MiTT Training - Week 1

Week 1 Training for Team Griffin focused on learning Iraqi Arabic, Iraqi Culture, and an introduction to being an advisor to a foriegn military force (or security force, national police or border police). The training is all classroom focused. Lots of power point. Class 77 is broken down into smaller groups of 3-4 MiTTs of approximately 30 people. Team Griffin's small group is being taught by a team of 4 small group instructors. Two military and two contractor. One of the military small group instructors is from JRTC and he's observing how Ft. Riley conducts the training. The instructors did a good job in presenting the material. It's very hard to keep 30 soldiers focused on power point briefings 6-8 hours a day. But they kept it interesting.

Initial impressions of the MiTT training are:

1. Leader's Recon (or Pre-Deployment Site Survey) is essential for MiTT Chiefs or their designated representative. As the Army moves towards the new concept of imbedding it's Military Advisors into the Brigade Combat Team, those advisors should be sent downrange for a Leader's Recon to meet with the teams they will replace and meet their Iraqi counterpart they will advise. Only in this way, will they have some knowledge of what they will need to know prior to deploying downrange.

2. Military Advisor Training must be set up to look more like a formal TRADOC school vice looking like a "national training center". It's ok to have the "school" located at the training centers but the focus should not be "training center centric". As Team Griffin goes through it's tactical training drills, more comment can be made on how much "maneuver training" is required vice "school house" training.

3. The Chief of Staff of the Army has identified the skill set of "Military Advisor" as being a critical skill set for the Army inventory. The Army should consider developing a standard "Military Advisor" training school (course) that combined with an operational deployment, gives the soldier an "additional skill indentifier" as a "Combat Advisor". The Army can also consider setting aside "x" percent of higher level assignments (CSL positions) to be filled with officers with that additional skill set identifier. A Military Advisor course should be formal and should be patterned more like the old CAS3 course.

4. Soldiers attending the course should be treated like the soldiers the Army sends to ILE, JPME, the War College, the Old CAS3 course, Pre-command course or the Sargeant Major's Academy. It should be a well structured school: resourced, man, trained and equipped to handle the level of soldiers needed to go through the school.

5. Recommend training be conducted in small groups the size of MiTT teams (10-15 soldiers) and be modelled similar to the small group instruction done by the old CAS3 or the US Army War College. Non-graded, self taught, focused on teaching eachother the material and learning from each other's experience. The modified military decision making process for Military Advisor's should be practiced just like MDMP was practiced for all decisions in CAS3.

6. The MiTT training conducted at Ft. Riley is under-resourced, under-manned and doesn't have the emphasis you would expect given the Chief of Staff of the Army e-mail on the importance of "Military Advisors".

Starting with class 79, JRTC will assume the mission of training advisors. Team Griffin recommends that JRTC focus on professionalizing the Military Advisory Course in the above manner.


-----Update on manning:-----

Team Griffin acquired two additions to the team over the weekend, bringing us from 11 members to 13. On the "bench team" there are two combat arms officers (a Major and a Captain). I'm requesting both them get added to Team Griffin, but that requires approval from the Department of the Army and Human Resources Command. We have a VTC scheduled for 21 July to discuss manning requirements.

4th of July Weekend

The 4th of July weekend, I spent at Camp Funston while most of the other folks on the team spent the weekends visiting family. Saturday and Sunday the MWR facility was closed, so Friday I went to the internet cafe at the MWR facility to get some Rosetta Stone Arabic lessons completed. The MWR internet cafe upgraded their "adobe player" so Rosetta Stone now runs. The speech recognition software isn't uploaded, so we (or I) can't practice speaking the language, but we (I) can at least practice listening and learn some Arabic that way.

I also tried the Defense Language Institute software the language team gave me. The DLI software is not as intuitive as the Rosetta Stone. So for right now, I prefer the Rosetta Stone way of learning.

