Search Results for: Leadership Labs

EWU Army ROTC Cadets on the Defensive During Leadership Lab

03/05/2021 by jstafford3 Leave a Comment

On March 4, 2021 the Cadets from the Eastern Washington University (EWU) Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program conducted it’s final Leadership Lab of the Winter Quarter before departing the Winter Field Training Exercise (FTX) this weekend. The Leadership Lab was held on the Cheney Waterworks property near the EWU campus. After drawing equipment and conducting pre-combat checks the Cadets moved out to their training locations that were spread out around the property.

Like our prior labs, the MS-III Class, which is comprised of Junior level students, led the squads during the training because they are preparing to attend Advanced Camp at Fort Knox, Kentucky within the next 3-4 months. Providing as realistic training as possible to prepare them for camp is extremely important since passing Advanced Camp is a mandatory requirement for all Cadets who want to commission as an officer in the U.S. Army after graduation.

MS-III Cadet, Patrick Coleman takes a defensive position during Leadership Lab training.

MS-III Cadet, Olivia Roble holds a defensive position.

The focus for this lab was to train the Cadets on how to conduct a defense. While the Cadets were in their patrol base the squad leaders had to put their squad members out into security positions to defend it. While the Cadets were pulling security other Cadets who role played the Opposing Force (OPFOR) element launched an attack on the patrol base.

MS-IV Cadet, Austin Bristow role played as the OPFOR during the Leadership Lab.

After the OPFOR elements were neutralized the Cadets then ended the exercise by conducting an After Action Report (AAR) that was facilitated by MS-IV Cadet and Cadre facilitators to bring out lessons learned from the training. Overall it was a great lab that prepared the Cadets to excel during the upcoming weekend Winter FTX.

Eagle Strong!

Note: You can see and download more pictures from the training from our EWU Army ROTC Flickr page.

Fighting Eagles Cadets Learn Ambush Skills at Leadership Lab

03/05/2021 by jstafford3 Leave a Comment

On February 25, 2021 the Cadets from the Eastern Washington University (EWU) Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program conducted it’s 8th Leadership Lab of the Winter Quarter at the Cheney Waterworks property. After drawing equipment and conducting pre-combat checks the Cadets moved out to conduct their training.

MS-III Cadet, Thomas Luce served as a squad leader during the training.

During this lab the Cadets learned how to conduct a squad ambush. An ambush is a surprise attack from a concealed position on a moving or temporarily halted target. Ambushes are categorized as hasty or deliberate. A hasty ambush is when the unit makes visual contact with an enemy and has time to establish an ambush without being detected. A deliberate ambush is conducted at a predetermined location against an enemy element that meets the commander’s engagement criteria.

MS-II Cadet, Cierra Neumann positions herself to conduct an ambush.

The different squads each had their own training lanes where they had to setup each type of ambush against other Cadets that rolled played an opposing force (OPFOR) enemy. Once the OPFOR walked into the squad’s kill zone the squad leader which initiate the signal to begin the ambush. After the initial firefight the squad then had to assault through the objective, secure the area, and search for any intelligence information to report over the radio to their higher headquarters. The Cadets once again did a great job conducting the lab and learning the basics for another tactical skill that will help them succeed at Advanced Camp.

Eagle Strong!

Note: More pictures from the Leadership Lab training can be viewed on our EWU Army ROTC Flickr page.

Cadets Train on Tactical Combat Casualty Care Skills During Leadership Lab

01/29/2021 by jstafford3 Leave a Comment

On January 21st, 2021 Eastern Washington University (EWU) Fighting Eagles Battalion Cadets conducted Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TC3) training. TC3 was created by the U.S. Department of Defense in order to teach soldiers life-saving techniques and strategies to be used on the battlefield or wherever necessary. Cadets will need to be proficient with these techniques when they become commissioned officers leading soldiers.

Fighting Eagles Cadets stand in formation as they prepare for the start of Leadership Lab.

Cadet reacts to contact during TC3 training.

During the lab Cadets were first attacked by an opposing force (OPFOR) enemy. This forced to Cadets to practice their react to contact battle drills. The steps included returning fire, getting to cover and shouting the distance, direction and description of the enemy (three D’s). After the attack the Cadets then had to demonstrate the TC3 skills they learned to administer first aid to themselves or their buddy.

Cadets Chapple (left) and Kuhnel (right) evaluate a casualty.

As the winter quarter progresses, the Cadets will learn more squad level skills such as special teams, clearing objectives, handling of enemy prisoners of war, and performing aid and litter. All the skills learned during this quarter’s leadership labs will culminate in our Winter Field Training Exercise (FTX) in March.

Note: More pictures can be seen and downloaded from the leadership lab by going to our EWU Army ROTC Flickr page.

Go ROTC! Go Eags!

Leadership Lab Trains Cadets on Squad Operations

02/15/2020 by jstafford3 Leave a Comment

By: Cadet Marcos Sanchez

On February 13^th 2020, Eastern Washington University (EWU) Reserve Officer Training Corp (ROTC) traveled out to Montague’s Farm, adjacent to the Cheney Campus, in order to refresh Cadets on basic squad operations. The squad operations training consisted of Attack, Movement to Contact (MTC) and Reacting to Indirect Fire (IDF). Cadet Cesar Guzman, the officer in charge (OIC) of planning the lab, did this by splitting up the lab into three iterations.

