How To Train
Your Squad
A Training Guide for Infantry Squad Leaders
Lieutenant M.M. Obalde USMC
May 1998
Updated February 2001
Table of Contents
Section 1: What are My Training
Responsibilities?
What are My Training
Responsibilities?
Who Supports Me?
Guidelines for Training
Section 2: What Tools Support My Training?
What Training Needs to be
Done?
What are Individual Skills?
What are Collective Tasks?
How Do I Use References?
Section 3: How Do I Conduct Training?
How Do I Train Individual
Skills?
How Do I Train Collective
Tasks?
How Do I Conduct Leadership
Training?
How Do I Evaluate My Squad?
What is Opportunity
Training?
Tips for Training
This
booklet was prepared in accordance with the following publications:
·
MCRP
3-0A: Unit Training Management Guide, Washington, D.C., HQ USMC,
November 1996
·
MCRP
3-0B: How to Conduct Training, Washington, D.C., HQ USMC, November
1996
·
FM
25-101: Battle Focused Training, Washington, D.C., Department of the
Army, September 1990
Section 1
What are My Training Responsibilities?
What are My Training Responsibilities?
Train Your Marines. As a Squad Leader, you must train the Marines you lead. Everything you do should prepare your squad
for combat.
Train Individual Skills. Train your Marines to perform Individual Skills.
You are the
primary trainer for the Individual Skills of your Marines.
Train Collective Tasks. Along with the other
commanders in your chain of command, you train your squad to execute Collective
Tasks.
Train Your Fireteam Leaders. In combat, all leaders must be prepared to command units one
level above their own. Train your
fireteam leaders to command the squad in your absence.
Train Yourself. The Squad Leader is the Primary Warfighter in the Marine
Corps. You must be a Tactician, a
Decisionmaker, and a Leader. You need to be well educated and well trained. In
addition to formal schooling, you must take the initiative to train yourself.
You must be a self-learner and a self-starter.
Who Supports Me?
As
a Squad Leader, you execute the training plan. Ideally, you can expect the
following support:
At the Platoon Level. The Platoon Commander is responsible for all platoon training. He assigns squad tasks and establishes
platoon Standing Operating Procedures (SOPs).
The Platoon Commander will lead live-fire, field training, and
supporting arms exercises. The Platoon
Commander is the primary evaluator for the combat readiness of your squad.
Your
Platoon Sergeant will assist you in conducting and evaluating your training. He
will also help you determine what resources you need for training. As a former Squad Leader, your Platoon
Sergeant has experienced the same challenges you now face. Seek his advice and ask him questions. His experiences have taught him what works
and what does not.
At the Company Level. The Company Commander is
responsible for all company training. He selects missions and creates the
company training plan. The Company Commander is the primary evaluator for the
combat readiness of his platoons.
The
Company First Sergeant assists the Company Commander in evaluating his
Marines. His experience and advice can
be a valuable asset to your training.
The
Company Gunnery Sergeant handles all the logistical needs of the company. All training requests are addressed to him.
As a former Squad Leader, the Company Gunnery Sergeant can advise you in
training your squad.
Guidelines for Training
You
are responsible for ensuring that your training meets the following guidelines.
Train as you Fight! Ensure realism. The
combat environment is harsh, unforgiving and unpredictable. Simulate casualties, the loss of leaders,
and bad communications. Train in
difficult conditions.
Train for Combat! Make training real and make it relevant. Your training must support your unit’s
missions.
Train as a Combined Arms
Team. Train as a unit. Maintain relationships with frequent attachments. Work and train as units both in the field
and in garrison.
Train with the Marines you
have. In combat, you will never have all your
Marines available every day. Train with
those you have.
Use Performance-Based
Training. Ensure your Marines can perform their tasks to standard. Train for mastery of the fundamentals. Train to standard, not to time. Marines learn best when they are trained by
practical application.
Train to Maintain Skills. Once proficiency is achieved, it must be maintained. Skills must be continually practiced.
Train on All Levels at the
Same Time. Training should be progressive. Advanced
training requires the execution of basic tasks. Collective training requires Marines to perform Individual
Skills.
Section 2
What Tools
Support My Training?
What Training Needs to be Done?
