Publications
NFTF - The Engagement is the Mission
Soldiers that will serve as combat advisors have to recognize that the engagement is the mission and choose to make that paradigm shift. Five areas for combat advisors to focus their energy during and frame their understanding of combat advising are clearly understanding the objectives, wargaming, interpreter preparation, understanding what the questions of the key leader mean, and understanding the importance of the recorder. The application of these baseline combat advising concepts will result in combat advising success.
NFTF: How the Kosovo Security Force Built a Successful Lessons Learned Program
The Kosovo Security Force (KSF) has an exemplary lessons learned program that continuously contributes to improving its training and operational performance. The KSF’s successful lessons learned program did not happen overnight, but developed over a period of almost five years with continual senior leadership support, outside assistance from the United States Army’s Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL), and its own internal, progressive improvements to its program.
CALL Insider Newsletter 4th Quarter, FY2019
This update illustrates our commitment to optimizing for multi-domain/large-scale combat
operations (MD/LSCO) and multinational interoperability. Next year’s Defender Europe
exercise will test that commitment, and CALL will be there to document those lessons
for the Army. Also, as the Army continues to modernize critical core capabilities to
compete against near-peer adversaries, CALL is finalizing its initial MD/LSCO report
on the gaps and challenges to field sufficient, capable forces to compete and win in
this environment.
19-19 - Multi-Domain Operations Catalog
The Multi-Domain Operations Catalog provides links to useful products with insights and perspectives related to the emerging concept of multi-domain operations (MDO). This catalog is not all encompassing, but rather serves as a primer and vehicle to promote analytical discourse. This catalog is a "living" document and is intended to be updated periodically. MDO documents in this catalog span the period from 2014 to 2019, highlighting the evolution of the MDO concept and the beginning of its operational application by the Army.
19-18 Commander and Staff Guide to Rehearsals A No-Fail Approach Handbook
The overarching purpose of this document is to provide a cohesive instructional manual on rehearsals; incorporating doctrine; and best practices to mitigate recent difficulties in executing rehearsals at all levels. Acknowledging the basic tenets of rehearsals have not changed. U.S. forces operate in a complex operating environment of cyber, multinational, and multi-domain players. This increases operational complexity, thus necessitating timely and effective rehearsals to optimize these capabilities and increase the likelihood of success. The intent of this handbook is to update the information from CALL Newsletter, Rehearsals, 98-5 and highlight recent insights and best practices from the units that have improved performance.
CALL Insider Newsletter 3rd Quarter, FY2019
Key publications this quarter include the "Battlefield Coordination Detachment" handbook, several graphic training aids, and initial impressions from Yama Sakura. This edition also includes input from the Combat Training Centers and best practice and after action report submissions.
NFTF: Building Partnership Capacity through Train, Advise, and Assist - Insights from BG Jackson, Commander, 1SFAB
The 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade, led by BG Scott Jackson, supported the NATO Resolution Support mission and Operation Freedom’s Sentinel from February to November 2018 as the Army's first unit dedicated to training, advising, assisting, accompanying, and enabling conventional foreign security force partners. This article outlines the observations of BG Jackson and highlights areas including predeployment, measuring training success, continuity, and use of what he calls the “Afghan blanket.”
NFTF - Building Partnership Capacity through Train, Advise, and Assist - Insights from BG Jackson, Commander, 1SFAB
The 1SFAB supported RSM and OFS with the Army’s first unit dedicated to training, advising, assisting, accompanying and enabling (A3E) conventional foreign security force partners from February to November 2018. The 1SFAB had a positive impact on NATO and U.S. strategic initiatives in Afghanistan by advising Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) at tactical levels of command that had not been consistently and directly advised since 2015. 1SFAB regularly advised kandaks, brigades, corps headquarters, regional military training centers, and the Capital Division responsible for securing Kabul.
1SFAB’s six battalions advised Afghan partners in every Afghan National Army (ANA) corps and each of RSM’s regional Train, Advise and Assist Commands (TAACs). The brigade also advised Afghan National Police (ANP) and Afghan Special Security Forces (ASSF) units.
NFTF - Joint Force Land Component Command - Synchronization of the Land Domain
In November 2018, United States Army South hosted the second annual Joint Force Land Component Command Planning Conference at Joint Base San Antonio/Fort Sam Houston. This year's theme was "Synchronization of the Land Domain." The event brought together key land domain stakeholders across the United States Southern Command area of responsibility. The focus of the event was to plan and collaborate on complex mission sets, prioritize resources, establish timelines, and set the conditions for current and future operations.
NFTF - Conference of American Armies - Countering Threat Networks
The Conference of American Armies (CAA) is a military organization made up and led by armies from the American continents with the authorization of their respective countries. The CAA conducts a two-year cycle of specialized conferences and exercises hosted by different member armies. During this XXXIII Cycle of the CAA, 2018-2019, the U.S. Army conducted the specialized conference on Military Support to Countering Threat Networks (CTN) at San Antonio, TX, from 4-8 February 2019.
NFTF - Operationalizing Knowledge Management in an Army Service Component Command
This article is an account of the experience and initiative that drove major change in the U.S. Army South Knowledge Management (KM) program from 2017-19. This record of enhanced practices and procedures is based on both doctrine and best practices. Although compiled from the capabilities and requirements of a single unit, the insights and lessons have applicability across the force, certainly with other Army Service component commands.
NFTF - Fighting with Afghan Fists: Insights from CSM Todd Sims
This News from the Front, a Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL) publication, highlights Command Sergeant Major (CSM) Todd Sims’ insights and observations during his deployment in support of Operation FREEDOM’S SENTINEL and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)-led RESOLUTE SUPPORT mission. The interview and unit information is provided solely by the CSM of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan on 2 December 2018.