Not Just a Big Truck
5TH GROUP SOLDIERS AND MECHANICS TRAIN ON THE MRAP.
by Major April N. Olsen
“A lot of people think it’s just a big truck,” Chief Warrant Officer 4 Todd Simmons said of the mine resistant ambush protected vehicle, or MRAP. “It’s a large vehicle. You gotta get in, be taught how to drive it, get a feel for it,” he said. “That’s the thing you need to do when not in combat ops.”
Simmons, the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) maintenance officer, said that is why the group is conducting 12-day training sessions with the MRAP mobile training team over two months while at home station at Fort Campbell, Ky.
Involved with training soldiers on the MRAP since the initial fielding to Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Arabian Peninsula began earlier this year, Simmons said, “Part of my job is to make sure people use equipment correctly.”
After the group headquarters returned from its most recent deployment at CJSOTF-AP, Simmons sought to continue the training efforts at home station.
USSOCOM uses mostly RG-33 MRAP vehicles acquired from BAE Systems. The USSOCOM variant has a remote weapons station (RWS), additional seating, a rear door assist and integration of command and control systems.
All RG-33 vehicles carry protection against improvised explosive devices, anti-personnel mines, small arms and heavy machine gunfire. As with other MRAP vehicles, the RG-33 has a V-shaped hull design to deflect explosions away from its crew.
Department of Defense increased orders for the MRAP, which has multiple variants manufactured by various companies, after the vehicle’s increased survivability was identified as a way to protect soldiers from the threat of IEDs.
When the RG-33s with the USSOCOM variant began arriving in theater during 5th Group’s rotation, a structured training program was still being developed, Simmons said, due to the compressed acquisition and fielding timeline.
“We trained about 150 [soldiers] downrange in CJSOTF-AP,” Simmons said. Most of those trained were Green Berets on Operational Detachment Alphas, or ODAs. The mobile training team trained an additional 200 in the last three to four months of the rotation, he said.
As the vehicles arrived in sets of 10 to 12, Simmons said they flexed vehicles out to training teams to get operators working out of remote locations trained and licensed. However, training on new equipment while deployed is not practical, he said, citing that special operations units do not receive the same transition time that conventional units receive while in theater. “Based on experience level, our guys go directly into where they’ll be working,” Simmons said. “There are no final training days in Kuwait.”
Downrange, Special Forces ODAs are in operations with no time to pause to train up on new equipment, he said. That is why the group is making such a push to train now.
“When you’re training a complex system, you can’t have distracters,” Simmons said. “We’re trying to provide them as much driving experience as we can while we’re here, on various terrains and give them a real feel for how it maneuvers.”
The training being conducted by the MRAP MTT at 5th Group is mostly hands-on. Students receive basic classroom instruction to familiarize them with the MRAP, RWS and forward looking infrared (FLIR), followed by hands-on practical exercises, driving and firing live rounds using the RWS. Mechanics receive additional automotive maintenance training as well.
John Terry, the new equipment training director from BAE, said the same basic POI is used for all USSOCOM elements.
“A soldier completing the NET training meets all Army driving requirements for this piece of equipment,” he said.
Terry said the familiarization class includes instruction on the panels inside the vehicle—“Where it is, what it is and what it does.”
The driving portion of the familiarization class includes basic driving, cone drills, maneuverability, precision driving, up-grades and side slopes, casualty evacuation and rollover drills. Even changing a tire involves specific training since MRAP tires weigh more than 400 pounds and requires use of an attached crane.
Chief Warrant Officer 5 Mark Fagin, the senior maintenance officer for USSOCOM, oversees the maintenance and logistics side of the MRAP training program.
Fagin said receiving feedback from users and implementing lessons learned into the training program of instruction is a continuous process. It involves not only operator input on vehicle capabilities but also building sustainability such as automotive maintenance and developing the training program itself.
USSOCOM, which uses its own program of instruction (POI) for MRAP training, routinely shares lessons learned from SOF in combat theaters of Afghanistan and Iraq with conventional Army forces for implementation in their training.
