Ex Vigilant Guardian

[George Wallace]

True, George.

Speaking of miracles, I beleive in the miracle of immaculate conception and birth.

I've already tasked my CQMS to store all out TCCCS kit in a comfortable room with soft lighting and romantic music in hopes that our stocks of radios will multiply before next August.

Could you give them all some business cards too?  That way we may be able to get them to do some Networking also.

 

[Loachman]

Just to add my 0.02 in at our FOB the SOP that was passed down to us was when under "arty" attack...put on your helmets and carry on as per. When someone asked what about if we're sleeping..the response was to roll over and go back to sleep.
Now as an old guy I appreciate this type of SOP but it's doing a disservice IMO.

A concern during the planning phase was the potential for over-reaction, ie people responding to MEL events that were not intended for them. Those on gate/tower duty needed to be exercised, but not those living close by and preparing for a diffferent mission. The intent was to avoid disrupting them too much.

 

[Loachman]

One other point - planning this exercise was as much of a novelty for the staff as participation was for the PTA. It hadn't been done before, and more than a few of us were not quite sure how it was going to work out, or what the troops would think.

Personally, from what I heard, it worked out rather well with obvious areas in which to improve.

This whole series has been rather ambitious, and it's been very satisfying to have been on the inside seeing it all unfolding over the last four.

There are going to be new challenges as we spread out around Pet for Valiant Guardian next year, and even more with further spreading out in 08. I'm already trying to figure out how we're going to get the best value for the most troops out of an extremely limited aviation element - four or five from 400 Squadron alone to cover North Bay to Ottawa to Kitchener or something like that (our ALO was busy enough driving from FOB to FOB as it was - think of the mileage he'll be putting on in 08).

I'll once more be trying to get US ARNG units to play, but they keep going off to war instead.

 

[Forgotten_Hero]

In terms of training value, it was good. Its really different from the old warfighting stuff, so our old habits are taking over still... But then we think about ROEs and kind of flinch. Its not "natural" to us yet. The problem I did notice is that, at least for my section, we didnt run into "worst case scenario" events often enough. The majority of the ex we ran into situations that didnt require anything more than empty hand control at the worst, and we always pulled through those without much trouble... however we need more pratice reacting to situations with suicide bombers so that people dont flinch or stall. Hopefully our units and next years ex will focus on that sort of stuff more though.

West Isle is a beautiful country.

For a country so far down south... you'd think it'd be warmer at night!

I know of whom you speak and they were indeed priceless (especially the sgt who came to our "Fight Night"). 

Hah, that was priceless. Always kept a straight face too.

Refugees at the gates, protesters, IEDs, Ethnic violence. In one situation, the OPFOR made such a real showing of "beating" a female member, and her screams were so realistic, that a couple of my guys thought it was real, and ran out to go help.

It's this kind of training that's going to prepare people for things they may encounter in theatre.

I saw a few IEDs happen and a protest, but it was so sparse that you were lucky if you were part of it.

Now you are opening a 'Can of Worms'.  The ROEs were not thought out well and not published correctly, having to be corrected midway through the Ex.  The 'Question' should be "Were the final version of the ROEs effective and easy for the troops to understand and enforce?"

Really? What changes were made? I didnt hear of any changes half way through the ex...

There are going to be new challenges as we spread out around Pet for Valiant Guardian next year, and even more with further spreading out in 08. I'm already trying to figure out how we're going to get the best value for the most troops out of an extremely limited aviation element - four or five from 400 Squadron alone to cover North Bay to Ottawa to Kitchener or something like that (our ALO was busy enough driving from FOB to FOB as it was - think of the mileage he'll be putting on in 08).

Wow, we'll really be spread out that much in 08?

 

[Loachman]

Wow, we'll really be spread out that much in 08?

That's the general idea.

This ex was, as I'm sure all know, just the introduction - hence the simple MEL events that you describe. The complexity will increase over the next two years.

 

[Pikache]

Did anyone bother telling them what you wanted to know. They can find out just about anything for you, but you got to give them mission specifics. Otherwise they tell you the basics, where the likely enemy is, what they're doing, and what they expect them to do and how. If they didn't do your COPPED for you, it's because they weren't asked to.

Hmmm... Sounds like there was a breaking down in information somewhere.

That's the general idea.

