News From the Front

NFTF - The Sacramental Staff Officer

I have been blessed to read many pages from the metaphorical book that Saint Augustine describes in the above quote. Most recently I accompanied an Army South contingent of approximately 40 personnel to Santiago, Chile to participate as part of the Combined Forces Land Component Commander (CFLCC) element of the multinational exercise, PANAMAX, from 24 July to 7 August 2016.

NFTF - The Science of Control: Synchronizing Current Operations Cells

The current operations (CUOPS) cell is essential to translating plans to orders and eventually to the execution of combat operations. The CUOPS integrating cell is critical in synchronizing operations, sustaining the common operational picture and mitigating risk to the mission. In the operations process, the CUOPS cell is the commander's most prominent tool to understand, describe, visualize, and direct operations. This article discusses the processes and techniques that optimize CUOPS cells’ control over forces.

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.

NFTF - Theater Intelligence Primer

The intent of this primer is to educate commanders and senior staff to be involved, supportive consumers of intelligence. The goal is not to repeat doctrine—although doctrine references are noted. It provides the means by which the Combatant Command Commander (CCDR) can develop relationships with the defense intelligence enterprise and drive the intelligence effort. It places emphasis on how intelligence professionals should work to understand what the J5/J3/CCDR needs, and share the tools they have available.

NFTF 185th Theater Aviation Brigade (TAB) Search and Rescue Exercise (SAREX): Leveraging All Assets to Benefit Training

The Army’s experience in littoral areas with over the water operations in continues to grow as part of the Army’s goal to build its expeditionary capabilities. The 185th Theater Aviation Brigade (TAB) deployed to Camp BUEHRING, Kuwait in support of Operation SPARTAN SHIELD. Given the operational environment (OE) of the 185th TAB, they saw a need to develop and refine the techniques for Personnel Recovery (PR) in a maritime scenario. The TAB needed a means to practice these techniques as they developed them.

NFTF CJTF-OIR Future Operations Synchronization Board

Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) conducts the Future Operations Synchronization Board (FOSB) weekly in order to develop the weight of effort for CJTF- OIR future operations. The function of the FOSB is to allow the CJTF-OIR CJ3 (Combined-Joint Operations Officer) to synchronize operations and support to operations throughout the Combined Joint Operations Area (CJOA) for the short-medium timeframe.

NFTF OPERATION DEEP BLUE 74th Engineer Dive Detachment

The United States (U.S.) Army recognizes that controlling inland waterways and ports is vitally important in the contemporary military environment. For this reason, the U.S. Army established Engineer Dive units during World War II. Since then, U.S. Army Engineer Divers have served in every major U.S. conflict and fulfilled the role of providing underwater reconnaissance, demolition, and salvage for the U.S. Army.

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: Combat Trains Command Post (CTCP) Operations

Support for reconnaissance operations is the inherent responsibility of the combat trains command post (CTCP). The CTCP is charged with maintaining the momentum of the operation through supporting the maneuver plan. The squadron’s success is contingent on a CTCPs ability to resource and maintain the squadron’s three reconnaissance troops through a task organization inclusive of logistical, administrative, and maintenance functions.

NFTF: COMBINED JOINT TASK FORCE OPERATION INHERENT RESOLVE Operations and Targeting Board

This NFTF gives an overview of the Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) Operations and Targeting Board (OTB). The function of the OTB is to outline, de-conflict, and synchronize operations conducted in the Combined Joint Operations Area (CJOA) for the short-medium timeframe. The ultimate goal of the OTB is to maintain transparency while developing the CJTF-OIR Priority of Effort (PoE) and which informs the Weight of Effort (WoE) applied to each named operation.

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