On Friday evening I had a filling pop out of my tooth. So, saturday morning, I decided to walk to the Hospital emergency room to see if they were able to put a temporary filling on the tooth until tuesday, when the Dental clinic opens. The Hospital is about 3 miles from Camp Funston. It took me approximately 55 minutes to walk it. When I got to the hospital, the nurse on duty apologized, because they did not have the capability to put in a temp filling. They did offer me pain medication, but I told them that I didn't need it. I started my walk back to Camp Funston. On my way back a Ft. Riley police officer picked me up and gave me a ride back to Camp Funston.

Sunday, it was a cloudy day. I decided to see how far it would be to walk to the AAFES PX or mini mall. Since I knew generally which direction I needed to go, but not the exact way, I figured I might learn the lay of the land as well. So, I started my own personal "volksmarch" to the PX or mini mall, which ever place I came to first. One hour and 50 minutes later I reached the Dining Facility that is near the mini mall. Since I was hungry, I stopped there first and grabbed a bite to eat. The mini mall is only 5 minutes from the Dining Facility. So it takes approximately 1 hour 55 minutes to get to the mini mall from Camp Funston. I estimate it's about 6 miles. It was good exercise and a good time to just think and enjoy the open nature of Ft. Riley.

Even though it was cloudy out, I still got a bit sunburned. Even more surprising to me was that I got a few small blisters on my feet. I don't ever remember getting blisters walking in tennis shoes before. I remember going on a volksmarch every Saturday and playing a soccer game on Sunday, back when I was a Lieutenant in Germany. Now my body gets sore after walking 6 miles !!!

I quit playing soccer on a local German Team in 2006 when I started the Army War College's Distance Education Program. I couldn't do all the studying and make the soccer practices, so I gave up the soccer. While the soccer made me sore after every practice and game; it also kept me in very good athletic condition. These past 3 years of not playing soccer is certainly beginning to show !!!

Getting back into athletic condition will be important before deploying down range. I plan on using this time at Camp Funston to slowly get into better shape. Once I'm down range, I plan to continue working out.

Today, Steven and I will go out and do something together. Probably go out for dinner, and hopefully he will tell me how his weekend went. (He had a friend come visit this weekend !!!) He just sent me a text message saying he is on his way. So now I will go.

Official Hand-Off

Today, Class 77 has been officially handed over from D Co. 101st FSB to 1st Bn 16th Infantry. My team (ULN 10507) will now officially belong to D. Co 1/16th INF. Will be known as Team Kilo. So now the guys are joking about how to create a nickname that has both Kilo and Griffin in it.

I can hardly wait to see !!!

Tomorrow we will have some classes on the Rule of Law, the ROE and other legal matters. Then we will be released for a 4-day weekend.

7 July we'll start our cultural training. It will be another long 4-day weekend for me. The last 4-day weekend I had here (the Army's Birthday), I tried to log onto the Army's e-learning website only to find out that the computer's here at Camp Funston don't have the required "adobe player" and speech software to work. After bringing this to the attention of S-6 and commander, it still hasn't been fixed. The same problem exists. I'm being told the network is controlled via contract, and they haven't figured out how to get the contractors down here to fix the problem.

It's appalling to me, given how important "language" is to this mission, that this problem can not be fixed in a matter of minutes. All it takes is "admin rights permission" to downlaod the right software. This is crazy !!!

So, yet another 4-day weekend, where I could have put it to good use learning Arabic, I won't be able to. I suppose this would be ok if I were among the first classes coming through this place. But I'm class 77 !!! Hopefully they can get this right at JRTC. (that's where the next set of MiTTs will be trained).

Everyone is ready for this 4-day holiday to blow off some steam. I think we all anxious to start training and getting prepared for the MiTT mission ahead of us.

First Day with Team Griffin

After a long flight, we made it back to Camp Funston this Tuesday afternoon. I originally planned to have a dinner social with my team on Wednesday, but the XO recommended we do that tonight instead.