At the Company Level. The Company Commander selects a company-level
mission and creates a training plan to prepare for this mission. He assigns each Platoon Commander multiple
platoon missions to support the company mission.
At the Platoon Level. The Platoon Commander trains his platoon to execute
his assigned missions. He assigns each
Squad Leader the Collective Tasks and Individual Skills that the Marines must
know to support the platoon mission. A single company mission may require four
or five platoon-level tasks, twelve to twenty squad-level tasks, and possibly
75 to 100 individual tasks.
At the Squad Level. The company training schedule indicates what
training you will have to perform.
Study the Collective Tasks and Individual Skills you have been assigned,
and then decide what additional
Individual Skills and Collective Skills will be required for your mission.
Your
squad may be tasked to act as guides for a night attack, conduct a daylight
security patrol, and act as the point element of a movement to contact. These missions require training in many
Individual Skills and squad Collective Tasks.
For each Individual Skill, determine who needs the training. Some skills are required by all hands, while
some skills are billet-specific.
Concentrate on common skills. Many Individual Skills are
common to all of your missions. These
skills have priority. Once they have
been mastered, you can begin to train for the skills that apply to a single
mission.
Eliminate Weak Links. After determining which skills will be required for upcoming
missions, test your squad’s proficiency at performing the tasks required by
those missions. Concentrate training on
the tasks where your squad is weakest.
Recommend Training. If the company training schedule does not support your training
needs, or there is no time for squad training on the schedule, tell your
Platoon Commander. The company training
schedule needs your input.
Ask for time! Ask your Platoon Commander for time to train your squad. He knows that your training must succeed in
order for his objectives to be met. You
are providing the backbone of training for your Marines. Any time designated as
NCO time can be used for training.
Conduct training on your own time, outside the schedule, or after being
released by the platoon.
Keep your Marines
Informed. Tell your Marines when and
where training will occur, and what will be expected of them, so they can
prepare themselves. On the battlefield, knowledge is as powerful as
firepower. The fighting spirit of your
Marines requires information.
What are Individual Skills?
Individual
Skills are those tasks performed by a single Marine. These basic skills must be
mastered before more complex Collective Tasks can be attempted. Individual skills cover combat techniques as
well as equipment and weapons.
What are Individual Training
Standards? Individual Training Standards (ITS) define
performance standards for individual skills.
Individual Skills for infantrymen are outlined in MCO 1510.35C, Individual Training Standards for the Infantry
(Enlisted) Occupational Field (OCCFLD) 03. The ITS for a particular skill allow you to
give proper instruction and then evaluate your Marines’ performance. ITSs describe the tasks to be performed, the
conditions under which the task is to be performed, and the standard to be
met. The performance steps for the task
are listed, as well as any administrative instructions necessary. Finally, a reference to a training manual is
given. Example ITSs are:
TASK 0300.3.2
ASSEMBLE THE AN/PRC-119 SINCGARS RADIO
TASK 0300.8.4
TIE KNOTS
TASK 0311.2.1
ZERO THE M249 SAW
Commanders
can adjust published standards to meet training requirements. For example, TASK
0300.8.4, TIE KNOTS, requires mastery of thirteen knots. You may determine to
train your Marines on only four of these knots.
Commanders
can also adjust the conditions under which a task is to be performed. Marines
familiar with a task should be expected to perform it under tougher conditions
— in the dark, in the rain, with less time. Marines just learning a task will
perform it under easier conditions. Remember, when learning a task, the standard always remains the same.
The conditions get tougher.
ITSs
for all Marines are outlined in MCO
1510.89 Ch1, INDIVIDUAL TRAINING STANDARDS (ITS) SYSTEM FOR MARINE BATTLE SKILLS
TRAINING (MBST) VOLUME 1 - ENTRY LEVEL. Individual skills for all NCOs and SNCOs are outlined in MCO
1510.90, INDIVIDUAL TRAINING STANDARDS (ITS) SYSTEM FOR MARINE BATTLE SKILLS
TRAINING (MBST) VOLUME 2 - CORPORAL THROUGH GUNNERY SERGEANT. These two training orders apply to the
entire Marine Corps and all MOS’s. These orders are only secondary sources for infantry training.
