505th Command and Control Airmen spread their wings in Army country Published May 18, 2009 By Jodi L. Jordan 505th CCW Public Affairs FT LEAVENWORTH, Kans. -- Although widely known for its prison, Fort Leavenworth is the U.S. Army's intellectual center for training, doctrine and professional military education. Many of the Army's top leaders attend various schools at this historic campus. But deep inside Army territory, there stands a converted cavalry stable with some unlikely tenants - the Airmen of the 505th Command and Control Wing's Detachment 1. The unit is staffed by 11 Airmen, but they aren't here to fly missions for the Army. They're here to provide an Air Force perspective to the Army's most important training exercises, teaching Army leaders what the Air Force can do, and how the two services can work together to win battles and save lives. Working as a team, Det. 1 and the Army leaders they train exemplify the best of Joint operations. The organization is small, but it's vitally important to both services. In fact, these Airmen are so valued that Mr. Louis Gelling, Jr., deputy commander of the Army's Battle Command Training Program here, said "In this day and age, it's critical for us to have the detachment here and part of our Joint team." The officers at Det. 1 work directly with the Army, imbedding Airmen at each of the BCTP's six units. BCTP is the Army's top training program for senior officers and their battle staffs who lead units scheduled to deploy. The program conducts or supports realistic, relevant combined arms training for a diverse audience that may include Joint Task Force leadership down through the ranks to battalion commanders and their staffs, and any level of command in between. No matter who they wor with, the Airmen have five basic jobs: academic training, setting up exercises, executing exercises, providing information for the exercise debriefings, and securing the lessons learned from the exercises to help write the Air Force portion of future exercises. Much of what the detachment members learn from these exercises goes back to Air Force education and doctrine experts so they can provide the most current and useful information to Battlefield Airmen. BCTP's training is fluid, flexible and centered around individual commanders and what they need to practice to ensure their units' success in the field. Through a variety of exercises and other programs, BCTP challenges commanders and makes them better through specific training and detailed feedback. "It's the old saying, 'you don't know what you don't know,'" said Lt. Col. Don Taylor. "BCTP gives those commanders and their staffs an opportunity to practice almost anything they could face when they deploy. Det. 1 makes sure that when a unit gets to their deployed location, they don't face these challenges for the first time. They've already practiced and refined their military decision making process through the BCTP training events. They'll be more comfortable and more proficient in the combat environment." Det. 1 Airmen are integral at every stage of the Army's 12- to 18-month preparation for deploying units. Early in the process, the detachment provides a portion of the BTCP Counter-Insurgency Seminar. The three-day workshop is focused on making sure Brigade Combat Team leaders understand counterinsurgency doctrine and principles early in the deployment process. "We give them the right mindset to train their Soldiers to be successful in the challenging COIN environment," said Lt. Col. Rod Deas, who usually provides the Det. 1 portion of these seminars. "It also provides for the BCT commander to discuss his philosophy for the brigade's execution of the COIN fight. My job is to present the array of irregular warfare air capabilities and processes that fit the unit we're working with and the particular conditions they'll face in the environment they're scheduled to deploy to." Later in the preparation period, BCTP teams will help plan specific training exercises for the unit's situation, and then help execute those exercises. As observers and trainers, the Det. 1 Airmen are there to support and enhance these exercises by being the Air Force's eyes on the ground. They offer advice, and they monitor progress. All this support doesn't come easy, though. On average, an Air Force officer with the detachment can expect to spend 100 to 150 days a year on the road, preparing Army units for their deployments. And these Airmen are susceptible to the demands of AEF deployments and professional military education commitments. Working at the detachment is rigorous, but job satisfaction is high. "We know what we do here makes a difference, even though there's no real way to measure it," said Colonel Deas. "We want to make sure that when those Army commanders are in the preparation process, they're familiar enough with the Air Force and what we can do that they plan their preparations with us in mind. The last thing we want is a commander to arrive in theater and go 'I wish I had known this 10 months ago.' The training we give them makes us all work better together, and that's very rewarding." For Colonel Taylor, the rewards of learning another services' culture and working within that culture has had a profound effect on the way he looks at all things military. "I see things we in the Air Force could learn from the Army, and hopefully I bring things to the Army from the Air Force. The cultures are very different. Neither culture is necessarily better, but understanding our differences and learning from each other means we get the best of both worlds," he said. The colonel, an F-16 pilot who looks so much like an Air Force fighter jet jockey that he could have come straight from central casting belies the stereotypical fighter pilot, do-it -alone mentality and is adamant about the value of the U.S. and coalition services training together. "The fact is, we're never going to fight another war without all the services participating. The Joint environment is the way we go to war now, so we have to be prepared in a Joint manner." Col. Robert Beckel, commander of Det. 1, couldn't agree more. "This organization is a great place to be and has a fantastic mission," Colonel Beckel said. "We are making a real tangible difference in combat today and also in the hearts and minds of Army and Air Force leadership. As Services we've always tried to work together, but now it's a necessity. Combat operations must be integrated, and Det. 1 is a big part of making that happen. Our training could be the difference between an Army commander getting the right air support at the right time or missing an opportunity to save lives and accomplish the mission. We are passionate about what we do, and once the Army commanders are aware of how we can help, they're just as passionate about us being a part of their training. We just need more people and resources to make sure that every service leader who is deploying can get our training first."