Therefore, a dinner social event we did. As of right now Team Griffin is manned with 10 of our 15 positions. Two positions were taken away by HRC and DA. Why they decided to take my two combat arms officer, I don't know. When I spoke to MNC-I, the rep for MNC-I told me that MNC-I took two soldiers out of each MiTT to conduct a test of principle in MND-S. That is probably why HRC and DA decided to do the same. However, no one in Iraq or at CENTCOM changed the MiTT requirements. Their expectation was that each MiTT would arrive in country fully manned and not degraded by one or two positions.

From my perspective, if you're going to short a unit. You're better off shorting the unit that has 5,000+ soldiers assigned to it, than shorting the unit that has 10-15 soldiers assigned to it. In the former case, the two soldiers are neglible, in the latter case, they are significant.

Based on my leader's recon, the two combat arms positions (maneuver trainer and Fires and Effects trainer) will be absolutely essential for the success of our mission. So we must fight to ensure those two slots are not forgotten. With regard to the other three slots we are missing. It is my expectation that they will be filled from the bench or a late arrival.

Once again, I'm not so impressed with how these MiTT are formed. Especially with the CSA's emphasis on these teams.

I'm very impressed with the 10 members I do have. They want to be here. They are excited to do their job and they are ready to be trained. They all have demonstrated the ability to take the initiative and and do what's right. I'm very proud of their service and proud to be associated with them.

Farewell to Mosul - Leader's Recon Complete

It is now time to say farewell to the current Griffin Military Transition Team and time for me to return to Ft. Riley to train the new Team - Griffin for the mission ahead.

In this picture, I'm standing next to one of the interprettors (John) that accompanied us through many of the patrols we conducted while I was at Camp India.

One particular patrol will stand out in my mind. That was our patrol of the University District of Mosul. The streets were completely void of people with only a few stragglers out to be noticed. Most were well hidden behind their fences or closed doors. It was a very eary feeling to watch a kid run up an ally and disappear. You can't help but wonder what the kid was up to and where he was going. The patrol was quiet and nothing significant happened. But you don't feel completely safe. It was far to quiet to feel that way.

The Leader's recon was very rewarding for me. It gave me a glimpse of what to expect, what to train for and what we will need to learn in the next coming months. Special Thanks to COL Jeff McClain and the rest of the Griffin team.

Jeff explained to me that the 2nd Iraqi Army Division MiTT team has always been call sign "Griffin" and while we might come up with our own "nickname" at Camp Funston, once we arrive in Iraq, we will be "Team Griffin".

I'll let the team back in Funston decide if they want to invent their own call sign while at Camp Funston, but once we arrive in Mosul, our call sign will be "Griffen" like the other MiTTs before us (it's not practical to change the call signs).

So, now you know how this blog came to be called.... Team Griffin.

Command and Control - The TOC

The MiTT's Tactical Operating Center appears to have the minimum capability it requires to monitor MiTT movements and communications with higher headquarters. However, I would like to look into getting some of the Common Operational Pictures, UAV feeds and if possible a Tandberg to improve the capability within the MiTT's TOC.

While I'm not sure if that will be possible. I can see that being very useful when it comes to monitoring post 30 June 2009 activities. After 30 June, US forces are no longer supposed to roam freely in the Iraqi cities. US Forces will require Iraqi escort to enter the city areas.

This is being heralded as great news for the Iraqi's. Iraqi units are deemed capable enough of controlling the cities and will now have that responsibility. American Forces will assist by controlling the non-populated regions. The intent is to give no safe havens for terrorists, with the Iraqi Forces securing the cities and the Coalition Forces securing outside the cities.

The next coming months will be a crucial test.

Dust Storms

Dust Storms are very common in Iraq. They had one practically every day that I was there. Not only does it effect visibility outside, it effects the living conditions inside. The dust easily penetrates through the doors of the warehouse building filling the place with Talcum powder-like dust particles.

