Soldiers train at Air Advisor Academy

  • Published
  • By Capt. Antonia Greene-Edwards
  • 174th Infantry Brigade Public Affairs
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J --  Nearly 70 mobilized reserve Soldiers preparing for "advise and assist" missions in Afghanistan trained May 6-10, 2013, at the Air Force Air Advisor Academy.

Trainer/mentors assigned to the 174th Infantry Brigade train deploying Airmen on Army Warrior Tasks routinely.

The roles reversed thanks to a new partnership with the Air Force.

Leaders and Soldiers mobilized in support of the NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan received the core knowledge and skills portion of regional awareness training at the AAA in line with the Army's Regionally Aligned Force Concept. The five-day condensed academic portion of the program - part of a three-pillar construct including core knowledge and skills; language, region and cultural studies; and field craft -supports the training and mobilization of general purpose advisors.

"Some misconstrue the 'Air' in Air Advisor Academy to mean little on-the-ground experience, but that can't be farther from the truth," assured Maj. Alex Richburg, AAA chief of the language, region and cultural studies division. "We are staffed with dozens of geographical, subject-matter experts whose real-world expertise transcends 31 country curriculums."

"If you give us 30-days advance, we can provide a regionally-aligned education and training construct tailored specifically to the unique advisor mission," asserted Richberg. "The core skills classroom lecture and scenario-based practical exercises provide the fundamentals."

The mix of 108th Training Command Detachment, 95th and 75th Division, and 479th Engineer Battalion Soldiers trained on topics including religious familiarization, security cooperation and interagency partnerships. The Soldiers focused primarily on operating in a cross-culture environment over the course of five days.

"Understanding the cultural intricacies is first and foremost," said Col. Tony Morales, a former advisor in Iraq and member of the 95th Division "Building relationships is by far the most important key to mission success. This training reminds leaders and Soldiers alike how we should be thinking when we are over there."

Morales volunteered to deploy in support of the NATO training mission in Afghanistan. He said NTM-A is a great advisor opportunity, and he anticipates an assignment at the Ministry of Defense.

"My experience in Iraq taught me to be patient; not to expect concrete objectives and regimented schedules," he explained. "I understand it is important to learn from our host nation partners, take that knowledge and apply it, rather than enforce our standards."

Spc. Walter Whitley, a chaplain's assistant from Oklahoma, reiterated Morales' point of view.

"This is more of a refresher; I can relate my experience in Iraq - building relationships, showing respect for their culture and customs was so important," Whitley shared.
Being able to communicate and relate with host-nation counterparts is central to cross-culture advising. Interpreter support and advisor fundamentals were the focus of two morning sessions.

"The best training is first-hand, especially from the (former) interpreter," said Staff Sgt. James Snipes. "Revisiting our culture - things we take for granted may offend their customs - not being overly-willing to share our personal life is a lesson to remember."

The NTM-A Soldiers completed more than 30 hours of language training. Soldiers combine all language and advisor skills in subsequent training to participate in practical exercise scenarios overseen by 1st Battalion, 307th Infantry Regiment, 174th Inf. Bde., First Army Division East trainer/mentors. Soldiers employ all newly-learned skills and past experiences to negotiate field problems related to the mission challenges they may face in theater during the collective training operations lanes.

"Our goal overall is for them to be better prepared to engage the advisor mission and improve the likelihood of success," said Richberg. "If they leave the joint base with a heightened sense of awareness of cultural differences and better prepared to build relationships, then the objective was met."