Leadership Insight: T2's Proponent's
Written by Marty Kauchak
Editor’s note: MT2 interviewed Dr. Sam Kleinman, deputy under secretary of defense (readiness) and Dan Gardner, his director, readiness and training policy and programs, during I/ITSEC. The interview, below, addressed a wide range of policy issues.
Kleinman established a number of fiscal year 2009 goals that will strengthen his training portfolio. At the top of Kleinman’s list was the continued success and viability of the Combatant Commanders Exercise and Engagement Training Transformation (CE2T2) account. “We’re interested in getting maximum value out of it, making sure it’s being used for the purposes Congress intended it to be used,” Kleinman said.
During this fiscal year, the office of DUSD/R (ODUSD/R) is also focused on the development of the next generation training strategy— in coordination and conjunction with the 2009 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR)—and continuing to build upon the success of worldwide training partnerships within the United States and with coalition partners.
BEYOND GOALS
Language and culture training, multilevel security and improved adaptability of the department’s leaders in joint training are current topics most likely be included in the next QDR. Gardner also predicted the QDR’s drafters will address training in chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive management, information operations and cyberspace missions, and in support of the whole-ofgovernment and whole-of-nation constructs. “‘Whole of government’ means federal agencies as partners,” explained Gardner. He continued, “With ‘whole of nation’ you bring in the intergovernmental, private volunteer and nongovernmental organizations, and industry partners—this is the Integrated Operations moniker and strategy we also came up with.”
While DoD has successfully expanded training into the multinational domain, the department’s efforts with other partners remain a work in progress. “We established the Senior Leader Roundtable to strengthen our training partnerships with the U.S. agency for International Development and the U.S. State Department,” said Gardner. The roundtable has grown to upwards of eight agencies, including the U.S. departments of Commerce, Justice, Transportation, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, and the U.S. Institute for Peace. “It’s all about looking at ways we can train together—to integrate our training as effectively as possible.”
One initial success from the intradepartmental dialogue is the certification and qualification of non-DoD role-players for department- sponsored joint training events.
DoD’s Training Transformation (T2) program will remain a funded, viable effort into the early years of the Obama administration. T2 will continue to provide the department with a persistent, live, virtual and constructive training environment for integrated operations on a 24-by-7 basis—with global reach. “This [T2] has always been strongly supported by Congress. While this is a new Congress, it will continue to support it and be vocal on behalf of it. I see the program going forward,” Kleinman said.
Near-term milestones on the T2 program’s horizon include the early 2009 release of a transition White Paper. Envisioned for publication with the 2009 QDR is an updated T2 Strategy document that will lay the foundation for future training strategy.
Reflecting on the state of T2, Kleinman pointed out, “There is no question that training is joint.” And he noted, “We have reached out to other agencies—USAID, the State Department.”
Kleinman also cited observations from his recent trip with Gardner to visit with U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan. “We see the use of the Internet, or the feedback mechanisms and lessons learned, where the people in theater are exchanging information with people back here at the training commands. They are talking on a regular basis, asking, ‘What are you doing to solve this problem?’ And that leads right into our training in the states. It’s very real—we’re using that and taking advantage of that.”
ADL
Under the oversight of ODUSD/R, the Advanced Distributed Learning program has enjoyed significant success in setting the technical specifications for online learning. The Sharable Content Object Reference model (SCORM) continues to be embraced as a key element for learning management system interoperability with more than 130 SCORM-certified tools and applications.
“Changing markets and emerging tools for education and training have been evaluated, and additional functionality will be integrated into our next SCORM update to be published in March 2009 as the fourth edition, SCORM 2004,” Gardner said.
Kleinman pointed out ADL’s successes with its international partners, when he recalled that the community “is working with NATO member nations to bridge SCORM and S1000D—the technical document specification that enables changes in technical documents to be posted immediately to courseware and job performance appliances.” ♦