Field Artillery School

FA Journal, Nov-Dec, 2004

In the past two years, the FA Center and School have merged and the schoolhouse has revised or begun revising every officer, warrant officer and Soldier course taught at the Field Artillery School or FA Training Center. The purpose of it all--to make the FA Center and School better able to support Army transformation and the Field Artillery, Army, Marine Corps and America at war.

Reorganization of FA School. Because of resource limitations and the initiation of the Installation Management Activity (IMA), the FA Training Command and the Fort Sill installation staff merged. Most noticeable in the school reorganization is the merging of the Fire Support and Combined Arms Operations Department (FSCAOD), Gunnery Department and 30th FA Regiment into one headquarters. The 30th Regiment now provides the command and school staff structure for all the Soldiers and students assigned to the FA School.

A second result of this reorganization was reestablishing the Directorate of Training and Doctrine (DOTD), which has been merged with the functions of the post G3, and reestablishing the Quality Assurance Office. Also, the Joint and Combined Integration Directorate (JACI) was established to help the Chief of Field Artillery meet his joint fires and effects mission requirements in support of the contemporary operational environment (joint interdependence).

For more information on the FA Center and School reorganization, see the article "Transformation of the FA Center and School" in this edition.

CounterStrike Task Force (CSTF). The Office of the Deputy Commanding General/Assistant Commandant recently established the CSTF in support of the TRADOC Counter Rockets, Artillery and Mortars (C-RAM) effort to support our deployed forces and defeat the enemy indirect fire threat. The CSTF is the lead for several areas of this effort, to include: deny, sense, warn and attack. The CSTF also is very involved in integrating all efforts to ensure a holistic approach with a network-centric architecture to protect our forces and defeat the enemy. The task force is working with the Multinational Force I Effects headquarters led by BG Richard Formica, III Corps Arty, and a wide variety of military and civilian organizations in devising means to provide early warning of incoming rounds, improving and integrating multiple sensors and using lethal and nonlethal attack systems.

To contribute ideas or learn more about the task force, go to the secure website https://counterstrike.army.smil.mil. Some information also is available on the non-secure website http://sill-www.army.mil/counterstrike. Contact either COL(P) Mark Graham at 580-442-6604 or LTC Mike Borg at 580-442-5830 for additional information.

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FA Training Center. The FATC helped develop the Warrior Ethos training model currently in use by training centers across TRADOC. This program of instruction (POI) is for both basic combat training (BCT) and one-station unit training (OSUT).

Every initial entry training (IET) course at the FATC now has more realistic and demanding training in urban operations, tactical road marches, check point and security operations and more. Also, III Corps Artillery veterans of OEF or OIF speak to FATC Soldiers, reinforcing the training being conducted.

These and other improvements make the Soldiers trained by the FATC more capable of meeting the challenges of their first unit assignments.

NCO Academy. The FA NCOA is committed to training competent, disciplined, physically fit and highly motivated NCOs who have the Warrior Spirit and are firmly grounded in the seven core Army values. The NCOA has increased the relevancy in training by adding lessons learned from OIF and OEF into its courses.

The Primary Leadership Development Course (PLDC) annually trains approximately 1,000 students. The Academy has incorporated training on the contemporary operational environment, such as those in urban areas, for improvised explosive devices (IEDs), in convoys, for air casualty evacuation and for clearing buildings into PLDC FTXs and STX scenarios.

NCOA trains all FAMOS in the basic and advanced NCO courses and the FA distance-learning portion of the NCO educational system (NCOES)--2,483 FA students per year. The Academy also teaches the Battle Staff NCO Course and the First Sergeant's Course via distributive learning.

30th FA Regiment. The 30th Regiment has three battalions and the International Student Division (ISD) along with a staff to conduct all resident instruction in the FA School. Approximately 8,900 students received training from the 30th Regiment during FY04.

The regiment conducts IET and advanced course training for all FA officers and warrant officers as well as the advanced individual training (AIT) and the AIT portion of OSUT for nine 13 Series MOS and OSUT for two 13 Series MOS.

Initiatives ongoing are revisions to the officer basic and advanced courses POIs, emphasizing Warrior Ethos and lessons learned from OIF and OEF, and the addition of training on Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below (FBC[B.sup.2]) in both the officer and NCO basic courses and a Stryker Transition Course.