UNIT: MILITARY TRAINING EXERCISES

Discussion:
“The more you sweat in peace time, the less you bleed in combat.”
Reading:
The business of warfighting and training for combat is inherently dangerous. Mistakes happen. Leading soldiers
is an awesome responsibility and every day is not guaranteed to be smooth and fun.
An exercise is collective training designed to develop proficiency and teamwork in performing tasks to
established standards. Exercises also provide practice for the performance of supporting critical leader and soldier
individual tasks. Exercises are used to train leaders under the most realistic simulated battle conditions and/or other
mission-unique conditions and to verify and validate unit Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTP) used during the
mission being trained.
Leaders ensure that soldiers and units are trained realistically to cope with the complex, stressful, and lethal
situations that they will encounter in war. Commanders do more than manage training. Their personal presence and
involvement demonstrate to all that training is the number one priority. Battalion commanders train company
commanders, company commanders train platoon leaders, and so on. Commanders and leaders train the trainers. Training
must conform to Army doctrine.
All training should be performance-oriented. Tasks are performed to meet standards, not merely to occupy the
time programmed on the training schedule. The unit wartime mission is the basis for the development of tasks and the
specific standards to which each task must be executed.
The cornerstone of today's Army is the combined arms team. Combined arms proficiency develops only when
teams are habitually associated in training exercises. Cross-attachment of units and routine employment of the full
spectrum of combat, combat support, and combat service support functions must be regularly practiced.
Once units have trained to a required level of proficiency, they must sustain it. To sustain proficiency,
commanders must continuously evaluate performance and design training programs to correct weaknesses and to
reinforce strengths. Training must be challenging. The pride and satisfaction gained by meeting training challenges
increase both the capacity and motivation for further challenges.
Exercises are designed to improve mission capability by training units and/or staffs as functional elements of the
organizational level being exercised. Integration of battle simulations is key to successful exercise play. Use of battle
simulations are encouraged where consistent with the goals and objectives of the exercise.
Through the use of high-tech equipment, realistic scenarios, training units discover their strengths and
weaknesses as they can nowhere else in the world except in real combat.
Field exercises are used to improve the readiness of battalion and brigade-sized units.
Comprehension Activities
Task 1 Match the two halves in order to obtain correct sentences:
a. An exercise is collective training 1. to meet standards.
b. Exercises are used to train leaders 2. be performance – oriented.
c. Soldiers and units are trained realistically 3. continuously evaluate performance and design training
programs to correct weaknesses and to reinforce
strengths.
d. All training should 4. under the most realistic battle simulated conditions.
e. Commanders and leaders train 5. to cope with the complex, stressful and lethal situations
encountered in war.
f. Tasks are performed 6. the combined arms team.
g. The cornerstone of today’s Army is 7. correct weaknesses and to reinforce strengths.
h. Commanders design training programs to 8. designed to develop proficiency and teamwork.
i. To sustain proficiency, commanders must 9. the trainers.
Task 2 Match the verbs with an appropriate noun/ noun phrase.
Verbs Noun/ noun phrases
to develop standards
to meet strengths
to sustain performance
to reinforce weaknesses
to improve teamwork
to correct proficiency
to evaluate mission capability
Task 3 Now make up sentences using each phrase from task 2.
e.g. Training exercises are designed in order to develop teamwork.
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Task 4 Read about four types of training exercises and match the description with the corresponding name from the list
provided: FTX – Field Training Exercise, CPX – Command Post Exercise, STX – Situational Training Exercise,
CFX – Command Field Exercise.

A _____________ is short, scenario-driven, mission-oriented, limited exercise designed to train one collective task, or a
group of related tasks or battle drills, through practice. They are used for training and evaluation, especially sustainment
of task proficiency. This type is a more focused training exercise that can be used to support training of the staff in the
performance of their collective tasks related to the battalion’s wartime mission.
An ________________ is high-cost, high-overhead exercise where the entire battalion and its supporting combat support
and combat service support units deploys to field locations to conduct tactical operations under simulated combat
conditions. While it supports the training of the battalion staff, this form of training is rarely accomplished by a battalion-
sized element due to today's resource constrained environment.
A ___________________ is a medium-cost, medium-overhead training exercise that may be conducted in garrison or in
the field. It is the most common exercise used for training the battalion staff, subordinate, and supporting leaders in order
to successfully plan, coordinate, synchronize, and exercise C2 over operations during mission execution. In garrison, a
_____ is an expanded MAPEX, using tactical communications, both digital and analogue, systems and personnel in a CP
environment. Normal battlefield distances between the CPs are usually reduced, and CPs do not need to exercise all
tactical communications.
The most effective _____ are conducted in the field. In field operations time-distance should realistically reflect Army
doctrine and Mission, Enemy, Troops, Terrain, and Time Available (METT-T). Operations should be continuous and
support the use of all communications equipment. Commanders can practice combined arms integration and tactical
emplacement and displacement of CPs. Each headquarters should practice survivability operations such as dispersion,
camouflage, and security.
A ____________ lies on a scale between a CPX and an FTX. A ___ is an FTX with reduced combat units and vehicle
density, but with full C2, CS and CSS elements. It is considerably less costly than an FTX, yet provides equal training
value for the staff.
Task 5 Answer the questions:
1. What exercises can be conducted in the field?
2. What exercises can be conducted in the garrison?
3. What military exercises have you participated in?
4. How many troops took part?
5. Where did the exercise take place?
6. What was the scenario for the exercise?
7. What type of exercise is designed to
a. train one collective task or group of tasks or battle drills?
b. conduct tactical operations under simulated combat conditions?
c. train the battalion staff, subordinate and supporting leaders to plan, coordinate, synchronize and exercise C2?
d. exercise full C2, CS and CSS elements with reduced combat units and vehicle density.
Vocabulary:
 To conduct an exercise/ to carry out
 To cope with / to deal with/ to face
 nearly/ roughly/ approximately/ about
 To meet standards/ objectives/ requirements
 To achieve/ attain proficiency
 To accomplish/ fulfill a mission
 To perform a task

Task 6 Translate into English:

a. Soldații trebuie să îndeplinească sarcinile la standardele stabilite.
b. Comandanții planifică activități de instrucție pentru a forma spiritul de echipă și pentru a îmbunătăți abilitățile
individuale de luptă.
c. Trebuie să îndeplinim toate cerințele pentru a ne califica.
d. Pentru a asigura succesul exercițiului, trebuie îndeplinite toate obiectivele.
e. Batalionul 47 Comunicații și Informatică a fost subordonat Brigăzii 103 pe durata exercițiului multinnational.

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