Posted on Aug 29, 2016
SSG Fire Support Specialist
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I'm a Specialist and my NCOs said I need to step up and start teaching the young FOs. I'm wanting to become an NCO and my own plan of action begins here. Any slide shows anything at all will help!
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Responses: 28
LTC Jason Mackay
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Forget slides. Use task conditions and standards and a butcher block. Hands on training with actual stuff they will have to use.
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CPT Field Artillery Officer
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Extremely disappointed in the great ideas that fellow leaders have posted without giving you any actual assistance in developing training.
You have a couple options, you can access the Army Training Network and do a search for all these great ideas to get the performance steps and measures. Second, you can access the Fires Knowledge Network through AKO, down the left hand column search Field Artillery, and again search Reachback training materials, which will give you a list of powerpoints that are taught in AIT and at JFO.
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SSG Carlos Madden
SSG Carlos Madden
>1 y
More upvotes ^
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SSG Fire Support Specialist
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Ensure they understand the basics before you start off with more advanced knowledge like CAS and JFO techniques. Make sure they understand the 6 elements of CFF. I would make sure they memorize it. If not they will be stuck to there little books and have no clue. You need to make sure you know it to. Best way is to sometimes start at the bottom to make sure everyone is on the same page.

Make learning fun. Do a Fist jeopardy, or issue them a written test to see where they are all at. Tons of tests out there, plus you can tweak them up if needed. Maybe write your own.
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SGT Michael Hatten
SGT Michael Hatten
>1 y
This guy knows the deal. UNDERSTANDING your 6 elements and becoming familiar with your equipment and assets- those are the things to start with. Even sitting around in the office you can have your guys verbally cff to you and use proper etiquette.
This is also a great way to help yourself learn. I always understood better after guys ask questions and get me thinking outside my own curriculum. Good luck
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What classes can I teach for young FOs?
SGT Eric Knutson
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The best suggestion I could give is develop your own presentation. This reinforces your knowledge and shows you are serious. Start out with the things you wish someone and told you at the beginning, the tricks as well as facts that will save their lives and the lives of those they are supporting with their fire. Trust me, the kids can always seem to tell when it is a canned presentation, so make it your own. After you develop it, run it past your SL and or PS first so that it is correct, at that time they SHOULD give you pointers to make it the best presentation you can give. Doing it this way also gives you the confidence to go ahead and build other presentations and classes in your future.
Good Luck
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SGT(P) Operations Nco
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The basics. In my experience proving to your seniors and subordinates that you have an excellent grasp of the foundations of being a Fister will make life, and follow on classes easier. The Soldiers you want to teach may have misunderstandings about certain doctrine from the .30 that you can clarify and put everyone on the same page. Once the basics are covered move on to bigger and more technical tasks.

If you're a JFO or have been to JFC you could incorporate some of the information you learned. CAS mission flow, AAA 5-Line, Air/Surface deconfliction and integration. The list goes on. Best of luck.
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SSG Fire Support Specialist
SSG (Join to see)
>1 y
Hey appreciate it Sgt for the response
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SGT(P) Operations Nco
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No worries man.
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PFC Fire Support Specialist
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Focus on basic tasks. Bust out a map and sit down with them. Verify that they can accurately figure out intersection and resection. Make sure they know the effective ranges of various weapons systems as well as danger close ranges for these systems. Also focus on when to use specific shell/fuse combos, and most importantly teach these guys some radio etiquette.
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SSG Fire Support Specialist
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The army actually gives you the answers, you just need to know where to look. First, make sure they are amazing RTO's. When they are in FO posisitions, they will be responsible for at least one and need to know how to lead and train them correctly and effectively. Example, I had one of my FOs throw a red book at his RTO, then continue to sip his coffee and smoke cigarettes, after I had instructed him to train his RTO.

Adhere to doctrine! And start with the basics... If it isn't coming out of an FM, ATP, ADRP, ADP, Div Pam...... don't teach it until they fully know and understand. When they do, talk through additional TTPs and SOPs that may have been discovered to be a little more effective.

The 6 elements, Hammer that into them. Make sure that it can be completely broken down and understood, not just sitting there comfortably in the air conditioning, apply some stress. Make sure they know every fire mission thoroughly and by memory. NAVIGATION! Most fisters think they are master navigators but that is far from the truth a lot of times. FM 3-09.8 CHAPTER 3 SECTION 2!!!! It gives you all of the answers to that question. Make sure you know how to read it and use it, how to train the soldiers using that FM though. Do not try to jump into some collective task that your BN level personnel should be controlling. Focus on skill level 1 and 2 individual tasks and make sure they know how it applies or fits into the collective tasks. If you have to use practical exercises, make sure there are control measures. Give specific instructions that will result in very clear and divinitive answers. An example.. don't just give them an LLDR, tell them to get a grid to that building, and you don't even know the grid... I could probably go on all day with this stuff. I think you may have gotten the point.

Finally, leadership! Teach them leadership!! They are FOs, skill level 2, E5 position, responsible for other soldiers!! It is too often that I ask another NCO what TC 7-22.27 is and they don't know and sometimes even tell me it's not important!!?!? Get into 6-22, learn, know, and understand what it really means to be an NCO. Known servant leadership. Know the army's leadership model, teach your subordinates that stuff as well.

Okay and the final, finally.. don't just use the butcher block, task, condition, standard method. Don't just go the power point route, there are many ways to teach and you will have many individual soldiers that learn and respond differently, you have to cater to that. KNOW YOUR SOLDIERS!! Know their strengths and weaknesses, work with that. A suggestion also, let them teach you! Give them an assignment, a class. Have them research it, have them prepare it, have them present it to you and your team. Then control or moderate the class. Ensure that they are not teaching incorrect information and add to it as needed when they finish. This will force them to learn it and give you an understanding of how well they understand it so that you can build from there.
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SSG Richard Reysack
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Teach them the basics of being an FO. First important thing is map reading. Target identification, terrain identification, estimating distance to the target. The most important two is map reading and terrain identification. Always the basics of call for fire there soldier.
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SGT Targetting Nco
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The one thing that helped my guys was being able to break down and fully understand the 6 elements. That's the first thing I teach every new guy I get. Once you understand that, everything else falls into place. Use the FM 6-30 and 3.09-30.
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SGT Patrick Moots
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Land Nav with an actual compass, map and protractor is becoming a lost art due to all the fancy gizmos and gadgets that soldiers use these days. Problem is what happens when those devices fail? I've seen a lot of young soldiers give me a deer in the headlights stare when I pulled out a map and asked them to show me where on the map we are and where we're trying to go. Teaching Basic soldiering skills is the key to being a successful leader.
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SFC Anthony Iocca
SFC Anthony Iocca
9 y
All those gadgets use batteries when batteries go dead they are lost and more things to carry...
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