The US military might not be the best in the world anymore

[7624U]

Wonder if this young Captain had the PAO give him the go ahead to speak to the press on behalf of the entire military. or did the editor steal the story from Armor magazine.




At the squad, platoon, and company level, the U.S. Army is not as good as its allies, reports an Army captain. “American units are not as prepared or ready for combat as their multinational partners are at company level and below,” writes Capt. J. Scott Metz. “Many of our allies, and likely some of our potential enemies, are now tactically better than we are at company level and below because we do not train enough at home station.”

In other words, they don’t learn the fundamentals of maneuver before going for higher training at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center (JMRC), the big U.S. Army training base in Hohenfels, Germany. He should know. Until recently, Capt. Metz was an observer/controller/trainer at the JMRC. He notes that he has worked with units from 11 nations.

Here’s one of his examples. “Units default to conducting on-line frontal assaults because that’s all they have practiced,” he writes. In one rotation, a unit “defaulted to a frontal assault in the open without using terrain to their advantage in every engagement. In one of those engagements, a platoon sat static in the open, engaging an enemy Leopard tank. The Leopard fired some 10 times from 10 locations in 60 seconds and never stopped moving while taking concealed routes to and from multiple alternate firing positions.” He adds, “I’ve never seen an American tank do anything like that at JMRC.”

Metz blames senior Army leaders who claim that readiness is their top priority yet don’t give small units sufficient time to train enough to be genuinely ready. He is speaking truth to power.

By the way, Armor magazine deserves a Best Defense 21-laptop salute. This is the second time that it recently has printed a tough, informed article that challenges the prevailing wisdom. Doing that is a big part of the role of military professional journals, but they don’t always carry it out.

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-u...anymore-2017-6

[SF_BHT]

My thoughts exactly.

When I saw this the other day all I could think of was his ass was currently standing at attention in front of the CG and his career was over.

[cbtengr]

Today's environment might just be a bit more receptive to the captains opinion, let's hope it trickles to the top of the food chain.

[Team Sergeant]

The media loves to quote the young inexperienced military immature E-5's and O-3's, makes their jobs easier.

[PRB]

Lol.....yeah, all of the combat experience of the last damn 16 years are washed away by one range drill.....who knew?

What he meant to say is this....'some of the officers in my unit are stupid' (Oh, but not you sir!)

[Peregrino]

I think he's spot on. And probably going to get crushed for saying it. Bluntly - despite the sacrifices/experiences of individual soldiers, the last 16 years haven't prepared us as a military or a nation to fight peer/near peer competitors. Ongoing readiness issues have only exacerbated the issue. DoD is more interested in whether or not units have finished Tier III Transgender Training than whether or not they can perform integrated combat operations against someone who can potentially kick our asses. Maybe the winds will shift with the advent of OBJ-T but I'm not holding my breath.

[Flagg]

It's not failing if you're learning. And if you're not failing, then you're not learning.

I reckon there's not much worse than the hubris that follows "templated success".

Training failure, humility, hard work, redemption, operational readiness.

"And the cycle of life continues" (in my Jacques Cousteau voice)

I'd like to think the platoon commander and sergeant that got smoked by the Leopard are starting early and staying late to better kill T80/90s, errr Leopards.

[frostfire]

Originally Posted by 7624U

At the squad, platoon, and company level, the U.S. Army is not as good as its allies, reports an Army captain. “American units are not as prepared or ready for combat as their multinational partners are at company level and below,” writes Capt. J. Scott Metz. “Many of our allies, and likely some of our potential enemies, are now tactically better than we are at company level and below because we do not train enough at home station.”

IMHOO, this phenomenon is not limited to armor.

A sobering thought indeed, but hey! my unit PHA, GAT survey, IA, SHARP, EO, etc. are above 80% and higher ups are happy...



...but I still have faith in the individual soldier and leader, who hone proficiency and turn tools from training/classes to 2nd-nature skill

[WarriorDiplomat]

Originally Posted by SF_BHT

My thoughts exactly.

When I saw this the other day all I could think of was his ass was currently standing at attention in front of the CG and his career was over.

I am not sure this is what truth to power was meant to mean something to do with AAR's, not sugar coating training events or anything else telling the commander what he needs to hear not what he wants to hear I think is what was supposed to happen.

Everything he has said is possibly true and it is an embarrassment to us but then again that is what 16 years of COIN have done, I understand that our tankers have been spanked at NTC for similar actions and usually pull their shit together after being killed and reset a few times and realize they can't half ass it.

Would this CPT's very public assessment be considered in keeping with good faith and allegiance to his country?

[SF_BHT]

Originally Posted by WarriorDiplomat

I am not sure this is what truth to power was meant to mean something to do with AAR's, not sugar coating training events or anything else telling the commander what he needs to hear not what he wants to hear I think is what was supposed to happen.

Everything he has said is possibly true and it is an embarrassment to us but then again that is what 16 years of COIN have done, I understand that our tankers have been spanked at NTC for similar actions and usually pull their shit together after being killed and reset a few times and realize they can't half ass it.

Would this CPT's very public assessment be considered in keeping with good faith and allegiance to his country?

Yeah I was thinking along the lines he made the statements without command and PAO approval.

[glebo]

Well, as least he stated an opinion. Sometimes the truth hurts??? But, being an O-3, with who knows what experience, at least he said what's on his mind...

Often of which I see not with some of todays LDRS, O's and NCO's....seems they want "status quo".... At least here in SWC anyway...

[abc_123]

Originally Posted by glebo

Well, as least he stated an opinion. Sometimes the truth hurts??? But, being an O-3, with who knows what experience, at least he said what's on his mind...

