Asymmetric Warfare Group soldiers train in adaptive drills

Photo By Lt. Col. Sonise Lumbaca | Soldiers from the Asymmetric Warfare Group use a tire, steel poles and ropes to move a 300-pound bag down a gravel road during a predeployment exercise on April 25 at Fort A.P. Hill, Va. The week-long training focused on creative thinking, problem solving and adapting to challenges.  

FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, VA, UNITED STATES

04.25.2012

Courtesy Story

U.S. Army Asymmetric Warfare Group

By Brandon Bieltz
U.S. Army Asymmetric Warfare Group

FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. -- Think. Adapt. Anticipate.

The three-word motto of the Asymmetric Warfare Group describes its mission, but they also are the concepts that make its training exercises unique.

Members of the Fort Meade-based unit trained April 25 at Fort A.P. Hill, Va., for worldwide deployments, focusing on creative thinking, problem-solving and adapting to their situations. Exercises included interacting with the media, navigating an obstacle course, scaling a rappel tower and building a device from random equipment.

"What we're trying to teach these guys is that if you think your way through obstacles and problems, you can get through it," said Master Sgt. John Farlow, a troop sergeant major in Able Squadron. "All this morning is about is adapting and figuring out how to overcome stuff."

AWG provides operational advisory support globally to the Army and joint-force commanders to enhance soldier survivability and combat effectiveness, and enable the defeat of current and emerging threats in support of unified land operations.

"We are charged by the Army to help develop solutions to problems people haven't necessarily seen before -- asymmetric problems," said Maj. John Stroh, a troop commander with Able Squadron. "We don't even know what the problems we're going to solve will be.

"We can't possibly even imagine all the threats and the problem we'll face in the future, but what we can do is build a good, solid foundation of problem-solving."

Soldiers alternated between three stations, with about 45 minutes to complete each task. All of the exercises consisted of different challenges, but they required the team to find a solution to a certain problem and move through it.

While each task could be achieved with brute force, Stroh said, the amount of physical work could be reduced by planning and creatively thinking of solutions. Eventually, soldiers learn to be more innovative to accomplish the tasks.

"The goal is to adapt what you're doing," said Master Sgt. Drew Kirchen, an AWG intelligence adviser. "It's all about being able to problem-solve and mitigate."

For example, one of the exercises was to create a contraption to carry a 300-pound bag down a gravel path. Soldiers were given three metal poles, a tire and ropes and were required to use each piece.

"This exact thing will probably never occur in combat, but it's forcing us to work on problem-solving in general," Stroh said. "It prepares us to deal with uncertain situations."

Soldiers also were asked a series of questions by a journalist, similar to what could happen during a deployment. This aspect of the drill helped participants figure out the best way to interact with the media.

"Our ability to clearly communicate with the press is essential," Stroh said.

Soldiers also conducted a drill at a rappel tower that required a variety of tools to get their team to the top of the tower within 35 minutes. With little time to plan, team members were forced to quickly find a solution to the challenging task.

"It's designed so that if you have a perfect plan you can do it," Farlow said. "If you have a less than perfect plan -- which is going to happen -- then you can't do it. And they have to overcome that by adapting."

The final task for the morning drills was to move through an obstacle course carrying a 160-pound stretcher. As a group, the entire team had to make its way through the various obstacles while still searching for a specific water can among several decoys.

During the training, several AWG members called the drills strenuous and challenging. But that is the point, Kirchen said.

"It's always difficult," he said. "In order for the training to be effective, it needs to be challenging."

• Date Taken: 04.25.2012
• Date Posted: 05.07.2012 08:13
• Story ID: 88009
• Location: FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, VA, US
• Hometown: FORT A.P. HILL, VA, US
• Hometown: FORT MEADE, MD, US