Should 915A's go directly to WOAC?

I hear you. When I attended WOBC, I was told that since WO1s won't be going to heavy brigades, we don't need M1, M2 training. My first unit 4/1AD. I was significantly behind because I came up a 63B. I immediately started asking the senior warrants what right looks like when it comes to the world of tanks and bradleys. I got into the TMs and spent a significant amount of time with the LARs. After 17 years of service, my opinion is that NCOES/WOES will never prepare us for every type of unit but it does teach us how to research and that is all we really need.

Great post, Mr. Winston. I would like to take a moment and put some perspective on your comments. I am the outgoing Lead to the Armament and Track section for WOBC/WOAC 915A. I attended my WOBC over 16 years ago and was both challenged and highly disappointed back then. Several things that we did that challenged me and were developmental are no longer included in the course. These are the exact same things you believe belong in the course today. We culminated a long management phase with an exercise called "mock motorpool". I have had students for the last 3 years asking for that. This is a valid and highly excellent (Bad English) point to be made. I will let you all in on a secret. Money drives the train. Simple as that! The more the social experiment of the politicians takes place in the Military, the more classes to teach people how to like that which they know is morally or ethically wrong, eats up the time (money) required to provide these classes you ask for. We have fought very hard over the last three years to move hours around to modernize much of the training and get it out of a rut that it had been in for over 17 years. You were the recipient of some of that. We can not expand any more as Congress and the President are cutting our budget so much and still requiring us to train with more info, less time, fewer assets, fewer instructors, fewer training hours and increased PC courses that eat up warfighter time. It is more enraging for the instructors than you are feeling as we have our hands tied. Add to this dilemma that the bureaucracy for changing lessons or content is huge and there is massive complaining without a willingness to make change. This lies on both the 915A/E's in service as well as CASCOM/OD School/ALU/TLC and the components (i.e.: AC/RC, USAR, ARNG). I would submit to you in an attempt to correct a big portion of this, PARTICIPATE IN THE CTSSB! That is the Critical Task Site Selection Board. YOU must do this. Anyone that is not satisfied with the content must get involved. Be substantive. You are working for all 915's at this point. What you need is not exactly what others need. It is a generic and limited approach to what is to be trained. This carries enough weight to force the CASCOM to adjust on timelines and show proof of compliance when this board convenes. I personally sat on one and can tell you that from when I sat on one in 2009 (and those results were blown off completely and comprehensively) to now (2012 and future) the results drive the train. Training hours are money and that won't change. Total cost allowed minus mandatory (Congressionally mandated) training leaves the short window we have to teach you a year and half's worth of training required. Add to that over 9 MOS's as feeders and vastly varying skills, you have a serious problem. Are you beginning to see the difficulty?
Now, what do we teach? Traditionally, we taught platforms (M1, M2, M109, Wheels, etc.). This was most ineffective. You need skills, techniques, and understanding at an advanced level that make you cross-platform successful. NICE?! How much time is that gonna take and how much does it cost? Sorry, limited funds! OK, Change the training method and content within the time available, DONE! Now students are more challenged but upset why they have to learn on track equipment when they only have wheels in the USAR/ARNG units. (Frustrated yet?)
We don't have multiple POI's (Programs Of Instruction). RC component won't move into the new updated POI because they don't want to give up the time required. We don't teach museum equipment anymore (old POI) which is what RC says is all they will pay for. HMMMMM!!!!. There are some excellent CW5's working tirelessly on your behalf to correct this but with the wall of resistance they face, is taking much time. You must raise this up to your bosses forcefully or you will be held in an office complaining for time to come. Understand? CTSSB!!!
I have exhausted the reader attention now and will stop. If you would like more information or process for this or to understand what takes so long (as it doesn't have to), you may ask me offline: [login to see] . If there is something to share, we can post it for others to see and read. I will let you all know that I did start out as a cocky 63B (91B) in 1986 and now looking back can see where school was the correct training venue and in other cases, hard knocks was more appropriate. Please forgive the long droning but this is a sore subject with most of the instructors as well as the students in the TLC.

Jack

I feel your pain, but the only thing you could do now is relay on your network and senior warrants, most likely you were a senior NCO before you crossed, the things you will do from now till you go WOAC are not new for you, the difference now is that you are responsible for making then happen, don't relay on WOAC to do your job we are the networking beast that's were you get your knowledge.