International Training
Written by Wes Delware and Tim Fox
MT2 2011 Volume: 16 Issue: 8 (December)
A two-man mobile education training (MET) team from Naval Education and Training Command Security Assistance Field Activity (NETSAFA) in Pensacola, Fla., went the extra mile by taking their training to the students in the Middle Eastern nation of Jordan.
The three-week international professional Enlisted Leadership (IPEL) course, attended by Jordanian soldiers, is designed to enhance leadership capabilities and professional development of senior non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and junior officers of U.S. international partners.
A high level of motivation and enthusiasm was evident throughout the training by the 15 soldiers selected to attend the course. They displayed extraordinary professionalism and dedication while learning about leadership, personality profiling, personal values, instructor training, international human rights, public speaking, counseling programs and subordinate mentorship. Each subject was covered in detail through classroom lecture, student exercises and battlefield studies. They particularly enjoyed the various team-building, critical thinking, battlefield studies and leadership exercises, and how these relate to NCO leadership development. At the end of each week, training reviews were used to evaluate whether the students were retaining the information being taught.
The IPEL MET is an extension of the longer six-week resident IPEL course taught at NETSAFA’s International Training Center (NITC) in Pensacola.
Geared toward senior enlisted and junior officers, the longer resident IPEL course focuses on management skills. It addresses leadership areas such as effective communication, decision-making, personality profiling, team-building, diversity awareness, instructor training, rule of law, worldwide military current events and physical fitness.
In addition to IPEL, NITC offers a wide range of courses that provide students fundamental academic skills and practical knowledge. The center is equipped with a state-ofthe- art specialized English training lab, classrooms and study/work rooms, computer labs with simulator and interactive computer instruction programs, and various specialized science laboratory classrooms. The training approach taken at NITC is to enhance learning through group and individual tutoring, interactive multimedia and computer simulation programs.
Students who attend the resident course leave the school equipped to conduct leadership training and to serve as a liaison for U.S. MET teams serving in their respective countries. Understanding that each country may have specific needs, the mobile IPEL course is custom built and is specifically designed for the host country. Course content reflects the requirements and preferences identified and agreed to by that country. Prior to the IPEL commencing, a one-week assessment of Jordanian capabilities and level of understanding was conducted.
As a part of the assessment, Jordanian enlisted trainers were taught and certified to train their own personnel on a leadership reaction course (LRC).
The LRC is an obstacle course that has been used as a key component of U.S. and international military leadership training for many decades. LRC training has been a very successful part of the resident (IPEL) courses held at NITC.
Before testing their skills on the LRC, the students were given a familiarization briefing. They were then broken up into teams and sent on the reaction course’s three challenges: Shock and Awe, Walled In, and Gorge of Doom. Each segment of the challenge uses simulated dangerous situations on the obstacle course. Leaders must know the skills and capabilities of their individual team members, and use appropriate communications and problem solving skills to successfully navigate the course.
During Shock and Awe, each team must move their people over a blown bridge with two exposed high-voltage electrical cables and a rushing river below. After crossing the river, they have to carry their gear and a heavy ammunition can containing intelligence material that has to be delivered to the challenge’s headquarters. Ground rules prohibit team members from touching the water or cables, and the mission has to be completed in 15 minutes or less.
The Walled In challenge simulates a helicopter crash behind enemy lines. To get back to safety, a team must cross a double-walled security fence that is booby-trapped with an electrical wire on top. The ground between the fences is also mined. The goal is for each team to get over the double fence with their gear without falling, touching the wall, the electrical wire or the ground, within 15 minutes. Materials made available included pipes, rope and a 4-by-4 board that can be used to help get over the walls.
During the last obstacle, the Gorge of Doom, each team is sent to rescue an injured pilot from a downed aircraft. The unconscious pilot, a 160-pound mannequin, must be carried across a deep gorge with a single cable strung across to reach the rescue helicopter on the other side. The goal is to get the team, their gear, and the injured pilot across the cable to safety within 15 minutes. Trainees are not allowed to touch the sides of the gorge or fall from the cable.
Enthusiasm for the LRC is evident by what students have written in the courses feedback form: “What really made a lot of the material stick in my mind were the LRC exercises. Not only did we learn about leadership in the classroom, but we were able to practice these lessons in real life situations and I feel that this was a key to the whole learning experience. I feel that the LRC course was an absolutely great way to learn.”
After being assessed and becoming certified to train their own personnel, the Jordanians used the skills they had gained to design a training package for their specific MET that covered topics they felt would be most beneficial to their country’s armed forces’ specific needs.
The IPEL METs can vary in length from one to five weeks and can be offered to general audiences or to specifically targeted pay grades from E-5 to O-2. MET curriculum can be provided in English or the language desired by the host country using simultaneous translation and instructors who speak the required languages.
Feedback from the Jordanian soldiers was universally positive with many comments on how the training will help them better serve their nation and their military.
The dynamic world situation of the 21st century has made a significant impact on military forces worldwide. Combating the war on terror and striving for a secure peacetime environment, military professionals are called upon to carry out an ever-expanding range of military, law enforcement, deterrent and humanitarian missions. Because of the inherent nature of these new objectives, many of these important efforts must be conducted independently by relatively small units of military personnel. Hard-learned experience dictates that small unit operations of this type absolutely require the highest levels of leadership, decision-making ability and training. IPEL was specifically developed to meet these new challenges. The leadership and professional development the students receive helps them become more effective members of their country’s national security and substantially enhances the role senior enlisted leaders can play in their unit’s and force’s mission accomplishment.
For more information on the IPEL Resident Course and METs go to www.netsafa.navy.mil ♦
Wes Delware, Naval Education and Training Command Security Assistance Field Activity International Training Center civilian instructor, retired chief aviation electronics technician, and Tim Fox, master chief hospital corpsman.