The danger with the dust is that it's more like fecal matter that has dried in the hot desert sun, crumbled on by vehicles and foot and then spread all over the desert by the wind. Constant hand washing is necessary in this environment. I was warned that most, if not all members of the team will come down with some type of "Iraqi crud" which will make them sick, not for just a couple of days or weeks, but for months.

When I was deployed to Georgia, I remember COL Everett speaking about the same "Iraqi Crud". He insisted that his soldiers wash their hands and bodies 5, 7, 12 times a days and especially before eating. He said that is the only way to keep yourself from catching the "Iraqi Crud". In this case, I think his advice is spot on.

The MRAP

I was very pleased to see that the MiTT's vehicles will be the MRAP. It is designed to better protect the soldiers from the blasts of IEDs, making it more survivable. Another improvement is that the MRAP is air-conditioned. Making it more bearable in the hot Iraqi summer and for the crew members in the back of the vehicle. The MRAP is a very tall vehicle and therefore one must be cautious not roll the vehicle at high speeds or vertical grades.

MiTT members will need to rehearse crew drills and radio procedures while at Ft. Riley in preparation for this deployment. Crew drills must include convoy procedures, reaction to hostile threat, battle commands and reporting procedures on the radio.

Al Kindi - Camp India

This is where we will call home for 12-15 months while deployed to Iraq. It's an old warehouse that has been modified, thanks to "self-help" projects done by the MiTTs who were here previously. Each individual now has his own sleeping quarters. Some have a combined sleeping quarters/ office.

Leader's Recon - Day 1

My first day in Mosul, I was able to witness a demonstration of the Iraqi Mortar Company. This demonstration was done before the Mayor of Mosul and the Commander of the 2nd Iraqi Army Division.

I was very impressed with the professionalization of these Iraqi soldiers. You could see they have all been trained on the crew drills for firing a heavy mortar. While I could not understand the fire commands (in Arabic) I could decipher which step in the crew drills they were performing by watching the demonstration.

I will be very interested in learning the Iraqi Army's methodology for indirect fire. My guess is that things are still done manually with perhaps some computers involved for computation. I'm curious to see how the Iraqi Army accounts for the 5 requirements of accurate predictive fires (target location and size, fire unit location, weapon and ammo info, Met info, and computational procedures). As a former Artillery Officer, this demonstration certainly peaked my interest and I would like to participate in an Iraqi Army indirect live fire exercise while deployed in Iraq.

Ok, we finally made it to Kuwait, Camp Ali Al Saleem. Rows and rows of tents, even air conditioned. That totally amazed me. I remember being stuck in the Saudi Desert for Desert Storm and the only vehicle with air conditioning was the Tacfire Shelter (which barely squeezed 3 people in it).

Ali Al Saleem is amazing. It even has a MacDonald's, two MWR tents, Gym, USO tent, basketball court and soccer field. Of course, you must play at night, because it's too fricken hot to play during the day. I got to spend 2 nights and 3 days in this wonderful place reporting every 4 hours for a flight that was either too full or cancelled; before we took an embassy flight to Baghdad with follow on service to Mosul.

Biggest lesson learned: The heat will kill you faster than anything else out here. One must get in the best physical condition they can before their deployment. I'm going to make PT mandatory for my MiTT members. They have to get used to wearing the heavy IBE with full armor plates inside. It's heavy, it's hot, but it's something we will all have to get used to.

The Bus Ride

Ft. Riley ceases to amaze me. I would personally like to meet the person that arranged our transportation and give him the "Total Dumb-xxx Award".

"For going above and beyond the call of duty to transport soldiers, airmen and sailors in the most sadistic and cruel fashion imaginable."

Our "hero" (who ever this dumb-xxx is), decided to schedule a 48 passenger bus for our travels from Ft. Riley to Dallas/Ft. Worth with a departure time of 22.00 hrs and an arrival time of 06.00 hrs. Therefore the intent must have been for us to sleep on the bus.