This ex was, as I'm sure all know, just the introduction - hence the simple MEL events that you describe. The complexity will increase over the next two years.

Any plans on coordinating with local communities around Pet?

 

[Pikache]

Just remembered another good point.

More different trades working with each other.
Was good to have MPs and engineers attached to my platoon.

 

[Loachman]

Any plans on coordinating with local communities around Pet?

We did a couple of recce and photo missions of likely communities, but the decision has not yet been made. Deep River, Eganville, Cobden, Beachburg, and Westmeath are current candidates. The first three were the ones mentioned at the hot wash.

 

[George Wallace]

Towns in the Upper Ottawa Valley have seen a lot of troops deployed on exercises over the years.  2 CMBG Units have exercised throughout Eastern Ontario on a regular basis, so this should be nothing new.  Exercises have ranged from east of Hawksbury through to Peterborough and Meaford up to Timmins as well as further out and out of province.  I am sure that next year's Ex will prove no problem. 

 

[Pte. Perry]

After being stuck in Observer/Control for the first few days a driver to a warrant, we had to stop at the OpForce H.Q.. If they were better organized for next year, I think the EX would be much more interesting. a big problem was leadership and transport for them. also I was just wondering what the names of the other FOB's were. I know ours (33) was "Better Than 32"

 

[Spanky]

But not as good as 31.  ;D

 

[josh]

Ah, to be in the MOLITIA. ;D

 

[Haggis]

Ah, to be in the MOLITIA. ;D

Yep!  Adventure, fair pay, a dental plan, money for an education, neat kit and a chance to see the world.

Go to: http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/careers/parttime_e.asp

 

[josh]

Dental plan!?  I remember when I had a couple of my front teeth knocked out grinning into the ejection port of a C2 when I was directing fire from a trench.  ;D

 

[silentone]

The Excercise was enjoyable, especially to the meny new privates I came across that hadn't done any real excercises minus the ones on course. But of course many things could have been improved. I read most of what was posted and agree with a lot of it.
One thing I will note myself is the on-the-fly training a lot of people went through (even in the rehearsals). It was a tremendous help and training aid to have sme's attached suchas the MP's and the Engineers. They did an excellent job of helping us infantry see things we normally wouldn't have, including searching and handling of prisoners. We learned a lot from them in the rehearsals and walk-through/talk-through's.
I will also like to say that the excercise (though  i know it to be the first of this trilogy) seemed to be a lot for the attached and supporting roles/units. No complaints on my end though, they all did their jobs, from my vantage point, very well. A lot of the infanteers would have liked to see more "action." Yes camp security is very important, but there didn't seem to be much rotation to provide fresh experiences with each new day or rotation. What I mean is more movement for the infantry types would have added to the ex experience.
The helicopter is always a twinkle in any soldiers eye on ex. i even heard they were giving fun rides to those non-infantry types to give them the experience. If that is true, That's great. :warstory: I think everyone should enjoy a ride or two. The pilots I think also knew that a number of people hadn't ridden on them before, so the rides were always exciting. Of course everyone owuld like to say they'd want them to be longer; but enjoy what you get, right?
I will say overall, even though I slept quite a bit, and that's a change in comparison to last years ex and som eof the other ex's i've been on, this was a good ex. A learning experience for all. I just hope next year it will be better with more movement for us infantry, though I did enjoy the sleep and was well rested for each task I was given. Also, all will agree when I say miles gear and simunition would be a great training aid and more enjoyable and people will be more prone to properly handle their their gear and selves. Not that anyone wasn't that I saw.  Note for anyone looking for improvement's for next year's ex. 
i'm didn't create the excercise and i know that i probably won't be on the team helping anytime soon, but I thought my input might help anyone looking over the pages and decide to add to the ex next year.

--ALSO-- The food was awesome, good job cooks!! The field kitchen was great.

 

[Echo9]

33's spot should've been called FOB Tank Rut, given its location on the Mattawa... or FOB Short Bus, as you see fit (observation towers situated on low ground at the edge of a forest???)


For me the exercise was one of missed opportunities.  A lot of that was due to completely understandable factors, but I think that it's still fair to say that with a little additional work, a much better training outcome could have been achieved. 