Often of which I see not with some of todays LDRS, O's and NCO's....seems they want "status quo".... At least here in SWC anyway...

Everyone seems to be talking about an "inexperienced" O3. Seems to me that he is commenting only on his area of knowledge and not going beyond that. He is an O/C at a training center and he is commenting both on Armor and Infantry tactics that he has observed at the company level and below. To me he is well within his lane.

The last time I was in the big conventional Army (1st CAV) was in 1994. We no shit went to the field doing ARTEPS and STX lanes at the SQD and PLT level a lot and then went to the field some more with BN and BDE. Maintenance and equipment status was treated with the seriousness that SHARP and GAT training is now. NTC was a fight vs a peer enemy and a high-threat event for the whole chain of command. Yes it was a "training" event and mistakes were expected, but it was well known and expected that blatant dumbassery or unpreparedness would cause heads to roll within the chain of command. I'm not sure if it is like that now.

However, as also pointed out, company level tactics are the easiest to fix. A couple of training iterations and those junior people will adapt and get their shit figured out. What I don't know is if our schoolhouses are doing them any favors and really teaching them to fight a peer and not simply how to play whack-a-mole and drink chai with the locals. The percentage of Junior officers and NCOs that are combat vets are dwindling, and even those with experience in AFG and IQ, their experience is less and less a benefit (and may be more of a hindrance) as they move up to higher levels.

The real issue is at BN and BDE level... where most of the "on the FOB" experience needs to be un-learned and much of the military industrial complex pushed, space and enemy unconstrained ,equipment and operating procedures... need to be shit canned. How many BDEs or BNs in the Army today could run an analog TOC or jump it and run out of a collection of vehicles (S3, FSO etc.) back up together. BN is the hardest... THey must be able to provide C2 and support to a company commander under a poncho (or in his vehicle) while interfacing with BDE and Higher and all their micromanagement systems.... and do so while in enemy artillery range. Yeah if I had multiple stars on my shoulders I would not be sleeping well.

[Peregrino]

Originally Posted by abc_123

Everyone seems to be talking about an "inexperienced" O3. Seems to me that he is commenting only on his area of knowledge and not going beyond that. He is an O/C at a training center and he is commenting both on Armor and Infantry tactics that he has observed at the company level and below. To me he is well within his lane.

The last time I was in the big conventional Army (1st CAV) was in 1994. We no shit went to the field doing ARTEPS and STX lanes at the SQD and PLT level a lot and then went to the field some more with BN and BDE. Maintenance and equipment status was treated with the seriousness that SHARP and GAT training is now. NTC was a fight vs a peer enemy and a high-threat event for the whole chain of command. Yes it was a "training" event and mistakes were expected, but it was well known and expected that blatant dumbassery or unpreparedness would cause heads to roll within the chain of command. I'm not sure if it is like that now.

However, as also pointed out, company level tactics are the easiest to fix. A couple of training iterations and those junior people will adapt and get their shit figured out. What I don't know is if our schoolhouses are doing them any favors and really teaching them to fight a peer and not simply how to play whack-a-mole and drink chai with the locals. The percentage of Junior officers and NCOs that are combat vets are dwindling, and even those with experience in AFG and IQ, their experience is less and less a benefit (and may be more of a hindrance) as they move up to higher levels.

The real issue is at BN and BDE level... where most of the "on the FOB" experience needs to be un-learned and much of the military industrial complex pushed, space and enemy unconstrained ,equipment and operating procedures... need to be shit canned. How many BDEs or BNs in the Army today could run an analog TOC or jump it and run out of a collection of vehicles (S3, FSO etc.) back up together. BN is the hardest... THey must be able to provide C2 and support to a company commander under a poncho (or in his vehicle) while interfacing with BDE and Higher and all their micromanagement systems.... and do so while in enemy artillery range. Yeah if I had multiple stars on my shoulders I would not be sleeping well.

Concur. Unequivocally.

[WarriorDiplomat]

Originally Posted by glebo

Well, as least he stated an opinion. Sometimes the truth hurts??? But, being an O-3, with who knows what experience, at least he said what's on his mind...

Often of which I see not with some of todays LDRS, O's and NCO's....seems they want "status quo".... At least here in SWC anyway...

I agree the status quo problems have driven the truth to power narrative....I don't disagree with the CPT but he more than likely committed career suicide by putting the United States on blast especially with the tensions we have with Russia. Kind of hard for a President to project power to our enemies when a military officer discredits your military publicly as inept on a peer to peer level.

If he is a true believer and he is getting out anyway then good on him we IMO have to sometimes embarrass are brass IOT get their horsepower to fix things that everyone knows is broken.

I think it is a shame that our Generals have levels of careerists below them clouding the reality IOT further their own careers. Kind of like the females in combat arms issue god forbid any would say it was a bad idea without getting fired and we wonder why we have an issue with capitulating careerist and truth to power???Funny enough Saddam Husseins military leaders did the same thing leading up to OIF, the sheer amount of deceit out of fear of Saddams response to the issue allowed to the point of propping up armament they knew was junk or broken to create the illusion of the 4th largest and therefore 4th most powerful military in the world. For crying out loud each soldier actually had 10 rds per man except the Republican guard they were props nothing but numbers on the invasion and many were starving because of lack of logistics no wonder they surrendered without fighting some of them anyway.

[Pericles]

Originally Posted by Peregrino

Concur. Unequivocally.

Indeed - that was probably the post of the month, and we still have half of the month to go. Conventional force units trying to do COIN is almost certain to lose the ability to fight conventionally at BN and BDE level.