Sleeping on the bus is possible if you place a 15 man team carrying 2 dufflebags, 1 rucksack and a large weapons case each on a 48 passenger bus. However, our "hero" decides, that IF he attaches a trailer to the bus he could also deploy a 24 man medic team with all their gear (4 dufflebags, a rucksack and medical gear). But our "hero" doesn't stop there. He also includes 4 additional soldiers who need a ride down to Dallas to catch the R&R flight.

Math must not be one of our "hero's" strong points. 15 + 24 + 4 = 43 passenger. Certainly a 48 passenger bus can carry all 43 passengers... at night... with 26 hour flight still ahead... yep... nothing but the best for our soldiers, airmen and sailors !!!

I felt really sorry for the 6 ft 8 in Air Force Lieutenant, who could not fit in any of individual seats on the bus. Typical to any bus, there are two seats connected together. The person sitting next to the Lieutenant would spend most of his time using the bathroom seat (when no one had to use the bathroom) so the Lieutenant could fit into a spot !!!

8 hours on bus, crammed like sardines only to wait for a flight scheduled to leave at 15.00 hrs (but has a 12.00 hrs report time). The right answer would have been to order two buses and allow the soldiers, airman and sailors to spread out and at least get some rest on the drive down.

I hope they fire the transporter who planned this trip... Or at least make him travel for 8 hours in a bus port-a-potti for every time he tries to fill a bus more than half full on an all night journey.

OK... Yes... I'm being very sarcastic here. But the ride really did suck. The person that planned it really wasn't thinking about the troops at all and it really ticks me off, when you have people sitting behind the desk planning this type of stuff with no real clue about what it's like to be on the other end living through it.

Weapons Qualification

Holy Smokes...

What a long day at the range !!! We got up at 05.30 hours so we could drive from Camp Funston to D Co. 101st FSB before the roads closed (because of morning PT). We ate breakfast at the mess hall close to D Co 101st FSB.

After breakfast and drawing our weapons (an M4 carbine and M9 Pistol) we set out for the range. First we zeroed our weapons and then off to the qualification range. We first qualified (or familiarized) with the M9 pistol. Then we qualified with the M4 carbine. Those of us that had problems zeroing or qualifying stayed later until qualified.

I was one of the lucky few that had problems. I'm used to the "old school" way of securing the butt of the weapon inside your LBE shoulder harness to ensure it fit into your shoulder socket and placing the tip of your nose on the charging handle to ensure a correct site picture.

However, for this range, we did not wear LBE. We wore IBE (or what I refer to as our "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle outfits). With the IBE there is no way to secure the butt of the weapon into your shoulder socket. And if you place the tip of your nose on the charging handle, but you change the placement of where the butt of your weapon is, you change the site picture of your weapon system.
This will cause a problem for both zeroing your weapon and qualifying with your weapon.

When I shoot in the prone supported or unsupported position, I don't have a problem securing the butt of the weapon against the top of my shoulder. However, in the foxhole supported (or unsupported) position the M4 would consistently slip out, creating the potential of obtaining a new site picture for the next shot.

For example... On the qualification range. I shot 8 for 10 on all targets in the prone unsupported position and 5 for 10 in the kneeling position. But I shot 4 for 20 in the foxhole supported position. For a total of 17 hits out of 40 (23 are required to qualify).

The next time out to qualify, instead of using the foxhole supported position, I used the prone supported position. That made all the difference in the world, as I shot 29 for 40. It made for a very long day at the range. But a very useful day, as lots of important lessons were learned on this day.

I'm looking forward to the range week we will have as a team.

But now, we must prepare to go on our Leader's Recon. We depart at 20.00 hrs, draw our weapons and we'll be taking a bus from Ft. Riley to Dallas/Ft. Worth where we will catch an R&R flight to Kuwait.

Impressions of Camp Funston

There is a common theme here at Camp Funston, Ft. Riley. I'm still trying to figure out exactly what that "theme" is.