“Our POI is ahead of the Army for MRAP training,” Fagin said. “A lot of what we’re training is being incorporated by other services.”
“In the past, we were not so good about fielding [new equipment],” he said. A lot of times training was dictated by a program manager who provides oversight for acquisitions.
“What we did with the MRAP was out in a cooperative environment,” Fagin said. “BAE developed the POI with input of the user. They incorporated that feedback into the NET [new equipment training] POI.”
Fagin said that a benefit of developing a training POI with user input gives the actual users a sense of ownership and, in a way, adds credibility to the training.
“This program is unique,” Simmons said. “Because of how quickly it was put together … because of our involvement in the NET training.”
“The training team is very receptive to our needs,” Simmons said. “They are willing to facilitate what it is we want to do inside the [USSOCOM] POI.” The training team includes trainers from BAE for the driving and automotive portions, TACOM for instruction on the RWS, other contractors for the FLIR instruction.
“Fifth Group developed the maintenance training piece,” Simmons said, because the NET POI did not cover maintenance.
Only mechanics receive the five-day automotive training.
David Garza, a maintenance instructor for BAE, said the automotive portion of the training is designed to give vehicle mechanics more hands-on experience with the MRAP.
“We show [mechanics] where the components are, how they work … how to troubleshoot … so it’s easier for them to come to the vehicle able to perform maintenance,” Garza said. “It saves time on the battlefield.”
Decreasing vehicle downtime is even more critical since manufacturers are still working to produce enough vehicles to meet DoD requirements, he said.
Many of the mechanical skills needed to keep the MRAP fully mission-capable are the same skills experienced wheeled vehicle mechanics already possess.
“If a mechanic has basic knowledge of wheels he can pick this up,” Garza said, citing the importance of the hands-on focus of the NET program. “More hands-on shows them the difference in an MRAP from an up-armored Humvee.”
The mechanics receive operator training so they can safely operate the vehicle in case they have to bring it in for maintenance, Garza said. While many of the automotive workings of wheeled vehicles are the same, Garza said mechanics need the driving familiarization of the MRAP since it is larger and significantly heavier than an up-armored HMMWV.
Although many students bring wheeled vehicle experience to the training, Garza relies on “hands-on instruction to get everyone on the same sheet.”
“Some guys pick it up fast,” Garza said. “So far, students like the simplified instruction.”
The hands-on instruction introduces mechanics to the components of the vehicle and identifies differences from other wheeled vehicles.
“The vehicle sustainability rate has increased because of the design,” Garza said. “It can take more damage.”
With the MRAP, a mechanic may be able to use trouble-shooting skills to identify deficiencies before performing maintenance.
“We show them what to disconnect rather than perform unnecessary work or perhaps cause more damage,” Garza said. “They learn to work on it the safest way,” Garza said.
“It’s just like your car; the more you know about it and take care of it, the longer it’s gonna last you,” he said.
BAE is currently developing an automotive maintenance course with input from 5th Group maintenance personnel. “If you look at the complexities of this system, there is a need for a maintenance focus,” Terry said.
“This vehicle saves lives … you want to keep this thing in the fight,” he added.
Noting that there have been accidents in MRAPs, Terry said his team works to incorporate lessons learned into training. “We identify systemic trends from the field to continually review and revise the POI to make sure it stays relevant and current,” Terry said. Simmons attributes the risk of rollover injury in an MRAP to a “lack of training.” “The vehicle weighs 40,000 pounds,” Simmons said. “You don’t just jump in a tank and think everything is gonna be okay—you have to spend a minute.”
For group, Simmons said the training emphasis is on 18-series—those Special Forces soldiers working on ODAs, who will be using the vehicles in combat operations. “Second priority is support soldiers who will be in a convoy role,” he said.
Coming to the end of the two-month block of training, Simmons is already working to improve 5th Group’s proficiency on the MRAP. “The next step is elevating the level of training,” he said. “Our desire is to have a set, maybe four or five, at each group—so teams can train their FMP [full mission profile] and we can maintain a drivers training capability.”
