FORT POLK, La. — The eight-day Security Force Assistance Course focused on developing Afghan leaders, mission command, Afghan National Security Force sustainment, and employment of coalition enablers taught by the 162nd Infantry Brigade to SFA Teams attending training at Fort Polk has recently underwent many changes to improve the quality of training.
The 162nd received a warning order on the mission in November 2011, and was officially tasked with the training SFA teams in December 2011. Upon official receipt of the mission the Brigade went through an intensive planning process in order to come up with a comprehensive training program.
Initially, the brigade planners thought they would take what would encompass the normal 10-week training model for the Joint SFA course, and use that model for the SFA teams. Upon receiving further guidance from the Fort Polk and JRTC commanding general, it was determined that SFA teams would have a training window of 7 to 10 days for the SFA Course. Upon learning this, the brigade planners decided to modify their Modular Brigade augment for Security Force Assistance model to meet the training needs of the incoming advisers. They had approximately a month and a half to determine how to work out what was needed to prepare the incoming SFA teams for eventual deployment to Afghanistan once the first teams arrived for training in February 2012.
Initially, the eight day SFA Course was very classroom oriented. Teams spent nearly all their time in a classroom environment learning everything from various subject matter experts on various topics of instruction. While this met the goals and did the job of preparing them for their follow on Mission Readiness Exercise in the box at the Joint Readiness Training Center and eventual deployment, the brigade knew they could further improve training.
“Through multiple iterations of the SFA Course, 162nd Inf. Bde. identified a shortfall in the fundamental understanding of what an adviser does during the JRTC Mission Readiness Exercise,” said Maj. Michael J. Milas, Chief of Plans, 162nd Inf. Bde. Current Operations. “We saw the majority of SFATs conducting operations on their own with little involvement of the Afghanistan National Security Force. This was the complete opposite of what was taught within the classroom environment.”
“As an adaptive organization, we recognized the need to provide the SFATs more opportunities to learn by providing them a practical hands-on experience,” said Maj. Mark D. Hall, executive officer of 4th Battalion, 353rd Regiment.
This shift in training philosophy to a more hands-on performance oriented approach was the direction the 162nd Inf. Bde. decided to take. The SFA Teams would have classroom instruction during the morning portion of their eight-day training model, and spend the afternoon working side by side with their Afghan counterparts, played by contract role players and Afghan nationals, in analog tactical operations centers set up within the brigade footprint.
“The 162nd saw the only way to ‘show’ an SFAT what right looks like, is for them to conduct hands-on training,” Milas said. “Through morning education followed by hands-on performance oriented training, 162nd witnessed a drastic increase in the understanding and performance of SFATs through both the practical exercise and the JRTC MRE.”
This change in how the training is conducted once again caused the 162nd to re think the training schedule and make adjustments to balance out and meet the needs of the SFAT teams. With classroom instruction time basically cut in half, the brigade had to make sure it met all its instruction goals in both the classroom and hands on portion of training.
“We looked at ourselves and determined of all the classes we present on advising, which were the most critical to an individual’s success as an adviser,” Hall said. “We then tailored the classes with current information from subject matter experts currently operating in theater.”
Milas echoed Hall’s assessment of the adjustments to the training, further explaining how the morning’s classroom instruction is reinforced by what is learned during the hands-on portion of instruction in the afternoon during the practical exercise.
The 162nd has only been able to teach two iterations of SFA teams using this new approach to training so far, but the improvements are already evident to them. They can already see an increased quality in the advisers finishing the course when they head out to the box to take part in the MRE.
“Those SFATs executing a rotation at the conclusion of the SFA Course are much better prepared for the box portion of training,” Hall said. “They understand the importance of building relationships early with their Afghan counterparts to set the conditions for Afghan success.”
The true benefit to this new model will be seen once the Brigade gains feedback from teams that have deployed to Afghanistan and starts working with their actual Afghan counterparts. The training here is as realistic as possible, right down to the names and personalities of the people they will be dealing with once they deploy. But the real test won’t occur until they have boots on the ground.
“Later this summer we will begin receiving feedback from teams that have passed through the course earlier this year and we anticipate this feedback will allow us to further improve the course,” Hall said.
“We are receiving feedback from our first units that we trained,” Milas added. “Although it was a different training model, it has given us insight on a couple of focus areas.”
Training at the 162nd Inf. Bde. is constantly evolving, and this feedback that is later received from the first teams to go through the hands-on, performance oriented model could drive further changes to the eight-day SFA Course. That is no problem for the 162nd though, as their commitment to providing the best trained advisers possible is their key mission.
“Anytime we can receive feedback from teams operating downrange, it allows us to look at ourselves and improve the current course of instruction,” Hall said. “I anticipate we will make continuous improvements as we receive feedback from the recent graduates of the SFA Course.”
| Date Taken: | 06.22.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 06.22.2012 15:46 |
| Story ID: | 90466 |
| Location: | FORT POLK, LOUISIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 110 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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