The
new MCO 3501 Marine Corps Training and Readiness Manual for Infantry Units
(T&R) will define individual Training Standards for infantrymen. This
manual will soon completely replace the 1510.35C.
What are Collective Tasks?
Collective
Tasks are team tasks. Collective Tasks
require Marines to perform multiple individual tasks simultaneously for a
single purpose.
As
a Squad Leader, you are responsible for training your Marines to work as a
team. Efficient teamwork stems from
your squad’s experience in working together.
Each Marine must know his individual tasks, and how these tasks fit into
unit collective tasks.
Squad Missions. The missions your squad receives are not standardized in any
Marine Corps publication. The same
mission is never executed the same way twice.
As a leader, you must determine how best to execute a mission based on
your estimate of the situation and your knowledge of your unit’s capabilities.
Training manuals provide only general guidance for collective tasks:
Conduct a Security Patrol
Establish a Roadblock
Battle Drills. Battle Drills are standardized
methods for executing small unit collective tasks. Battle Drills are detailed responses to specific situations that
must be conducted instinctively on a short, simple command or signal. Battle
Drills must be practiced until their execution becomes instinctive.
Weapons Drills for crew served weapons are
a type of Battle Drill. No Weapons
Drills apply at the rifle squad or platoon level. Weapons Drills are standardized in training manuals:
M240G Gun Drill MCWP
3-15.1
Immediate Action Drills are standard responses to
enemy action which are published in both training manuals as well as unit
SOP’s:
Immediate
Assault MCWP 3-11.6
Other Battle Drills are based on unit
SOPs. In many cases, no published
standard exists for these tasks. You
will then be responsible for creating your own Battle Drills:
Establish Squad Perimeter Unit SOP
Conduct Heart-shaped Recon Unit SOP
Standards for Collective
Tasks. Besides Marine Corps standards, unit SOP’s
and published Battle Drills will aid you in evaluating your squad. In some cases, you may have to develop the
standards on your own.
The MCCRES order, MCO 3501, currently sets standards
for collective tasks. The new MCO 3501 Marine Corps Training and Readiness
Manual for Infantry Units (T&R) will set standards for collective tasks
for infantry units. This manual will soon completely replace the 1510.35C.
Section 10-C sets Fire Team collective standards, Section 10-D sets squad
collective standards, and Section 10-E sets platoon collective standards.
The U.S. Army collective standards are defined in
ARTEP 7-8-MTP Mission Training Plan for the Infantry Rifle Platoon and Squad.
These standards are well written and can provide ideas for Marine Corps units.
How Do I Use References?
Squad Leader References. All rifle squad leaders in the Marine Corps should own the
following references:
·
MCWP
3-11.5: Marine Infantry Squad, Formerly FMFM 6-5 Marine Rifle Squad
·
MCWP
3-11.6: Scouting and Patrolling, Formerly FMFM 6-7 Scouting and Patrolling for
Infantry Units
All
rifle squad leaders in the Marine Corps should be familiar with, and have access
to, the following references:
·
Bn
Orders: Platoon, Company and Battalion SOPs.
·
MCO
1510.35C: INDIVIDUAL TRAINING STANDARDS (ITS) SYSTEM FOR THE INFANTRY (ENLISTED)
OCCUPATIONAL FIELD (OCCFLD) 03
·
MCO
3501: Marine Corps Training and Readiness Manual for Infantry Units
(T&R)
Other Training Publications. Many other training publications explain Individual Skills and
Collective Tasks. They describe the use
and care of weapons and equipment. They can be used to create notes for
training.
Your
Platoon Commander or Platoon Sergeant should have frequently used training
manuals and all unit SOPs. If not, check with the Battalion S-3 Training NCO or
Training Officer. Marine Corps, base, and unit training orders are maintained
by the battalion.
Training
orders are easily found on the Internet. Marine Corps training publications can
be found on the TECOM web site. Army publications can be found on their TRADOC
web site.
“Its not in any pub!” You may be tasked with creating SOPs and Battle Drills for your
own squad. The Marine Corps has few
standards for conducting Battle Drills, but guidance for various tasks are
contained in many references. When you
cannot find a reference to help you develop a standard, ask your peers for
ideas. Your Platoon Sergeant and
Platoon Commander may be able to gather written procedures from other units to
aid you.