Since MRAPs are still being fielded to deployed units, extras are not available to field to units at home station, Terry said. His MTT brings a training set of MRAPs to the units they train. ♦
Simmons, the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) maintenance officer, said that is why the group is conducting 12-day training sessions with the MRAP mobile training team over two months while at home station at Fort Campbell, Ky.
Involved with training soldiers on the MRAP since the initial fielding to Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Arabian Peninsula began earlier this year, Simmons said, “Part of my job is to make sure people use equipment correctly.”
After the group headquarters returned from its most recent deployment at CJSOTF-AP, Simmons sought to continue the training efforts at home station.
USSOCOM uses mostly RG-33 MRAP vehicles acquired from BAE Systems. The USSOCOM variant has a remote weapons station (RWS), additional seating, a rear door assist and integration of command and control systems.
All RG-33 vehicles carry protection against improvised explosive devices, anti-personnel mines, small arms and heavy machine gunfire. As with other MRAP vehicles, the RG-33 has a V-shaped hull design to deflect explosions away from its crew.
Department of Defense increased orders for the MRAP, which has multiple variants manufactured by various companies, after the vehicle’s increased survivability was identified as a way to protect soldiers from the threat of IEDs.
When the RG-33s with the USSOCOM variant began arriving in theater during 5th Group’s rotation, a structured training program was still being developed, Simmons said, due to the compressed acquisition and fielding timeline.
“We trained about 150 [soldiers] downrange in CJSOTF-AP,” Simmons said. Most of those trained were Green Berets on Operational Detachment Alphas, or ODAs. The mobile training team trained an additional 200 in the last three to four months of the rotation, he said.
As the vehicles arrived in sets of 10 to 12, Simmons said they flexed vehicles out to training teams to get operators working out of remote locations trained and licensed. However, training on new equipment while deployed is not practical, he said, citing that special operations units do not receive the same transition time that conventional units receive while in theater. “Based on experience level, our guys go directly into where they’ll be working,” Simmons said. “There are no final training days in Kuwait.”
Downrange, Special Forces ODAs are in operations with no time to pause to train up on new equipment, he said. That is why the group is making such a push to train now.
“When you’re training a complex system, you can’t have distracters,” Simmons said. “We’re trying to provide them as much driving experience as we can while we’re here, on various terrains and give them a real feel for how it maneuvers.”
The training being conducted by the MRAP MTT at 5th Group is mostly hands-on. Students receive basic classroom instruction to familiarize them with the MRAP, RWS and forward looking infrared (FLIR), followed by hands-on practical exercises, driving and firing live rounds using the RWS. Mechanics receive additional automotive maintenance training as well.
John Terry, the new equipment training director from BAE, said the same basic POI is used for all USSOCOM elements.
“A soldier completing the NET training meets all Army driving requirements for this piece of equipment,” he said.
Terry said the familiarization class includes instruction on the panels inside the vehicle—“Where it is, what it is and what it does.”
The driving portion of the familiarization class includes basic driving, cone drills, maneuverability, precision driving, up-grades and side slopes, casualty evacuation and rollover drills. Even changing a tire involves specific training since MRAP tires weigh more than 400 pounds and requires use of an attached crane.
Chief Warrant Officer 5 Mark Fagin, the senior maintenance officer for USSOCOM, oversees the maintenance and logistics side of the MRAP training program.
Fagin said receiving feedback from users and implementing lessons learned into the training program of instruction is a continuous process. It involves not only operator input on vehicle capabilities but also building sustainability such as automotive maintenance and developing the training program itself.
USSOCOM, which uses its own program of instruction (POI) for MRAP training, routinely shares lessons learned from SOF in combat theaters of Afghanistan and Iraq with conventional Army forces for implementation in their training.
“Our POI is ahead of the Army for MRAP training,” Fagin said. “A lot of what we’re training is being incorporated by other services.”
“In the past, we were not so good about fielding [new equipment],” he said. A lot of times training was dictated by a program manager who provides oversight for acquisitions.
