elizabeth Clark | BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Maj. Daniel Fritts, the executive officer for the 165th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division Resolute Support Sustainment Brigade, pulls his knees to his chest during Provider Stakes on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Apr. 24. Fritts and his team competed against other brigade teams during Provider Stakes, a two-day event testing Soldiers on basic warrior tasks and battle drills, marksmanship, sling load and physical fitness. That morning, the teams went through the proposed Army Combat Readiness Test, doing push-ups, deadlifts, pulling sleds and running two miles. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Elizabeth White with 3ID RSSB/Released)  

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AFGHANISTAN

04.27.2018

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Ben Navratil 

3rd Division Sustainment Brigade

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Leaders from across the 3rd Infantry Division Resolute Support Sustainment Brigade conducted Provider Stakes at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Apr. 23-24.

Provider Stakes is a quarterly leader professional development session for command teams within the 3rd Inf. Div. RSSB footprint. Unlike previous iterations held at the unit’s home station of Fort Stewart, Ga., this is the first one conducted downrange, with task organized units not normally part of the 3rd Inf. Div. Sustainment Bde. footprint participating.

“This gives the command teams a chance to interact with each other,” said 1st Lt. Jacob Diebel, the 3rd Inf. Div. RSSB provost marshal who organized the two-day event, “and also offers a competitive forum where they can work through some tasks that they don’t regularly do.”

The first day of the event focused on testing the leaders’ knowledge of basic warrior tasks and battle drills (WTBD). In mixed-gender teams of three, the participants strapped on their rucksacks and moved out to several stations on Bagram, where they were given a scenario and had to complete tasks including calling for fire and air support, reacting to a chemical attack, and first aid.

“These tasks are things that every Soldier in the Army should know, regardless of rank,” said Diebel. “It’s important that leaders retain that knowledge, so they better understand what their Soldiers are doing.”

Following the WTBD course, the teams moved out to the range, where they qualified on the M9 pistol and M4 rifle, and were also tasked to assemble and disassemble a 240B machine gun and M249 squad automatic weapon.

While these larger weapons aren’t normally assigned to command teams or senior Soldiers, Diebel said it’s important that they still understand the weapons because their junior Soldiers will be carrying them.

The following day started with another physical event, as the teams conducted the Army Combat Readiness Test, a proposed replacement for the traditional Army Physical Fitness Test, which is still in development.

The proposed ACRT does away with the pushups and situps of the APFT replacing them with deadlifts, sled drags and a medicine ball toss among other exercises, according to the Army Times. It’s a noticeable departure from the traditional APFT that many of these Soldiers have been supervising for years.

“I’m very excited about the proposed ACRT,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Toby Grisham, senior enlisted advisor to the 3rd Inf. Div. RSSB. “It has one standard for all Soldiers, and is very doable to pass but extremely difficult to max, so Soldiers will have to really push themselves out of their comfort zones to achieve excellence.”

Diebel said in addition to including a physical competition, his intent was to give the commanders and other leaders exposure to the proposed ACRT before it takes effect.

The final event of Provider Stakes was at the Bagram sling load yard, where the teams were shown how to packages bundles to be slung under aircraft. After the lesson, the teams each packed their own bundles from scratch, strapping the cargo nets on to the boxes and making sure the bundles would be ready for air travel.

The commander’s intent for the exercise was to push leadership at all levels throughout the RSSB to reinforce basic skills that they may be rusty on. Grisham said the event did just that.

“Leaders must lead from the front but be humble enough to admit that we don’t know everything,” said Grisham. “We must be willing get some mud on our boots and retrain to be proficient on these tasks in order to provide realistic training for our Soldiers.”

• Date Taken: 04.27.2018
• Date Posted: 05.08.2018 10:12
• Story ID: 276125
• Location: BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AF