NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In a recent ceremony, 37 Soldiers from across the Army graduated from one of the many observer controller/trainer courses held by the 84th Training Command’s OC/T Academy in Nashville, Tenn.
The academy's mission is simple: Train and cultivate expert Observer Controller/Trainers (OC/Ts) who will advise leaders at home station and at deployment mobilization centers to assist in orchestrating the transformation of the Total Army Force. Through doctrine and standardized training, the academy utilizes unit training management, after-action reviews, partnership, readiness, and training assessments to instill doctrinal expertise and hone essential OC/T competencies. Upon graduation, warfighting advisors forge cohesive, combat-ready units prepared to deploy and achieve decisive victory.
Army Master Sgt. Keyon Satterthwaite, 84th Training Command, G35-G37 accreditation, and assessment NCO, is one of the instructors for the recent graduating class. Satterthwaite estimated he’s taught over 45 OC/T classes. He expressed the importance of the work OC/Ts do once they graduate.
“OC/Ts are important because they give you an outside look at how your unit performs at different tasks, and they are very objective. Not only are they objective in giving feedback, but they are also subject matter experts in doctrine,” said Satterthwaite.
OC/Ts are subject matter experts in doctrine, so they can be objective and give units a clear picture of what they are doing correctly and what they can do to meet standards.
The training step of the process begins at a reserve unit’s home station. Commanders, training officers, and training noncommissioned officers (NCOs) put together a training schedule for their unit. These training schedules, once executed, will help the unit as a whole move toward readiness. At the same time, OC/Ts attend training such as the OC/T Academy in Nashville, Tenn. The training at the OC/T Academy culminates with the student training the trainer, so the OC/Ts show how they will observe, control, and train the units they observe.
“When OC/Ts leave this class, we want to make sure they do continuing education and really embody the spirit of the OC/T,” said Satterthwaite.
Observing units is the next step.
When OC/Ts go to an exercise, they do so to allow units to learn through self-discovery. This means staying out of the way unless they are asked or if there is a safety concern. If there is a safety concern, the OC/Ts control the environment to ensure safety. Army Maj. Herb Karg, 87th Training Division, 1st Brigade, 1st Mission Control Training Detachment, a recent graduate of Satterthwaite’s class, explains the ebb and flow of the control part.
“We control the speed and variables that occur during the mission and, of course, ensure that safety is always observed and that no one gets hurt. We assess the unit on how they execute their soldier skills and Army Warrior tasks. We observe how they performed overall. And finally, after the mission is concluded, we give them a hot wash or informal after-action review (AAR),” said Karg.
On the day of the mission, the 402nd Quartermaster Battalion reported for duty and conducted business as usual. Gunfire erupts and the 402nd must displace their command post. This is where all the unit's training at home station comes into play. The unit gets full accountability, mounts up in their vehicles, and rolls out. Again, on their way to the new location, gunfire erupts, and the 402nd must react to the ambush. Once the threat is eliminated and the 402nd reaches its objective, the scenario is over, and the OC/T team assigned to the 402nd performs an informal after-action review (AAR).
“We broke down the mission into five major movements, starting with when they received the mission. We looked at their troop leading procedures (TLP) when they began their convoy, their movement to the objective, actions on the objective when they made contact, and then overall how they reported their situation reports (SITREPS) and medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) requests,” said Karg.
Lt. Col. Jovany Munoz, commanding officer of the 402nd Quartermaster Battalion, expressed how much he and his unit learned from the exercise.
“We took a lot of good information from the OC/Ts and improved our battle drills,” Munoz said. “When we get back to home station, one thing we are going to improve on is our convoy speeds, making sure we are operating within the right intervals and considering weather conditions.”
The whole concept is to expose deficiencies to improve the training process and save lives in a real-world event.
“It’s a rewarding job. There aren’t many jobs where you get to affect that many Soldiers in a brief moment. Units and Soldiers will remember you for what you gave to them, especially that unit that goes down range and uses the processes and procedures that you recommended, and it helps them perform their mission,” said Satterthwaite.