Section 3
How Do I Conduct Training?
How Do I Train Individual Skills?
Prepare Training. Once you have been assigned an Individual Skill to train or have
selected one of your own, find an established standard for the Individual
Skill. If no standard exists, write
your own using a training manual.
Ensure that you can meet the standard.
Plan
a creative way to present the skill. Rehearse. Create training aids that will
help your Marines understand the skill.
Be sure that your Marines have the weapons and equipment needed for you
to conduct training.
Present Training
State the task, conditions and standards. This is the most important step.
The Marines must know the standards
that they are expected to meet.
Demonstrate the task as you explain it.
Have each Marine perform the task. Marines learn best with
practical application. Walk them
through the skill. Observe performance
and correct mistakes. Allow the Marines
to practice the task on their own.
Evaluate Training. All individual training concludes with an evaluation. Ensure that
each Marine meets the established standard.
How Do I Train Collective Tasks?
Battle
Drills, which include Crew Served Weapons Drills, Immediate Action Drills and
other SOP Drills, are best trained using the following building-block
approach. However, any Collective Task
can be trained with this procedure.
Prepare Training. Once you
have been assigned a Collective Task to train or have selected one of your own,
find a reference from a manual or a unit SOP.
Ensure
that all Marines possess the necessary Individual Skills and equipment required
by the task.
Present Training
Talk-Through. State the standard and method for evaluating the task. Explain to your squad what steps need to be
performed and the sequence of the steps.
Have your Marines execute the task as you explain it once again. The task should look as if it were being
conducted in slow motion. Ask each
Marine what he is going to do before he does it. This will help you correct mistakes and reinforce success. It also lets other Marines know what each
member of the squad is doing. Once the
steps have been mastered, the task is performed as a whole.
Walk-Through. Also known as the dry run. On command, have the Marines execute the
task at a pace slow enough that you can spot and correct mistakes. Perform the Walk-Through on flat, open
terrain.
Run-Through. By this time the Marines should be able to
perform the task without hesitation. As
your Marines become better at performing the task, make the conditions more
difficult. Add smoke, darkness,
battlefield noises, realistic terrain, and simulated casualties. Practice different variations. Correct any
mistakes on the spot.
Platoon Training. Since you will be leading most squad-level tasks, your Platoon
Sergeant and Platoon Commander are also responsible for training your squad in
collective tasks.
Evaluate Training. Company-level Field Exercises test Collective Tasks under
realistic conditions. This is an
opportunity to observe how your unit performs as a whole. The Company Commander is the best evaluator
of the performance of your squad.
Entire missions, which require many Collective Tasks to be performed,
are executed and evaluated.
How Do I Conduct Leadership Training?
You
are the primary role model for your Marines.
Everything you do is Leadership
Training. Prepare your fireteam
leaders to take on greater responsibilities.
Take a step back and allow your fireteam leaders to run the squad. Imagine how the unit would operate if you
became a casualty.
Have
them help you conduct inspections, PT, and individual training. Use Tactical Decision Games (TDGs) to help
develop their decisionmaking capabilities.
Continually challenge them with unusual problems to force them to react
under stress.
Give
your Marines role models to emulate.
Familiarize them with the exploits of great Marine leaders. Include
yourself in this category by leading by example.
How Do I Evaluate My Squad?
Training
is wasted without effective evaluation.
Evaluating your Marines’ proficiency is the only way to meet published
standards. Evaluations test not only
your Marines, but also your abilities as a trainer.
Use Performance-Oriented
Evaluations. Performing a task under realistic conditions
is the only way it can be fully
evaluated. Written and oral tests are not effective means to measure
training. Performance-Oriented
Evaluations usually follow this sequence:
Restate the Task, Conditions, and Standards. Make the standards clear to every Marine so that he knows exactly
what is required of him. Have all
necessary equipment on hand.
Conduct the Evaluation. Use a realistic combat scenario to drive the evaluation. Observe and evaluate. Compare the Marines’ performance to the
training standards. Marines either pass
or fail. There is no middle ground.
Retrain. Retrain any
Marines who do not meet the standard.
Train to standard, not to time.
Report Results. Report the results of your evaluation to your Platoon
Commander. Recommend any changes that
could be made to improve training.
