Training a military force is a proposition unlike the one faced by other civil organisations: It has to prepare people to perform in the chaos and turmoil of battle – even simple tasks like making deliveries or baking bread become very different in the face of artillery fire or roadside bombs. It's not just about mental pressure and physical discomfort, it is about facing death while doing the mundane and business-as-usual tasks. It is, perhaps, the greatest test of humans and has always been so. As military training has evolved (along with the force it enables), so have the opportunities in technologies such as simulation: are the benefits without bounds, or is there a point that the benefits of simulation tail off? What mix of virtual and physical performance maximises performance? And amongst all of this is the reality of organisational culture, and the cost-effectiveness of training. How much of this training can be outsourced to a commercial provider? What is the optimal amount of training done away from the cauldron of combat, and how much must be exercised under arms and stressing conditions? Answering these questions is crucial if we are to all understand the importance of training in a military force – and how to optimise it to win in the greatest of contests. Listen to the series as we talk to people who think a lot about military training - from the professional soldiers and commanders to the academics who study it, as well as the commercial operators who are increasingly being employed to deliver it.
The competition for a commercial strategic partner for the British Army as part of the Land Training System continues. The real question that emerges is not one of cost or value but rather about what this will feel like for a corporal or a captain after a year of commercial/military partnering. With seven consortia competing to get the contract, I spoke to Steven Hart leading the Omnia team, about what the LTS/CSST contract means for industry, what the risks are, and what soldiers should be expecting after the industry partner is in place.
29 May 2024TRANSCRIPT
The British Army Land Training System
Over the past 12 months the British Army has designed a model to train its entire force to a set standard. It will also have the credibility and capacity to train the follow-on force, whatever that is, when the time comes. The new way of training is built on three interlinked blocks – Tradewinds (that provides the skills at individual level within a sub-unit), Cyclone (the primary sub unit training block -designed to deliver individual and collective competencies), and Storm (a reinvigorated combined-arms, formation level event – the optimization phase). Within the current plan all sub-units will conduct a dedicated 10-week training period each and every year providing the UK with more military capability, more options for responses, and increased lethality across the British Army. More importantly, the new system is driven by the people within units – not the system. This means that, perhaps for the first time, the Army can exploit its people, their drive and determination to be ‘the best’, and build on the differentiation in capabilities between units. The shift in emphasis is warranted: the British Army is so not the homogenous mass of yesteryear, meaning that a reversion to a Cold War training modalities would be disingenuous to the soldiers of today. As Major General Chris Barry tells us, shifting to a new way of training that best fits the demands of a smaller, busier, more technology dependent force of today (and tomorrow) was the only way to realise the operational demands and credibly deter adversaries.
3 Apr 2024TRANSCRIPT
CWC - The Graduates
Peter sits down with two officers from the British Army who had just completed the culminating exercise of the Captain's Warfare Course. The discussion happened in a field on Salisbury Plain as the rest of the team tore down the infrastructure and camp around us.
The difference these two individuals exhibited from when Peter met them at the start of the course was striking. Here were 2 soldiers who had changed: they were no longer just able to command at a company level and contribute to C2 at the Battle Group level within their specialisation, but both now understand the Brigade level of command – and the processes used there. What’s more they clearly both seem able to contribute – in a meaningful way – to HQ staff functions at that level. After only 6 weeks education and training, that’s quite some leap. Their confidence, their attitude, just how they held themselves was very different to the people I met just a few weeks previously. Clearly capable officers in November, by December they had an aura of success about them – and that cynical humour that is a hallmark of British soldiers – perhaps soldiers everywhere.
There is overwhelming conclusion from being with the team at CW: This course works. And It is getting better each time.
Inside a recent episode
How will this feel different?
Published 1 Jul 2024 · Transcript excerpt
[…] We're not training a sports team. We're training soldiers and we're training soldiers to go to war. There is a fundamental nature of war thing that we are preparing people for about complexity, about violence, and about administering that violence to other human beings. And that is uniquely difficult. […]
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