505th Command and Control Airmen spread their wings in Army country Published May 18, 2009 By Jodi L. Jordan 505th CCW Public Affairs FT LEAVENWORTH, Kans. -- Although widely known for its prison, Fort Leavenworth is the U.S. Army's intellectual center for training, doctrine and professional military education. Many of the Army's top leaders attend various schools at this historic campus. But deep inside Army territory, there stands a converted cavalry stable with some unlikely tenants - the Airmen of the 505th Command and Control Wing's Detachment 1. The unit is staffed by 11 Airmen, but they aren't here to fly missions for the Army. They're here to provide an Air Force perspective to the Army's most important training exercises, teaching Army leaders what the Air Force can do, and how the two services can work together to win battles and save lives. Working as a team, Det. 1 and the Army leaders they train exemplify the best of Joint operations. The organization is small, but it's vitally important to both services. In fact, these Airmen are so valued that Mr. Louis Gelling, Jr., deputy commander of the Army's Battle Command Training Program here, said "In this day and age, it's critical for us to have the detachment here and part of our Joint team." The officers at Det. 1 work directly with the Army, imbedding Airmen at each of the BCTP's six units. BCTP is the Army's top training program for senior officers and their battle staffs who lead units scheduled to deploy. The program conducts or supports realistic, relevant combined arms training for a diverse audience that may include Joint Task Force leadership down through the ranks to battalion commanders and their staffs, and any level of command in between. No matter who they wor with, the Airmen have five basic jobs: academic training, setting up exercises, executing exercises, providing information for the exercise debriefings, and securing the lessons learned from the exercises to help write the Air Force portion of future exercises. Much of what the detachment members learn from these exercises goes back to Air Force education and doctrine experts so they can provide the most current and useful information to Battlefield Airmen. BCTP's training is fluid, flexible and centered around individual commanders and what they need to practice to ensure their units' success in the field. Through a variety of exercises and other programs, BCTP challenges commanders and makes them better through specific training and detailed feedback. "It's the old saying, 'you don't know what you don't know,'" said Lt. Col. Don Taylor. "BCTP gives those commanders and their staffs an opportunity to practice almost anything they could face when they deploy. Det. 1 makes sure that when a unit gets to their deployed location, they don't face these challenges for the first time. They've already practiced and refined their military decision making process through the BCTP training events. They'll be more comfortable and more proficient in the combat environment." Det. 1 Airmen are integral at every stage of the Army's 12- to 18-month preparation for deploying units. Early in the process, the detachment provides a portion of the BTCP Counter-Insurgency Seminar. The three-day workshop is focused on making sure Brigade Combat Team leaders understand counterinsurgency doctrine and principles early in the deployment process. "We give them the right mindset to train their Soldiers to be successful in the challenging COIN environment," said Lt. Col. Rod Deas, who usually provides the Det. 1 portion of these seminars. "It also provides for the BCT commander to discuss his philosophy for the brigade's execution of the COIN fight. My job is to present the array of irregular warfare air capabilities and processes that fit the unit we're working with and the particular conditions they'll face in the environment they're scheduled to deploy to." Later in the preparation period, BCTP teams will help plan specific training exercises for the unit's situation, and then help execute those exercises. As observers and trainers, the Det. 1 Airmen are there to support and enhance these exercises by being the Air Force's eyes on the ground. They offer advice, and they monitor progress. All this support doesn't come easy, though. On average, an Air Force officer with the detachment can expect to spend 100 to 150 days a year on the road, preparing Army units for their deployments. And these Airmen are susceptible to the demands of AEF deployments and professional military education commitments. Working at the detachment is rigorous, but job satisfaction is high. "We know what we do here makes a difference, even though there's no real way to measure it," said Colonel Deas. "We want to make sure that when those Army commanders are in the preparation process, they're familiar enough with the Air Force and what we can do that they plan their preparations with us in mind. The last thing we want is a commander to arrive in theater and go 'I wish I had known this 10 months ago.' The training we give them makes us all work better together, and that's very rewarding." For Colonel Taylor, the rewards of learning another services' culture and working within that culture has had a profound effect on the way he looks at all things military. "I see things we in the Air Force could learn from the Army, and hopefully I bring things to the Army from the Air Force. The cultures are very different. Neither culture is necessarily better, but understanding our differences and learning from each other means we get the best of both worlds," he said. The colonel, an F-16 pilot who looks so much like an Air Force fighter jet jockey that he could have come straight from central casting belies the stereotypical fighter pilot, do-it -alone mentality and is adamant about the value of the U.S. and coalition services training together. "The fact is, we're never going to fight another war without all the services participating. The Joint environment is the way we go to war now, so we have to be prepared in a Joint manner." Col. Robert Beckel, commander of Det. 1, couldn't agree more. "This organization is a great place to be and has a fantastic mission," Colonel Beckel said. "We are making a real tangible difference in combat today and also in the hearts and minds of Army and Air Force leadership. As Services we've always tried to work together, but now it's a necessity. Combat operations must be integrated, and Det. 1 is a big part of making that happen. Our training could be the difference between an Army commander getting the right air support at the right time or missing an opportunity to save lives and accomplish the mission. We are passionate about what we do, and once the Army commanders are aware of how we can help, they're just as passionate about us being a part of their training. We just need more people and resources to make sure that every service leader who is deploying can get our training first."