What's your best example of high-speed & low-budget training?

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 22:11:04 -0500

Some time ago I participated in the Best Sapper competition. One of the stations had a GP Medium and a CLS bag in font of it. The OC says, "Take the bag, go inside and react to what you see." Inside the tent is no light, a boom box playing some kind of death metal, and 3-4 casualties with various wounds thrashing around. The task is to stabilize the casualties and CASEVAC the most critically wounded. On the other side of the tent was a concertina obstacle field to navigate.

That was one of the coolest pieces of training I've ever participated in. It was low budget and a squad could do it. I think about that a lot and compare with the times I've seen first aid training be a crate of old pressure dressings and a green skill level 1 book that someone is reading out of.

Whats your example of high speed low budget training? (Pic Related)

Response by 1stSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 17 at 2015 10:14 PM

1stSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 22:14:27 -0500

Weapons assembly in the dark. If you can completely reassemble your primary weapon during blackout, you know what you are doing.

Response by SGM Steve Wettstein made Nov 17 at 2015 10:15 PM

SGM Steve Wettstein — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 22:15:22 -0500

The old CLS Course was pretty good IMO. My instructor had us do some lane training going through an obstacle course the last day. I really enjoyed that course.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 17 at 2015 10:19 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 22:19:44 -0500

I'll preface this by fully admitting I'm an oddball and likely hold a minority opinion in this. I like running around in the woods. Land nav was always a favorite of mine and doesn't require much in the way of a budget. To the end of my days I will never forget going through Fort Bragg's land nav course at night during a tropical storm. You'd think they'd pause training. You'd be wrong, and unlike the rest of my peers I was having a blast feeling like a true soldier.

Response by COL Sam Russell made Nov 17 at 2015 10:22 PM

COL Sam Russell — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 22:22:52 -0500

Response by COL Sam Russell made Nov 17 at 2015 10:24 PM

COL Sam Russell — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 22:24:33 -0500

When I was a battalion commander at Ft Polk my companies and platoons were able to go out and validate STX lanes before each rotation. Some of the best lane training in the Army at no cost.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 17 at 2015 10:27 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 22:27:48 -0500

I am fan of Task and performance measures. I would put something together that is related to your MOS. For infantry it would involve Range Card, Sector Sketches, building fighting positions, or just some general knowledge stuff. I will say that you have to have a means to evaluate the effectiveness of the training. So many times we train just to train. We don't train to improve. It would really depend of your MOS to what you would do.

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made Nov 17 at 2015 10:58 PM

LTC Jason Mackay — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 22:58:36 -0500

Reporting and Call for fire training. You will need: two man pad radios, two maps (optional), cotton balls, 3 colors of yarn (optional) , kite string, tent pegs, army men, 3x5 cards, a sharpie, e tool, laminated call for fire card. You will need someone to role play the FDC. This can also be adapted for CAS if you have a JTAC or someone familiar with CAS.

Take the kite string and tent pegs, lay out 1' x 1' squares. Pick a section of the map and make the terrain depicted with the e tool and yarn. Label the grid lines with the 3x5 cards. The trainer puts different enemy situations on the terrain model. The student makes the SALUTE report, then requests fire by grid method over the radio. The trainer then drops dome cotton balls on the terrain model, the student adjusts, fires for effect etc.

Add a VGS 17 panel, one smoke grenade (optional) and chemlights you can do 9 lines the same way and have other students establish the HLZ.

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made Nov 17 at 2015 11:18 PM

LTC Jason Mackay — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 23:18:55 -0500

At the company or platoon level, conduct a no notice roll out. The evaluator issues a Frago. The leaders then have to do the TLPs and issue an order. The master Frago needs to be written and checked by others so it hits all the tasks you want to do. If done right, the unit can roll out, practice convoying, reporting, checkpoints, mounted navigation, map reading, security halts, drivers training, quartering party, establish unit area, bug out plan etc. plus it validates unit maintenance and gets lowest level ownership of their equipment since they will be stranded with it. Recovery could also be planned or unplanned. You can kill off leaders to thrust others into leadership positions, especially those with a big mouth or that complain a lot.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 17 at 2015 11:34 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 23:34:58 -0500

SERE 100

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 18 at 2015 12:39 AM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 18 Nov 2015 00:39:58 -0500

Anything water related. All you need is a few instructors a swimming pool which most bigger Installations have and your basic issued items. You can really build up a Soldiers Confidence when you put them in situations there not comfortable with. You would be surprised at how many Soldiers can not swim! I always enjoyed Company and Platoon Level Combat Water Survival Testing and if not the test then just basic classes on constructing Poncho Rafts, or how to make basic flotation devices using your uniform. Plus It makes for a great PT session instead of the usual PRT session.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 18 at 2015 12:56 AM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 18 Nov 2015 00:56:38 -0500

CBRN Training:

I have the LT put out an OPORD to clear a building in an area where there is a suspected chemical or bio lab operating. (Practice enter and clear a building). I pick out a couple junior soldiers-- not NCOs-- and make them team leaders and have them pick out their team members. (Leadership opportunities).

Inside the room, I have staged a couple of "unconscious" volunteers at tables with beakers and labware that contain liquids that will simulate agents on M8 paper. The unconscious workers are in training chemical suits and have masks nearby or wearing surgical masks. The room clearing team encounters the situation (react to CBRN hazard). After reacting, they report to higher (practice with commo procedures) and get instructed to identify the agents. Usually by now there has been a mistake, like not masking in time. I select a CBRN casualty and they have to perform buddy aid on a CBRN casualty and call in the appropriate 9-line.

