Combat Leader Course 6-13 October
We are 3 weeks out from the annual Combat Leader Course (CLC). It’s hard for me to describe just how beneficial this class is. Bottom line, it is 7 full days of simulated combat operations, two missions per day, with a squad of 13 students against a force of volunteer OPFOR. This is probably the best class, overall, that we run at the VTC.
We have several student spaces available. The class is running. Additional sign-ups make the difference in the size of the squad we run. Previous years we have run with the ideal number of 13. We really need 2 more students to be able to run a squad of 9. Due to the general scarcity of sign-ups for this class, this is the last year that it will run, until we build sufficient demand in the future. I have also been remiss in putting out a request for volunteer OPFOR. Please email me and let me know if you are interested. We need 6 overall. but we can take shifts depending on the time you have available.
You will get your turn as a squad leader to plan, brief and rehearse your mission before going out and running it against the OPFOR. There are many excellent lessons to learn from this class. Many of those lessons are learned in the after action debrief, which is one of the great advantages of Force on Force training – we can give you the freedom and then we can learn from the resulting mission, right and wrong.
There are no prereqs for the class. The reason for this is that live fire safety is not an issue. This means you can show up with whatever your tactical experience is, and you will learn the TTPs as part of the squad through rehearsals and missions. The less experienced students are usually placed towards the end of the roster as squad leader to give them some time to assimilate.
OPEN ENROLLMENT. ONLY AT THE VTC ROMNEY LOCATION.
Summary: This is a combat leader class designed to teach you leadership, decision making, and the planning and the execution of missions at the team and squad level, via immersion in a simulated combat environment. There are no training prerequisites for those coming from alternative tactical training backgrounds. This is not a live fire class, and runs utilizing AirSim Professional Training Rifles.
How it works:
- Class runs Sunday – Sunday. First Sunday is reception (1500 hrs) / lecture.
- Monday AM is lecture / practical planning exercises.
- Monday PM first Mission.
- Each subsequent day has a morning and afternoon tactical mission.
- Nominated Squad Leaders will be given their missions the night before, to allow planning time.
- Night recon patrol missions are available, and we may add night missions for those with night vision equipment.
Students will rotate through command appointments, with each leadership student getting the minimum of one full rotation as squad leader. Each scenario will allow time for those nominated as leaders to conduct full battle procedure:
- Receive Mission.
- Battle Procedure: planning, mission brief, rehearsals.
- Execute Mission: AirSim force on force battle exercise.
- Debrief / lessons learned.
When not in a command appointment as a squad or team leader, you will be a part of the squad, supporting execution of the mission. Although the class will at times be demanding and tiring, it is a learning environment and will be managed accordingly.