Every brief we attend, they tell us how the training is first class, the chow is the "best in the Army" and that no expense has been spared in making sure the MiTTs are trained and ready to deploy. 1st Brigade has been training MiTTs for the past 3 years, they continously update their knowledge by going down range twice a year. They are experienced, seasoned, and everything has been carefully planned to make sure the MiTT training is up to date and reflects the latest tactics, techniques and procedures from the field.

Listening to the briefings you expect to see everything organized and prepared in a professional manner. I can only scratch head and wonder. Everything appears to be arranged at the last minute. Now, this might be because we are preparing for a leader's recon, and certain things must be done before we can go downrange. So, they are just trying to check the block and get things done as quickly as possible. There is no "schedule" and when one is made, it is quickly outdated and must be changed.

One example of "scheduling" is that the MiTT Chiefs scheduled to go on the Leader's Recon were supposed to arrive NLT 12 June. Well 12 June was the beginning of a 4-day holiday for Ft. Riley (the Army's Birthday). So, if a MiTT Chief arrived on 12 June, there was nothing for him to do until 16 June. Yet, everyone had to be SRP'd, equipment issued and qualified at the range by 18 June.

Another thing totally perplexed me. And that dealt with the computer support provided to the MiTT teams. For example, according to FM 3-07.1, 50% of an advisor's training should consist of culture and language training. However, none of the computers they provide us allow the user to use the Rosetta Stone language programs from the Army's e-learning website. To use those programs, soldiers must bring (or buy) their own computer and pay $40 per month for wireless internet service. It doesn't appear to me, that the Army is putting the priority in the right spot, if soldiers have to pay money out of their own pocket to get the training they require !!!

Again, this is just my first impression of Camp Funston. We haven't begun the official training yet. That will begin on 7 July. Up to now, it's been in processing or getting the Pre-Deployment Site Survey Teams ready to go downrange to conduct their Leader's Recon.

Preparing for the Leader's Recon

Living in 40-man open bay barracks, was the least of our problems. It appears, that we were moved to these barracks because D Co 101st FSB needed to make room for the 1st Bde 1st Infantry Division soldiers that would be reporting to Ft. Riley this summer.

That explains why my son, a PFC in HHC, 1st Bde has his own room and shares a bathroom and common area with his room mate, while his father, an 0-6 shares a 40-man open bay barracks with MiTT team members varying in rank from E-6 (Staff Sergeant) to O-6 (Colonel).

The open bay barracks only reflects the inconsistency of the Army. In June 2008 and again in May 2009, the Chief of Staff of the Army (CSA) sent out an e-mail to all senior leaders in the Army. In that e-mail he expanded on how important it is to fill our Military Transition Team positions with the Army's best and brightest. The future of the Army required its future leaders to obtain this critical skill set of advising foreign militaries. It is a crucial skill set that future military leaders must possess.

The CSA has ordered MAJ and LTC MiTT positions be now coded as Key Developmental for all career branches of services. A MiTT Chief position for a LTC is supposed to be equivalent to a Battalion Command. In fact, LTC's on the alternate Command lists are being offered these crucial MiTT Chief positions. That is how important being a MiTT member is to the Army (according to the CSA).

Now back to reality. Before a LTC takes Battalion Command, he goes to a Pre-Command Course. At this course he is instructed on the importance of his command. He is consistently told he represents the "cream of the crop" and the future of the Army rests on his leadership. He is taught the basics of command and the skills he will need to be a successful Battalion Commander.

MiTT Chief's report to Ft. Riley 2-3 weeks earlier than the rest of their team. To get "pre-command" instruction as their peers taking Battalion Command? -- NO !!! --

Their shown the 40 man open bay barracks, and they wait for a bus to take them 3-5 miles to main post to wait in line all day to complete Soldiers Readiness Packet (SRP), get issued their equipment and qualify on the range so they can conduct a Leader's Recon of where their MiTT will be assigned.

For me, that means Mosul, Iraq.