TRADOC Pam 525-3-7-01 - TRADOC - U.S. Army

TRADOC Pam 525-3-7-01“Bravo 33, Bravo 3, acknowledge my last.”Nothing. “Crap!” Wilson shouted, seeing the word appear on the screen with a questionmark on the send button.The two vehicles were close to three hundred meters apart. How to get Deans’ attentionwithout a voice message? Wilson swore under his breath thinking how stupid it was to mistakean eight for a six. He wiped the screen clean, which he should have done earlier Just then, itdawned on him that he could fly his Wasp unmanned aerial system to Deans and send thecorrection on the laser. Could he do it fast enough? He passed his gloved hand over the righticons spinning up a Wasp and keying in the instruction to home to Bravo 33 and beam the newTRP. “Come on baby,” he whispered, figuring about 45 seconds flight time.The Wasp lifted off the FSV-G rear deck and shot over the ground at less than five metersover the terrain. Wilson held his breath counting the seconds knowing that Deans was halfwayto six and disaster. “Come on, dammit! Get there!” The words dutifully appeared awaiting histouch to be sent. He touched erase and told his driver to roll, slaving the driver’s picture to hisdesignated position. He poised his thumb over the push to talk button ready to break radiosilence. Losing twenty points on the range sucked, but letting one of his crews get suckerpunched for his mistake just didn’t cut it.“Br…,” he started to say without fully depressing the button when the screen read “TRP 8,Roger!”Qualification on Gunnery Table 8 is an Army regulatory requirement for all Abrams tank andBradley fighting vehicle crews. It is a truly demanding rite of passage for today’s armor andinfantry Soldiers. In this fictional account, the Army has upped the ante making what was tougheven tougher. This story points out the relationship between officers and NCOs and the rigorousand demanding training the future Modular Force will continue to require. It demonstrates aswell that the old saws, “It ain’t rocket science,” and “This isn’t brain surgery,” for the futureSoldiers no longer apply. It is science and it does require the precision of surgery. Theprofession of arms is now and will increasingly be a true calling. Lifelong study does not occurin the months or years from entry into service to the requirement for new officers and NCOs toapply the kinds of skills necessary to the serious business of war. The Army must start theirpreparation as early as possible and get it right or the consequences to the U.S. are too painful toconsider.25