News From USJFCOM: Urban operations training working group holds second meeting

Urban operations training working group holds second meeting

U.S. Joint Forces Command's Joint Urban Operations Training Branch continued the development of a cohesive approach to joint urban operations training during a recent meeting.

By JOC(SW/AW) Chris Hoffpauir
USJFCOM Public Affairs

(SUFFOLK, Va. - Oct. 3, 2005) -- U.S. Joint Forces Command's (USJFCOM) Joint Urban Operations (JUO) Training Branch advanced toward developing a more cohesive JUO training strategy when it hosted the recent meeting of the JUO Training Working Group at the Joint Warfighting Center (JWFC) in Suffolk, Va., in late August.

The JUO Training Branch established the working group to define requirements and develop the framework of a training strategy for conducting joint urban operations during major combat, stability, transition, and reconstruction operations. It held its first meeting in May and presented that meeting's results to the JUO Senior Advisory Committee (SAC) in late August.

According to JUO Training Branch military lead Army Lt. Col. Michael Whetstone, the group received guidance from the advisory committee to put together a basic proposal for what the JUO training strategy should be.

"We'd like to have a linkage to the Joint National Training Capability," Whetstone said, "and identify sites for joint task force urban training centers that deal with joint intergovernmental, interagency and multinational concerns."

"The way ahead now is to write the document, vet it through the services and combatant commanders and brief the SAC and work through the Joint Capabilities Board toward final approval from the Joint Requirements Oversight Committee," Whetstone said. "We are working to go beyond developing the training strategy to the acceptance and execution of it."

"In this next step we're going to identify where we'd like those training sites to be and what characteristics they need to have."

Whetstone said the document would also outline the group's proposals for the future of JUO training doctrine and a full range of academics that includes joint and professional military training. The training could be tailored to fit the needs of the services, for either on-site or distance learning.

"We've got a 14-module course that can be used all at once, or in sections as necessary, depending on the curriculum," Whetstone said. "Someone new to the military will have a completely different course than a senior officer or enlisted member."

Whetstone said the working group will also look at identifying joint and service training sites, ties to the Joint Training and Experimentation Network and the capabilities and characteristics each site needs to have.

"The aim is to get persistent sites that have a joint force training mission, enhanced by an experimental piece with supercomputer capability to help mission rehearsal and planning, and provide a venue for multinational, interagency, and special operations," Whetstone said.

"These sites would be multifunctional. They can be used for training, but you can also use them for real-world situations."

Whetstone also said multiple sites would offer flexibility, allowing the services to meet real-world needs while still maintaining the full range of experimentation and training capabilities.

"Right now we only have one set of everything here in Suffolk," he said. "The idea is for these sites not to be just for training, but for them to be complete joint interoperability and concept development and experimentation sites."