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FORT BRAGG, N.C. – It's well-documented the U.S. Army and U.S.
Army Reserve Best Warrior Competitions increase individual readiness
for the Soldiers competing, however it also improves unit readiness
for those involved with planning and support, which Gen. Robert B.
Abrams, commander of the U.S. Army's Forces Command, said is his
number one priority.
Training guidance from Abrams stressed
that all training events must have a direct correlation to
individual and unit readiness and that's the underlying intent for
the 2016 U.S. Army Reserve Best Warrior Competition being held here
May 2-5, said Sgt. Maj. Paul J. Klikas, operations and training
noncommissioned officer in charge for the U.S. Army Reserve Command
based here.
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April 30, 2016 - Private Selena Moore, human resources specialist
with the 518th Sustainment Brigade, explains the XM-2 simulator to
Staff Sgt. Joshua Owens, a drill sergeant with the 108th Training
Command, at Range 68 at Fort Bragg, NC in preparation for the 2016
U.S. Army Reserve Best Warrior Competition May 2-5. This year's Best
Warrior Competition will determine the top noncommissioned officer
and junior enlisted Soldier who will represent the U.S. Army Reserve
in the Department of the Army Best Warrior Competition later this
year at Fort A.P. Hill, Va. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Christina Dion)
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“The individual supporting tasks, which support the collective
task of executing the BWC, enhance many of our Soldiers' skill-level
one and two tasks, which include mission command, mission planning,
risk assessments, vehicle and weapon familiarization and operation,
and staff management,” said Klikas. “If you are participating in an
exercise, whether an overseas deployment training exercise, combat
support training exercise, Best Warrior, etc., if it is not
enhancing or improving readiness, then stop doing it. If it doesn't
facilitate readiness, reevaluate your training methodology and
create a training plan which is designed to improve readiness.”
For the past nine months Sgt. 1st Class Aaron Butler and Sgt. 1st
Class Casey Martin, both BWC noncommissioned officers in charge,
planned the U.S. Army Reserve Command-level competition under the
leadership of Klikas.
Part of the planning process includes knowing the tasks and
skills laid out in current programs of instruction, which get
updated periodically. For example, Martin explained that some POIs
used in what he calls “hip-pocket training” were updated in the past
18 months. Most of the drill sergeants here on site went through
drill sergeant school more than two years ago.
Additionally,
many arrived realizing they haven't honed their skills in all areas
as much as they needed, such as with some of the weapon systems.
Sgt. David Brown, a drill sergeant with the 98th Training Division,
108th Training Command, said that it's been several years since he
worked hands on with a few of the weapon systems included in this
year's competition.
These weapon systems are not readily
available at the unit level which makes staying proficient a
challenge. As NCOIC of the weapon systems lane, Brown said that it's
imperative that he and his team be proficient in all of the systems
before the competitors arrive.
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April 29, 2016 - Drill sergeants with the 108th Training Command
demonstrate the proper technique performed during the Army Physical
Fitness Test in preparation for the 2016 U.S. Army Reserve Best
Warrior Competition. These soldiers are provided support for the
competition at Fort Bragg, NC.. This year's Best Warrior Competition
determines the top noncommissioned officer and junior enlisted
Soldier who will represent the U.S. Army Reserve in the Department
of the Army Best Warrior Competition later this year at Fort AP
Hill, Va. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Tynisha Daniel)
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Not all of the support staff are drill sergeants, but
that doesn't mean other Soldiers involved aren't getting
good training as well.
It takes bus drivers to move
Soldiers, administration personnel to complete
behind-the-scenes accountability and tracking, and leaders
from all different military occupational specialties to run
an event of this size.
“The BWC is a
collective training task for the support staff engaged in
executing mission command,” Klikas said. “Additionally, the
individual tasks, which support the collective task, will
not only contribute to mission success but will also serve
as a combat multiplier for those Soldiers returning to their
home station.”
He added the training they receive
during the BWC will give them more confidence at the unit
level which translates to executing a variety of skill-level
tasks. This confidence leads to a better training venue and
thereby individual and unit readiness.
“Stop to think
about what happens each morning when we get up and we start
a unit movement,” he said. “Being in charge of a formation,
moving Soldiers, maintaining accountability. These are all
trainable, testable tasks. Here, we are taking a lot of
individual tasks and combining them into a collective
training event called the Best Warrior Competition,
developed to select the most qualified noncommissioned
officer and enlisted Soldier in the United States Army
Reserve.”
By U.S. Army Sgt. Christina Dion
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2016
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