Course preps NCOs, officers for advisor roles

[The Patriot]

FORT POLK, La. — While the Army’s recent focus has been prepping Security Force Advisor Teams (SFABs) for deployment in support of Operation Resolute Support, other “individual” advisors are also being deployed, and will join with a unit once they arrive in Afghanistan.The U.S. Army Individual Advisor Course, held at the Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk, trains those senior noncommissioned officers and officers who have been tabbed as advisors through the Worldwide Individual Augmentation System (WIAS).WIAS is the primary method for requesting military and civilian augmentation for contingency operations, recurring operations and exercises. It’s used to augment a unit with personnel who have qualifications either not inherent or currently unavailable in the deploying unitThe seven-day course covers cross-culture orientation, use of an interpreter, Guardian Angel tasks (Guardian Angels are Soldiers tasked with maintaining security and providing protection during a key leader engagement), insider threat, language training and M9 conceal and carry. The course culminates with scenario-based training, using interpreters from 52nd Translator/Interpreter Company, 3rd Battalion, 353rd Infantry Regiment and contractor role players.Capt. Miguel Moyeno, commander, Alpha Company, 3rd Bn, 353rd Inf Reg, said the course is taught by Soldiers assigned to his company’s Joint Security Forces Assistance section, the same Soldiers who provided the 2nd SFAB’s training as it prepared for an upcoming deployment to Afghanistan.“While the SFAB deploys as a team, these Soldiers will deploy individually,” Moyeno said. “They are notified by the Army of their impending assignment as an advisor to a specific area, in this case Afghanistan, where they will meet the unit they’ll work with in theatre.”In explaining the importance of the training the advisors receive during the course, Sgt. 1st Class Paul Doty, course NCOIC, pointed to the M9 small arms training.“Most people don’t spend enough time on their sidearm,” he said. “Getting refamiliarized and requalified with the weapons gives them (advisors) added confidence when they deploy and knocks the rust off. It brings it all back to them, especially those who may not have fired an M9 in 15 or 20 years.”And that’s important if the advisor is placed in the midst of a dicey situation.“Our instructors are right there with them, watching the fundamentals, and helping them develop confidence in their ability to handle the weapon,” Doty said. “By the time they’re through with the training, they’ve got a better grasp of the weapon.”Col. Trenton Conner, who is deploying from Department of the Army Headquarters, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, said the training has been beneficial.“We’ve done language familiarization, negotiations and cultural awareness training, some of the things that will make us more effective advisors for our Afghan counterparts,” he said. Conner also praised the work of the JSFA team.They have outstanding cadre here,” he said. “They have a done a professional job. The materials they’ve developed, they way they deliver it and the opportunity we have to practice it, is certainly valuable training for anyone deploying as an advisor.”Moyeno said the advisors are provided with the same type training SFABs receive.“This is FORSCOM (Forces Command) and the Army’s requirement for those who are deploying as an advisor, but are not part of an SFAB team,” Moyeno said. “The course provides them with the tools they need to be a successful advisor.”


More...