Mission command uses technology to provide close-up look at military operations
By Hannah Van Ree
U.S. Army Cadet Command Public Affairs
JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. – Addicted to Facebook or Twitter? Adapting to the newest technology learned at the Leader Development and Assessment Course might be easier than you think. Technology is increasingly becoming a stronger force in the world, and the technological advances of the U.S. military are no different.
Cadets at Operation Warrior Forge are exposed to simulators and technology at Mission Command that will be beneficial to them out in the field.
In the field, Army officers are sometimes put into positions where they are under fire and must make decisions that could affect the lives of their Soldiers. At the beginning of Mission Command, Cadets watch step-by step how a real mission in Afghanistan was executed and why the mission leader made his final decisions.
Kutztown University 11th Regiment Cadet Michael Cardena-Kramer goes through a First Person Simulation (Virtual Battle Space-2) Mission Command in the Mission Command at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. U.S. Army photo by Jesse Beals
“These stations expose Cadets to training enablers and challenges they will find on the battlefield. They learn how to use mission command and the systems that they will control as platoon leaders,” said Lt. Col. Scott Figlioli, a professor of military science at Fresno State University and committee chief of Mission Command.
For an hour, Cadets watched a simulated mission video based on real events told by Soldiers. The video is stopped periodically and Cadets take turns acting as platoon leaders, stating what they would do next in the situation.
After the leadership development exercise, Cadets split up and some go to station two, the “First Person Simulation,” while others go to station three, which consists of the “Platform Level Mission Command,” “Call for Fire Trainer,” and the “Common Driver Trainer.”
At “Platform Level Mission Command,” Cadets learn how to operate various military technologies through a Stryker orientation. They deal with many different training enablers and learn how to use tools such as a Blue Force Tracker. Information might include knowing where friendly units are, where they are going and their current coordinates. Also, units can share their locations with one another and commanders can sit at different points and determine the location of all of their units.
The computers in the Strykers have touch screens littered with buttons that indicate fuel levels, map coordinates, weather patterns and team morale levels.
“The Twitter and Facebook generations relate really well to the new technology,” said Figlioli, while noting that the gauge on the bottom of the screen mentioned the units’ mood and compared it to a Facebook status update.
At the “Common Driver Trainer” station, Cadets get behind the screens of computers and wheels of simulators. A team of three Cadets work together – one as the driver, one as the truck commander, and one as the instructor. The driver is put in a helmet and ushered inside the simulated Stryker vehicle and starts to drive on the animated terrain. The truck commander gives the driver directions and mission plans, just like a platoon leader gives operational orders. The other Cadets get to create the scene and the terrain the vehicle is passing through.
“All of these things show what the future will be like for them in the Army. Stryker accidents can happen if you aren’t careful,” said Figlioli. “It also shows how important it is to assist the drivers and also how important working with our tech guys and commanders are.”
Figlioli stressed this was just “first exposure training” for Cadets with these technology systems in order to show their capabilities, advantages and disadvantages. It would take a unit multiple days of training to master a system effectively.
Cadets Michael Kramer and Trevor Buckles worked together on a simulation and coordinated a driver and gunner team. In doing so, they saw how much Soldiers depend on one another out in the field.
“You get accustomed to different operations, while driving and making decisions at battle speed,” said Kramer.
At Mission Command, Cadets are getting exposure to the systems they will be using on the battlefield, and learning how technology can aid them in what can potentially be a last-minute, life-altering event.
