Best armour officer training: US or Australia?

[Panzer_Leader]

A deliberately provocative title but it's a US officer who poses the question.  Very interesting to see an article in the current edition of ARMOR magazine comparing basic armour officer training of the Australian and US armies from a US Armor LTC and exchange posting to the Australian Army's School of Armour as senior tactics instructor for the past two years: http://www.benning.army.mil/armor/eARMOR/content/issues/2016/JAN_MAR/1Buckeye16.pdf

Edited May 4, 2016 by Panzer_Leader

[Grenny]

None of the 2,

Germany

[Marko]

 I prefer soviet method of leadership if you win a battle it was a glorious victory, if you lose a battle it was a glorious defeat.

All joking aside that was an interesting article. looks like the lessons of history need to be remembered.

 

 

[Apocalypse 31]

"SOArmd produces competent, confident cavalry- and tank-platoon leaders who are prepared to lead a platoon in combat upon graduation. ABOLC does not do this"

 

Says he. I graduated ABOLC on 1 March and a month later I was in downtown Baghdad as a Platoon Leader. I suppose that individual experiences may vary.

[Grenny]

1 hour ago, Apocalypse 31 said:

"SOArmd produces competent, confident cavalry- and tank-platoon leaders who are prepared to lead a platoon in combat upon graduation. ABOLC does not do this"

 

Says he. I graduated ABOLC on 1 March and a month later I was in downtown Baghdad as a Platoon Leader. I suppose that individual experiences may vary.

As always. And sometimes training and student just don't match.

[Major duck]

1 hour ago, Apocalypse 31 said:

"SOArmd produces competent, confident cavalry- and tank-platoon leaders who are prepared to lead a platoon in combat upon graduation. ABOLC does not do this"

 

Says he. I graduated ABOLC on 1 March and a month later I was in downtown Baghdad as a Platoon Leader. I suppose that individual experiences may vary.

 

I think another question would be, could you have been better prepared, say by doing it the Aussie way, it is after all a fairly senior us officer that is saying it, not an Australian one.

And could the best and biggest army in the free world be improved (I know i am provoking but its to get you to think about that guys message not to take you guys down)

Quote

Our tactics training for new Armor lieutenants is insufficient

If you read his conclusion and recommendation he wants to help the US army do something that he has seen abroad that he thinks is better, and that he thinks the us army lacks And/or are not doing good enough.

 

 

And i completely agree with Grenny 

[Apocalypse 31]

4 hours ago, Major duck said:

 

I think another question would be, could you have been better prepared, say by doing it the Aussie way, it is after all a fairly senior us officer that is saying it, not an Australian one.

And could the best and biggest army in the free world be improved (I know i am provoking but its to get you to think about that guys message not to take you guys down)

 

I hear you - but he's also part of a program being hosted by the Australian Army. I highly doubt he would be critical of their program. Their program might be better - he makes some good points in the article - but to say 'better prepared for combat' is an un-provable statement. 

 

1 - 'Combat' is an abstract term. The author obviously doesn't think that COIN is combat. There are some officers who only refer to combat as decisive action - tank on tank combat.

2 - As proof, how often are Australian armor LTs deploying to combat zones? Probably not nearly as much as their US counterparts. As I type this, there is an armor officer preparing to either join his unit in a combat zone or deploy with his unit. This isn't a knock on Australia's involvement in the GWOT. I've been deployed three times, and at least two of those deployments I worked with Aussies. Great group. Perhaps if this argument was made for Infantry officers it would hold more water. 

 

Perhaps if the author said that the Australian course does a better job training/testing/evaluating its students and preparing them to join the regular force I'd be more inclined to agree. 

[Gibsonm]

22 minutes ago, Apocalypse 31 said:

I hear you - but he's also part of a program being hosted by the Australian Army.

 

???

 

He's there as an Exchange Officer. Just like we have people in US / UK / NZ / CA / ... establishments.

 

He isn't "sponsored" by us or anything.

 

Edited May 6, 2016 by Gibsonm
Added the ABCA bit