“What we did with the MRAP was out in a cooperative environment,” Fagin said. “BAE developed the POI with input of the user. They incorporated that feedback into the NET [new equipment training] POI.”
Fagin said that a benefit of developing a training POI with user input gives the actual users a sense of ownership and, in a way, adds credibility to the training.
“This program is unique,” Simmons said. “Because of how quickly it was put together … because of our involvement in the NET training.”
“The training team is very receptive to our needs,” Simmons said. “They are willing to facilitate what it is we want to do inside the [USSOCOM] POI.” The training team includes trainers from BAE for the driving and automotive portions, TACOM for instruction on the RWS, other contractors for the FLIR instruction.
“Fifth Group developed the maintenance training piece,” Simmons said, because the NET POI did not cover maintenance.
Only mechanics receive the five-day automotive training.
David Garza, a maintenance instructor for BAE, said the automotive portion of the training is designed to give vehicle mechanics more hands-on experience with the MRAP.
“We show [mechanics] where the components are, how they work … how to troubleshoot … so it’s easier for them to come to the vehicle able to perform maintenance,” Garza said. “It saves time on the battlefield.”
Decreasing vehicle downtime is even more critical since manufacturers are still working to produce enough vehicles to meet DoD requirements, he said.
Many of the mechanical skills needed to keep the MRAP fully mission-capable are the same skills experienced wheeled vehicle mechanics already possess.
“If a mechanic has basic knowledge of wheels he can pick this up,” Garza said, citing the importance of the hands-on focus of the NET program. “More hands-on shows them the difference in an MRAP from an up-armored Humvee.”
The mechanics receive operator training so they can safely operate the vehicle in case they have to bring it in for maintenance, Garza said. While many of the automotive workings of wheeled vehicles are the same, Garza said mechanics need the driving familiarization of the MRAP since it is larger and significantly heavier than an up-armored HMMWV.
Although many students bring wheeled vehicle experience to the training, Garza relies on “hands-on instruction to get everyone on the same sheet.”
“Some guys pick it up fast,” Garza said. “So far, students like the simplified instruction.”
The hands-on instruction introduces mechanics to the components of the vehicle and identifies differences from other wheeled vehicles.
“The vehicle sustainability rate has increased because of the design,” Garza said. “It can take more damage.”
With the MRAP, a mechanic may be able to use trouble-shooting skills to identify deficiencies before performing maintenance.
“We show them what to disconnect rather than perform unnecessary work or perhaps cause more damage,” Garza said. “They learn to work on it the safest way,” Garza said.
“It’s just like your car; the more you know about it and take care of it, the longer it’s gonna last you,” he said.
BAE is currently developing an automotive maintenance course with input from 5th Group maintenance personnel. “If you look at the complexities of this system, there is a need for a maintenance focus,” Terry said.
“This vehicle saves lives … you want to keep this thing in the fight,” he added.
Noting that there have been accidents in MRAPs, Terry said his team works to incorporate lessons learned into training. “We identify systemic trends from the field to continually review and revise the POI to make sure it stays relevant and current,” Terry said. Simmons attributes the risk of rollover injury in an MRAP to a “lack of training.” “The vehicle weighs 40,000 pounds,” Simmons said. “You don’t just jump in a tank and think everything is gonna be okay—you have to spend a minute.”
For group, Simmons said the training emphasis is on 18-series—those Special Forces soldiers working on ODAs, who will be using the vehicles in combat operations. “Second priority is support soldiers who will be in a convoy role,” he said.
Coming to the end of the two-month block of training, Simmons is already working to improve 5th Group’s proficiency on the MRAP. “The next step is elevating the level of training,” he said. “Our desire is to have a set, maybe four or five, at each group—so teams can train their FMP [full mission profile] and we can maintain a drivers training capability.”
Since MRAPs are still being fielded to deployed units, extras are not available to field to units at home station, Terry said. His MTT brings a training set of MRAPs to the units they train. ♦
Major April N. Olsen is the 5th SFG (A) public affairs officer.