What is the level of work in ILE Phases 2 and 3? Are they academically harder than Phase 1?

2020-04-28T16:13:44-04:00

I'm using the lockdown to get through ILE CC-DL. I knocked out phase 1 in a few days (it took much longer to grade than to actually complete. I will be registered and up and running on phase 2 in a few days since they are now registering students weekly. Phase 2 looks like it is much longer than phase 1. What is the level of work? Is it academically harder? What about phase 3? Any insight that anyone can give me on the course load?

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 29 at 2020 12:31 PM

2020-04-29T12:31:39-04:00

the biggest hold up in phase 2 is getting assignments/papers graded. I didn't find phase 2 any harder than phase 1 and phase 3 was easy. I found that in phase 2 it would sometimes take up to a week or longer to get a paper graded.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Apr 29 at 2020 5:21 PM

2020-04-29T17:21:33-04:00

I highly suggest that you take an elective on Insurgency. There will be discussion on why insurgencies occur and how various counterinsurgencies were fought. Mao Tse Tung was an insurgency rock star as he enumerated steps to pull off a successful revolution.

He essentially said:
1. Revolutions are started by elites in society.
2. A cadre of close followers will be created.
3. The cadre will recruit people.
4. The insurgents will provide an alternative government to support the people.
5. The insurgents will use asymmetric attacks because they lack the numbers.
6. Grow a peer sized army to fight governmental forces.

We did this in our War of Independence. The North Vietnamese used this methodology against us.

It was a quite interesting course. The discussions included how the British used superior intelligence to kill IRA leaders. In Peru there was a very vicious communist insurgent group called the Shining Path. The government armed the villagers to fight the insurgents, then the military would come in and finish killing the insurgents.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made May 27 at 2020 11:33 AM

2020-05-27T11:33:24-04:00

I have the texts and can't start next phase until 18 JUN. Where can I start with the texts to get going with things?

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 20 at 2020 10:55 PM

2020-07-20T22:55:10-04:00

It’s graduate level work. I did phase 2 on drill weekends, once a month, and spent 20-30 hours a month reading etc. Phase 3 was much easier than 2.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 8 at 2021 10:19 AM

2021-01-08T10:19:06-05:00

How has the DL treated you thus far?

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 9 at 2021 11:33 AM

2021-06-09T11:33:40-04:00

My experience was with in person Phase 2. It was one weekend every month for 8 or 9 months. It was time consuming - I probably spent 20+ hours a month outside of class doing the reading, papers, etc. As a 73B most of the material was brand new to me. As a FA officer, you’re probably familiar with at least some of it. Keep in mind, this was 3 years ago, was done in person, and was pre-Covid.