The Euro NATO Training Engineer Centre: your international engineer school

Engineer: The Professional Bulletin for Army Engineers, July, 2002 by Frank Major Akins, Benjamin Sergeant First Class Addison

Since 1977, the Euro NATO Training Engineer Centre (ENTEC) in Munich, Germany, has provided engineer interoperability training to increase efficiency between military engineers of NATO and its partner nations during peacetime and war. The current focus is primarily engineering interoperability challenges within peace support operations from squad to division level.

ENTEC is organized into four cells (see figure), which are powered by 14 primary instructors, ranging from sergeants first class to lieutenant colonels:

* Tactics and Doctrine Branch--provides instruction pertaining to tactics and doctrine, including input for development of Standardization Agreements (STANAGs).

* Mine/Countermine and Demolitions Branch--focuses on training related to mine/countermine equipment, mine and booby trap threat, and demolition equipment used and encountered by ENTEC member nations.

* General Engineering Branch--concentrates on military bridging, combat engineer and construction equipment, reconnaissance, and base camp construction.

* Military Engineer Consultancy--collects and catalogs current engineer lessons learned and provides them, upon request, to NATO nations. This cell is also an excellent source of information concerning national engineer force structures and organizations.

Levels of Instruction

ENTEC conducts four levels of course instruction per year: Instructor's Course, Platoon Leader's Course, Company Commander's Course, and Battalion Commander's Course. ENTEC also provides mobile training teams to units upon request.

Instructor's Course

This 2-week course is designed to promote and improve engineer interoperability at squad leader through platoon leader levels. It is the "bread-and-butter" course, encompassing a maximum amount of hands-on training with classroom instruction. When engineers complete this course, they can teach soldiers mine awareness, international explosives use, demolition target folder preparation, demolition mission handover/takeover, barrier control and execution, international engineer lessons learned, and how to obtain international military engineer assistance on a moment's notice.

Platoon Leader's Course

This week-long course promotes and improves engineer interoperability at platoon and company levels by introducing officers and noncommissioned officers to engineer operational and tactical interoperability challenges and how to overcome them. Through a combination of classroom and team instruction, map exercises, and hands-on training, students gain an understanding of the characteristics and capabilities of each ENTEC nation in demolition, bridging, combat engineering, and construction equipment. Students become familiar with mine/countermine equipment employed across NATO and gain an understanding of correct policy and procedures for training on and employment of antitank and antipersonnel mines. This course is more tactically oriented and less technically focused than the Instructor's Course.

Company Commander's Course

This course promotes and improves interoperability at company to battalion levels by introducing officers to the engineer operational and tactical procedures of all participating nations. Instructors provide orientation to several force-projection missions and discuss international lessons learned. Guest speakers from several ENTEC nations discuss experiences in combat and peacekeeping operations. The focal point of this course is an in-depth map exercise that facilitates planning for a multinational, out-of-sector mission, encouraging officers to solve complex problems in an international working-group environment. Students are introduced to common interoperability challenges and how to overcome them. They receive a brief orientation on demolitions, bridging, combat engineer, and construction equipment from each ENTEC nation and the important characteristics and capabilities of each. Various social functions during the course encourage students to interact with their multinational colleagues.

Battalion Commander's Course

This course promotes and improves engineer interoperability at battalion and brigade levels by introducing officers to the engineer operational and tactical procedures of all participating nations. Guest speakers discuss recent experiences in combat and peace-support operations and provide lessons learned. An in-depth map exercise on out-of-area contingency operations is the main vehicle of learning. The ENTEC staff introduces officers to common interoperability problems and how to overcome them. A guided tour of Munich, museum visits, and a semiformal dinner increase interaction among officers from the various nations. There is also a VIP Day during the course that provides an opportunity to meet with many national engineer school officials and see some of the latest engineer equipment available on the worldwide market.

Training Aids

A series of training aids increases multinational interoperability effectiveness: a 10-language Combat Engineer Dictionary CD, bilingual handbooks, a one-stop source for international engineer lessons learned, an Engineer Platoon Leader's Handbook, and more. Instructors participate in NATO standardization working groups pertaining to combat engineering interoperability issues, as well as other activities to promote engineering interoperability.