Publications
News From the CTC: Saber Guardian 17 ISB Operations
In July 2017, more than 25,000 service members from 22+ nations participated in one of the largest exercises in the Black Sea Region as part of exercise Saber Guardian 17 (SG 17). Key highlights of the exercise included the successful insertion of multinational airborne and special operations forces into multiple locations of the joint operations area and the use of an intermediate staging base (ISB) in Hungary to build combat power enroute.The goal of this paper is to provide insights, lessons learned, best practices, tactics, techniques, and procedures and other observations made by Observer Coach/Trainer (OC/T) teams from the Joint Multinational Readiness Center on the complexities of ISB operations during SG 17.
News From the CTC: Camouflage in Medical Operations
This article discusses the use of camouflage in medical operations. Specifically, it looks at the use of the red cross, facts surrounding the issue from a doctrinal standpoint, and common myths on the topic.
News From the CTC: Camouflage in Medical Operations
This article discusses the use of camouflage in medical operations. Specifically it looks at the need to use red crosses and the facts of the issue from a doctrinal standpoint dispelling common myths on the topic.
NFTF - Advising at the Ministerial Level in Afghanistan: Insights from Major General Willard M. Burleson III
CALL's Strategic Analysis Branch conducted an interview on 9 July 2018, with MG Burleson, 7th Infantry Division Commander, to collect insights into his activities while he was serving as the Senior Advisor to the Ministry of Defense, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, OPERATION FREEDOM’S SENTINEL (Resolute Support), May 2016 – June 2017. The purpose of the interview was to get MG Burleson’s perspective on the requirements for successful advising at the Ministry of Defense and institutional levels for potential use in a Senior Advisor Reference Guide that CALL is developing in coordination with the Ministry of Defense Advisor Program and the Joint Center for International Security Force Assistance. MG Burleson emphasized continuous contact with the Minister of Defense (MinDef) and that understanding the context of the MinDef’s priorities equates to greater appreciation of the MinDef’s overall institutional and operational goals. He also noted that contact builds context which in turn builds trust; and, the Partner Nation Minister's priorities should be the center of gravity in terms of building unity of effort for advising activities.
CALL Insider Newsletter September 2018
This is an exciting and challenging time to be a Soldier. As the new Director of the Center for Army Lessons Learned, my principal goal is to continue our organization?s service as one of the drivers of Army change and the Army?s daily focal point for adaptive learning ? providing timely and relevant knowledge to our warfighters. Our Army?s warfighting shift from counterinsurgency to near or peer competition and conflict requires deliberate learning, sharing, and training for large-scale operations.
News From the CTC: Questions of MGS Platoon Relationships within the SBCT
The purpose of this article is to discuss the command and control relationship and employment of the mobile gun system (MGS) platoon within the Stryker Brigade. The observations were collected by JMRC OCTs during a unit rotational exercise.
NFTF - Theater Army as a CJTF: ARCENT in Eager Lion 2018
Eager Lion 2018 is a U.S. Central Command-level bilateral exercise conducted between the United States and Jordan to foster alliance and regional relations and preserve intra-theater lines of communication. Eager Lion is an annual "readiness" exercise for U.S. Army Central and consists of a large-scale command post exercise that ranges from the combined joint task force to the brigade combat team level. It is linked to a field training exercise and culminates with a mechanized company combined arms live fire exercise.
18-33 - Transition to a Joint Force Headquarters - Planning Insights for Echelons Above Brigade Handbook
The Transition to a Joint Force Headquarters - Planning Insights for Echelons Above Brigade Handbook leverages Center for Army Lessons Learned collections in active joint operation areas and joint exercises to provide commanders and staffs at echelons above brigade a guide to transitioning to a joint force headquarters. Our purpose is to provide key insights, lessons, and best practices for commanders and staffs at echelons above brigade for forming and operating as a joint headquarters. The areas of emphasis in this handbook are: forming the joint headquarters; planning and operating in the joint/combined operating environment; building the command and control architecture; integrating force enablers; and, leveraging joint, interorganizational, and multinational processes.
CALL Insider Newsletter MAY-JUN 2018
One of my regrets as I wrap up my two years as the Director of CALL and 30 years of military service is that I did not give enough back to the Army so that the Army as a whole could learn. I was very good at conducting unit After Action Reviews and implementing unit-level changes, but was not good at informing the Army institution through writing articles to periodicals and submitting After Action Reports to CALL and others to use in driving necessary changes for problem resolution and to share best practices for adoption by others. This is an inherent responsibility for every member of the Army and particularly for Commanders. The better we do at this the more ready and lethal we will be. Learn from my lesson and do better at this than I did.
NFTF: Senior Advisor Training Building the Ready Bench
This News from the Front article discusses the purpose and outcomes of the Senior Advisor Training Working Group hosted by the Joint Center for International Security Force Assistance (JCISFA) October 16-20, 2017. The article discusses the background on the senior advisor training problem, the three topic areas the working group considered, and the working group's recommendations.
18-30 - Permanent Executive Secretariat Conference of American Armies Volume III
This is the third and final Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL) bulletin covering the U.S. Army hosting of the 32nd cycle of the Conference of American Armies (CAA). This bulletin serves as a guide for planning and executing CAA events organized by the Permanent Executive Secretariat of the Conference of American Armies (PESCAA) at the culmination of a two year cycle. It provides a combination of lessons learned and best practices to facilitate planning, coordination, and execution of CAA conferences in accordance with the organization’s bylaws.
NFTF - Commander’s Perspective CJFLCC-OIR Operations
The Center for Army Lessons Learned conducted a key leader interview (KLI) with MG Robert "Pat" White, Commanding General of the 1st Armored Division (1AD). MG White assumed responsibility of Combined Joint Force Land Component Command-Operation Inherent Resolve (CJFLCC-OIR) on 12 July 2017. Building off of the momentum and gains of its predecessors the 82nd Airborne Division, and the 1st Infantry Division - CJFLCC-OIR worked by, with, and through its partner forces to defeat the ISIS Core in Iraq. This News from the Front (NFTF) is a transcription of the KLI covering various topics ranging from the preparation to transition from a division to a combined-joint entity to working by, with, and through the Iraqi Security Force (ISF) partner force.