Train to Standard! All published standards represent the baseline skills required of
Marine infantrymen. When conducting
training, do not simply present the information and practice the skill. You must ensure that each Marine meets or
exceeds the published standard. Your
Platoon Commander and Company Commander will also evaluate your squad’s
capabilities.
What is Opportunity Training?
Opportunity
training is a vital part of
squad-level training. It is important
that you can effectively train in the field, because it is often the only way
training is conducted in combat. Opportunity Training is also known as “hip-pocket” training or concurrent
training. During training exercises,
unscheduled time is always available.
Rather than waste this time, take advantage of these lulls with “hip-pocket”
instruction to meet your training
requirements.
Take the Initiative! Your squad is your responsibility. You must drive training. You know what skills need to be trained.
Save training time later by using your time now. Take advantage of any opportunity that appears. After an exercise, rather than simply clean
weapons and wait for the trucks, take that time to train.
Demand Independence. You need independence to conduct your own training. If your Platoon Sergeant wants you to police
the training area when you had planned to train your Marines, inform him of
your intentions.
Keep it Simple. Just because the opportunity to train was unexpected does not
mean that you should be unprepared. The
key to Opportunity Training is to select and prepare tasks before you go into the field.
Opportunity Training should last only 15 to 30 minutes. Focus on a single task that can be taught
with the equipment you have on hand.
Focus on weapons, gear and fieldcraft.
“Not Another Class!” Opportunity Training does not have to take the form of a lecture.
Use your imagination. Task one of your
Marines with an Opportunity Training session.
In the field, select a Marine to demonstrate a unique skill or piece of
equipment.
Tips for Training
Grab your Marines’
Attention. Motivate them. Make them want to learn by showing how the training is relevant
to them.
Inform your Marines. State the purpose of the training and what standards they must
meet. Tell them how they will be evaluated.
Use Examples and Analogies. Explain the subject
simply. Use combat examples. Give your Marines something that will stick
in their minds.
Use Training Aids. You do not need high-tech training aids. Use the equipment the Marines will be
working on.
Involve your Marines. Ask questions throughout your instruction. Keep their minds working. Keeping them involved.
Be Animated. Move around when you teach. Be confident and make eye contact.
Use Practical Application. Hands-on training is the best way to master a task. Squads do not
listen to “lectures” or attend “classes.” They train on combat tasks.
Review the Material. Have your Marines backbrief the subject to you to ensure that
your message got through.
Use Military History. Military history shows how
humans act under the pressure of combat.
Military history can sharpen tactical decisionmaking skills and
demonstrate what a unit is capable of in combat. Books and films about men in combat can inspire your Marines.
Use TDGs. TDGs are an easy way to improve you and your Marines’ tactical
decisionmaking skills. Tactical
decisionmaking is a skill that requires constant practice.
Think Better, Fight Better. Train your fireteam leaders to make tactical decisions following
the same fundamentals you do. This will
prepare them to fill your position. Challenge your Marines. Hit them with unexpected problems and see
how they react under stress.
Train Yourself. Use TDGs to help sharpen your ability to employ the squad
effectively in combat.
Use STXs. Put your squad in an actual scenario on a piece of terrain. How would you defend it? How would react if the enemy attacked from various
directions? Picture yourself attacking the position. What are the best avenues of approach? How would I surprise the enemy? How would I use supporting arms?
Focus on success. During training it is important to learn from mistakes and
failures. Mistakes and failures should
be expected, but should always be corrected.
If you are going to do something, do it until you get it right.
Don’t Waste Their Time. Use training time effectively.
Make all training realistic, relevant, and exciting.
Challenge your Marines! Marines learn better when they are motivated.
Hold Competitions. Healthy competition between
individuals and units helps build proficiency and teamwork.
Give your Marines Challenges. Push your squad to exceed its limits. During evaluations, make the conditions harder while maintaining
the standard. Units who successfully
meet challenges show greater pride, self-confidence, and esprit de corps.
Conduct Cross-Training. Challenge your Marines to learn new skills. Cross Training allows
different units to work together and display their hard-won skills while
learning about each other’s missions.
Reward your Marines. Good training and excellent performance deserve recognition. Do
not forget to reward the hard work of your Marines.