Over the last two months, an officer exchange program between the U.S. Army and the British Army occurred at Fort Leavenworth and the U.K. Defence Academy, Swindon, England.
Many in the community may not realize it, but this exchange was the resumption of an exchange program with roots that stretch back decades. The exchange between the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the British Intermediate Command and Staff Course - Land seeks to educate respective majors in the operations of the reciprocal forces. It is critical that we understand the inner workings of each of our militaries as the British are an essential ally in the War on Terror.
In mid-June, more than 160 British majors arrived at Fort Leavenworth to attend a two-week joint level training exercise with their American counterparts in CGSC Intermediate Level Education class 2010-02. The exercise examined the intricacies between the American and British models of mission development and planning.
The U.S. Military Decision Making Process and the British 7 Questions have many similarities and a few differences, but overall, they both strive to provide the commander with the best plan to accomplish his mission. The understanding of our allies’ planning processes is essential because of the joint nature of our operations in today’s environment as well as operations conducted in the past.
After the British returned home, the U.S. students chosen for the reciprocal exchange to the U.K. continued their preparations. The curriculum for the U.S. students included a comprehensive study of Operation Market Garden in September 1944. The joint operation conducted across Holland was the largest airborne operation in history, consisting of three airborne divisions dropped across three objectives and reinforced by an armored corps.
Field Marshall Montgomery and his staff developed the plan over seven days in September 1944 to create a salient in the German lines and finish the war before Christmas. The U.S. 101st Airborne Division dropped over the Eindhoven area, the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division secured the Nijmegen area and the U.K. 1st Airborne Division with the 1st Polish Airborne Brigade assaulted the Arnhem area. Simultaneously, the U.K. XXX Corps broke out of its lines along the southern border of Holland to reinforce the airborne divisions and exploit the capture of the respective bridges to continue the assault on Nazi Germany.
Because of several significant lapses in planning, a single route of advance and the lack of appreciation for German resistance, the operation failed. The purpose of the staff ride to the Market Garden battlefields was to understand where the joint planners made their mistakes to avoid repeating them.
In late July, the contingent of 16 U.S. students departed for Swindon for the second phase of the exchange, where they attended class with their British counterparts for 10 days at ICSC-L. This phase of the exchange focused on future wars and conflicts, as well as a course on the integration of British forces into U.K. home defense. The U.S. students worked as part of a British brigade planning team responding to a fictional environmental disaster off the coast of western England. The U.S. students gained an appreciation for the small scale of the U.K. forces and the budgetary constraints under which they must operate.
Many of the issues that the British military struggles with are the same that the U.S. must cope with, only on a different scale. Transformation, over-commitment, deployment schedules, budget cutbacks, training restrictions and counter-insurgency are all issues discussed on a daily basis. We may be different militaries, but we have many of the same concerns.
During the second week of the European exchange, the U.S. and U.K. students traveled to Arnhem and Nijmegen for the Operation Market Garden battlefield staff ride. This phase of the exchange presented the opportunity to discuss the operation with our allies, to hear from veterans who survived the operation and to walk the ground over which our forefathers fought 66 years ago. For the U.S. students who studied the execution of Market Garden, it was an excellent opportunity to link historical lessons learned with current operations, as well as to see where the battle actually took place. Many of the challenges presented to the planners in 1944 are still applicable on today’s battlefield.
The U.S./U.K. exchange program is a great opportunity to develop strong ties between our militaries. The joint environment in which we operate requires that we maintain interoperability between our forces and that we fight alongside our allies. The U.S. and U.K. have maintained an alliance for more than 100 years in order to maintain our way of life. Exchange programs like this are an exemplary method to ensure the strength of our alliances for years to come.
Editor’s note: Maj. Eric Halstrom is a student in Intermediate Level Education class 2010-02 at the Command and General Staff College.
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Over the last two months, an officer exchange program between the U.S. Army and the British Army occurred at Fort Leavenworth and the U.K. Defence Academy, Swindon, England.
Many in the community may not realize it, but this exchange was the resumption of an exchange program with roots that stretch back decades. The exchange between the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the British Intermediate Command and Staff Course - Land seeks to educate respective majors in the operations of the reciprocal forces. It is critical that we understand the inner workings of each of our militaries as the British are an essential ally in the War on Terror.
In mid-June, more than 160 British majors arrived at Fort Leavenworth to attend a two-week joint level training exercise with their American counterparts in CGSC Intermediate Level Education class 2010-02. The exercise examined the intricacies between the American and British models of mission development and planning.
The U.S. Military Decision Making Process and the British 7 Questions have many similarities and a few differences, but overall, they both strive to provide the commander with the best plan to accomplish his mission. The understanding of our allies’ planning processes is essential because of the joint nature of our operations in today’s environment as well as operations conducted in the past.
After the British returned home, the U.S. students chosen for the reciprocal exchange to the U.K. continued their preparations. The curriculum for the U.S. students included a comprehensive study of Operation Market Garden in September 1944. The joint operation conducted across Holland was the largest airborne operation in history, consisting of three airborne divisions dropped across three objectives and reinforced by an armored corps.
Field Marshall Montgomery and his staff developed the plan over seven days in September 1944 to create a salient in the German lines and finish the war before Christmas. The U.S. 101st Airborne Division dropped over the Eindhoven area, the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division secured the Nijmegen area and the U.K. 1st Airborne Division with the 1st Polish Airborne Brigade assaulted the Arnhem area. Simultaneously, the U.K. XXX Corps broke out of its lines along the southern border of Holland to reinforce the airborne divisions and exploit the capture of the respective bridges to continue the assault on Nazi Germany.
Because of several significant lapses in planning, a single route of advance and the lack of appreciation for German resistance, the operation failed. The purpose of the staff ride to the Market Garden battlefields was to understand where the joint planners made their mistakes to avoid repeating them.
In late July, the contingent of 16 U.S. students departed for Swindon for the second phase of the exchange, where they attended class with their British counterparts for 10 days at ICSC-L. This phase of the exchange focused on future wars and conflicts, as well as a course on the integration of British forces into U.K. home defense. The U.S. students worked as part of a British brigade planning team responding to a fictional environmental disaster off the coast of western England. The U.S. students gained an appreciation for the small scale of the U.K. forces and the budgetary constraints under which they must operate.
Many of the issues that the British military struggles with are the same that the U.S. must cope with, only on a different scale. Transformation, over-commitment, deployment schedules, budget cutbacks, training restrictions and counter-insurgency are all issues discussed on a daily basis. We may be different militaries, but we have many of the same concerns.
During the second week of the European exchange, the U.S. and U.K. students traveled to Arnhem and Nijmegen for the Operation Market Garden battlefield staff ride. This phase of the exchange presented the opportunity to discuss the operation with our allies, to hear from veterans who survived the operation and to walk the ground over which our forefathers fought 66 years ago. For the U.S. students who studied the execution of Market Garden, it was an excellent opportunity to link historical lessons learned with current operations, as well as to see where the battle actually took place. Many of the challenges presented to the planners in 1944 are still applicable on today’s battlefield.
The U.S./U.K. exchange program is a great opportunity to develop strong ties between our militaries. The joint environment in which we operate requires that we maintain interoperability between our forces and that we fight alongside our allies. The U.S. and U.K. have maintained an alliance for more than 100 years in order to maintain our way of life. Exchange programs like this are an exemplary method to ensure the strength of our alliances for years to come.
Editor’s note: Maj. Eric Halstrom is a student in Intermediate Level Education class 2010-02 at the Command and General Staff College.