If time, I will guide them (as needed) through unmasking procedures. Sometimes they have a chemical detection kit and sometimes they do not, which always leads to a spirited discussion about who you select to do the test unmasking and why that person was chosen.

It ends up be a pretty fun practical exercise after a morning of CBRN death by powerpoint. (I do often show the 1960's goat nerve agent film to keep things lively)

Response by SFC Eric Williams made Nov 18 at 2015 1:52 AM

SFC Eric Williams — Wed, 18 Nov 2015 01:52:08 -0500

Dawning a protective mask.

Response by SSG Audwin Scott made Nov 18 at 2015 8:22 AM

SSG Audwin Scott — Wed, 18 Nov 2015 08:22:09 -0500

During my first duty station 11th ACR Cav, Wildflecken, Germany we use to do a full role out alert. This was done by loading all equipment plus ammo as if we were going out on a real battle field. Once we actually stayed for 3 days just to get a feel of what it would be if during those days in the late 80's in Europe you still had to be vigilant of your surroundings.

Response by SSG (ret) William Martin made Nov 18 at 2015 11:28 AM

SSG (ret) William Martin — Wed, 18 Nov 2015 11:28:02 -0500

I was assigned in a transportation company years ago. One of the squad leaders wanted to teach the aspects of a convoy yet he couldn't due to a lack of fund for fuel. So what did he do? He lined up the Soldiers and we did a personnel march but we had to operation like trucks. I have done the same thing for an invisible turret of a truck.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 18 at 2015 12:01 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 18 Nov 2015 12:01:12 -0500

These are golden. I'm bookmarking this for future use.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 18 at 2015 12:11 PM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 18 Nov 2015 12:11:12 -0500

I set up a series of sequential training in local communities to get my Civil Affairs bubbas some experience interacting with real people and agendas. It started out as assessment/ engagement training, but by the time we really got rolling, we were able to really help some of these communities with some of issues they were having.
Case in point, a small town in Central Minnesota decided that their tornado siren was inadequate, as most of the residents lived in farms away from the town core. They had set aside money for years, but something had always happened to siphon away the funds. A police car needed replacing. A water pump broke. That pothole on Main Street just kept coming back every year. One of my teams engaged some city officials and an enterprising Sergeant shared some information we had learned from a nearby community in the same county that had applied for federal grants for some public safety issues there. An even more enterprising Specialist found applications online for State and Federal grants and provided them, along with POCs that helped small towns with applying for matching funds. One year later, we went back to the same community and it was sporting a new tornado siren that had been built with 75% matching funds and grants from the state of Minnesota and DHS.
There have been few AAMs that I have been prouder to write and see pinned on.
The beauty of it was that it cost us nothing but some fuel, it gave my Soldiers some tremendous experience (not to mention intense pride and accomplishment), built some esprit, and actually helped the communities we were associating with. We had taught a community to fish, and I had taught my Soldiers how to teach them to fish by being resourceful.
It doesn't get any better than that.

Response by SGT Richard H. made Nov 18 at 2015 12:26 PM

SGT Richard H. — Wed, 18 Nov 2015 12:26:16 -0500

Weapon assembly time trials. Crew served weapons and a crate at one end, individual weapons at the other. Divide the squad into two teams, one team at each end.
Team 1 disassembles the individual weapons dropping the parts into the crate while team 2 is disassembling the crew served weapons and doing the same. When finished, the man at each end runs to the opposite end and reassembles what the other guy just took apart and tags the next guy who starts the process over. when everyone has disassembled one end and assembled the other, reverse the order for round two. Use a stopwatch and reward the winning squad.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 18 at 2015 4:26 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 18 Nov 2015 16:26:39 -0500

STT, leadership professional development, mentorship time is all free

Response by Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS made Nov 19 at 2015 10:39 AM

Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS — Thu, 19 Nov 2015 10:39:31 -0500

I used to run a Night Land Nav course. The rules were simple.

1) Drive the guys around for 30~ mins in the back of a dark HMMWV
2) Here is a Map. Here is a compass.
3) Get back to your room. I catch you on a road, you get back in the HMMWV and you start over.

It was 100% terrain association based on "lost in the woods." Everyone was within 10~ miles of the Camp. You can see the ridgeline, which meant that if you were that lost, you just climb the mountain (:O). Those who got back soonest got the most sleep.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 30 at 2015 11:51 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 30 Dec 2015 11:51:50 -0500

I spent about $40 on various items to rig up an IED lane, I parked my truck in a maintenance bay and rigged it up to look like it was a booby trapped bomb builder's workshop. I had a few loud buzzers and party poppers rigged up. I told my guys to go in and call out what they see. Then we had a discussion about some of what was there and what was not, but should be.

Response by SFC Pete Kain made Dec 31 at 2015 12:37 PM

SFC Pete Kain — Thu, 31 Dec 2015 12:37:51 -0500

Timed ruck marches and land nav. What's the cost there. Turn it into a competition and you have a winner.

Response by 1stSgt Eugene Harless made Apr 16 at 2016 4:21 AM

1stSgt Eugene Harless — Sat, 16 Apr 2016 04:21:44 -0400

Gun drills for Artillery and Mortars. Constantly.