CSS was atrocious (aside from the food), which I'm surprised didn't make the hot wash top 3.  The spin that was put on comms at the hot wash was ridiculous (distribution could have been better, still successful comms plan)- there were tasks that didn't happen because the comms were so bad.  The point on RoE was accurate, but understated: it could be argued that the CoG of the ex was use of RoE, and real ones were never issued for the ex as a whole (the soldier card was more aide memoire than direction, subunits improvised).

I shouldn't sound so negative- a lot of this is based on the fact that this was the first ex that did not have the assistance of the Area G3, and was also the first one where we were stepping away from cold war style ops.  There's going to be a lot of things that don't go as well as they should under these circumstances.  But to be honest with ourselves, I think that we need to recognize that it was only a partial success, and build on it for next year.

 

[career_radio-checker]

I've already tasked my CQMS to store all out TCCCS kit in a comfortable room with soft lighting and romantic music in hopes that our stocks of radios will multiply before next August.

:rofl: LOL

An excellent idea. I also suggest you find a statue of 'Jimmy' burn some incense and make a weekly offering to the TCCCS Gods.  In reality, to improve comms, all you need is some height on your antennas, not more RRBs. If possible, put in a SUPREQ for at least one Vixen mast and associated kit. The most important part is the Ground Plan Antenna (GPA) and co-axial cable which plugs right into the manpack and, depending on surrounding land features(trees, mountains, hills), you can increase the range of the manpack by x2 or even x3 fold. My Sarge put the GPA on top of a flag pole of camm-poles for the medics and got an award for it. Of course it should have been done for the rest of the Coys HQs but we didn't have enough. Hence the suggestion you put in a SUPREQ.

Other than that the Ex was a really good go. FOB 'Better than 32' rocked, and the power of the 'white triangle' will always be remembered. Our triangle is being framed and put up at the unit (a real one by the way, not mine tape or chalk). I really enjoyed the ex and learned heaps from my seargents and everyone else in the FOB HQ. I'm going to put my name in for the COY going out to Wainwright next year and play with all that Guuchy kit.

 

[Canadian Sig]

All of you guys should have a Racal whip, a SPD (spud) 1 and some co-ax. After that as CRC says cam poles will do as a mast or in a pinch mount it into a tree. Our sqn was tasked far less to support this year. We usually have reg force 215 out with units to help work out comms and 2 or 3 RRBs, but this year it was 1 RRB and that was it.

 

[a_majoor]

4.  Comms sucked.  Need more freqs and many, many more radios.  PRRs should be used on training like this as a supplement to TCCCS.

For point four I will put on my official G6 hat:

The number of frequencies allocated to Petawawa are limited, and this EX sucked up the vast majority of those available. Get used to it, this is a limitation almost anywhere on earth and even in space (how many SATCOM channels do you think a CF Task force is going to be able to grab from the Americans? Hint, we don't operate our own comsat fleet). If you want to have VG 07 in Antarctica we may be able to access more frequencies, but otherwise......

Using FRS or GMRS radios is FORBIDDEN, and there is an LFCAD on that subject. Once we start training outside of Pet the possibility of crossing into civilian frequencies and services increases exponentially, and Industry Canada (the licencing agency for radio spectrum allocation) can levy fines totalling many thousands of dollars for interference. If they hand me the ticket I will be looking for you, sunshine. BTW, your TX are being monitored.

Motorolla CT-250s are expedient solutions to the TCCCS shortage problems. They are intended for admin traffic (C/S 8) so we can push the TCCCS radios we do have to the tactical troops. Some people were using them as substitutes for TCCCS, which gave rise to "cross talk" problems on various nets. CT 250 channels and frequency maps are assigned AREA WIDE, people are not to flash their own frequency maps and channel allocations to these radios (see points on FRS and GMRS). Read and follow the CEOI's people. PRR would be nice, but this is part of the same problem with TCCCS: not enough exist. What we really need are more RAD A and RAD B analogues, since the 521 RAD D sucks for range. Of course a "Combat Blackberry" would be nice as well.

Part of the exercise planning process was to colocate all the coy level HQ's with the TFHQ to minimise the toing and froing, allow situational awareness and the max use of telephone traffic (as well as minimize the need for HQ radios). "Some" FOBs recreated themselves and dispersed their HQ's, consuming valuable time and radio resources in the process.

For people who thought there were problems with the comms plan, we worked with the available resources. Now if we could only get people to execute the plan as written...... :rage:

 

[Long in the tooth]

Obviously my knowledge of the 510 set is of little use here......