EWU Army ROTC Cadets train in the fields of the Montague’s Farm property adjacent to the EWU campus.

The first iteration was actions on contact leading into reacting to IDF. During the lane when the Cadets took contact from an enemy they were also hit with indirect fire which allows them to exercise their mental agility and maneuver the element to safety. The second iteration was an MTC exercise which is a search and destroy tactic. The purpose of an MTC is to move into an area where the enemy is known, take contact and then destroy the enemy using various tactics such as flanking. The third iteration was a squad attack which is similar to the MTC but in this case the exact enemy location is known so the Cadets squad is the one who initiates the contact.

Cadet Isabelle Erickson directs her personnel to maintain security.

One of the Cadets conducting these lanes was Cadet Valentino Olmstead. The way he went about excelling at these tasks was by maintaining good communication with his team leaders. To Cadet Olmstead “communication is one of if not the most important part of controlling an element because without it, your subordinates don’t know what to do”. Another key process he used was After Action Reviews of AARs which allowed him to talk with his squad and figure out what went well and what could have been improved on.

Cadet Cesar Guzman directs personnel during the Leadership Lab.

This week’s lab was the last of the crawl phase when it comes to squad tactics during the Winter Quarter. What this means is that future labs will be held in the forested terrain of the Cheney Waterworks property. The densely forested terrain will make commutation and line of sight more difficult compared to the Montague’s Farm property. Overall the progressive training events will prepare the Cadets for the upcoming Winter Field Training Exercise (FTX). The FTX will test the Cadets over 24 straight hours on all the skills they have learned this quarter during leadership labs. It will be a challenging training event that our Fighting Eagles Cadets will undoubtedly excel at.

Eagle Strong! Go Fighting Eags!

Note: More pictures from the lab can be seen below and a complete album of pictures can be seen at this link.

Fighting Eagle Cadets Sharpen Army Radio Skills at Leadership Lab

01/18/2019 by jstafford3 2 Comments

On Thursday, January 17, 2019, Eastern Washington University (EWU) Cadets learned how to operate a ASIP radio and proper reporting procedures during their weekly Leadership Laboratory. The Cadets are part of the Army’s Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Fighting Eagles Battalion that trains students on the EWU to become future Army officers.

MS-IV Cadet Commanding Officer Haley Bent briefs Cadets before conducting weekly Leadership Laboratory.

The primary trainers for the lab were the MS-III (Junior) Cadets. The lab gave them practice preparing and executing the training plan for the MS-I (Freshman) and MS-II (Sophomore) Cadets. During the lab, the EWU ROTC Cadets rotated through three stations where they received instruction on how to operate the ASIP radio, perform a SALUTE report, and a situation report (SITREP). During the first station each Cadet had the chance to put an ASIP radio together and set it up to the right channels and frequency to communicate with each other. In the SALUTE report station, Cadets were placed on a hill overlooking a mock scene replicating an enemy position and had to collect information using binoculars. The Cadets then had to use proper SALUTE procedures to report what they saw at the enemy position to their higher headquarters.

MS-III Cadet Chad Triplett trains EWU ROTC Cadets on how to operate an ASIPS radio.

The last station Cadets were trained on was the SITREP station. Cadets were taking the SALUTE report they created at the last station and formed it into a SITREP. This report provides for detailed information for the chain of command. A sitrep is used for giving the commander a report of what their unit is seeing. These stations are bettering the Cadets to use proper communication with the ASIP radio and what reports to use on the radio system.

EWU Cadets train on how to identify and report enemy troop activity.

In the Army we have a saying “Shoot, Move, and Communicate”. During the Fall quarter the EWU ROTC Cadets did plenty of shooting and moving. During Winter quarter the Cadets are now learning how to properly communicate. All the skills the Cadets are learning will prepare them for squad operations training in future labs and for the winter field training exercise (FTX) that is coming up in March.

Go Fighting Eags!

Winter FTX Challenges Fighting Eagles Cadets on Squad Level Tactical Skills

04/07/2021 by jstafford3 Leave a Comment

From March 5-6, 2021, The “Fighting Eagles” battalion from the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program at Eastern Washington University (EWU) conducted their winter field training exercise (FTX). This FTX was the culmination of all the training the Cadets have conducted at weekly Leadership Labs this quarter. The primary goal of the FTX was to test our MS-III (Junior) Cadets on leading a squad sized element and giving tactical experience to the MS-II (sophomore) and MS-I (freshman) Cadets in a field environment.

On Friday the Cadets and Cadre worked to setup the lanes, draw rifles, and ammunition. On Saturday morning the Cadets then met up at 0400 at Cadet Hall and deployed out to the Cheney Waterworks for the FTX. At the Waterworks there was 5 training lanes that the Cadets would be evaluated on during the FTX:

movement to contact
squad attack
ambush
area recon
defense

The Cadets for the FTX were issued M4 rifles and M249 Squad Automatic Weapons (SAW) with blank rounds along with SINCGARS radios. Carrying the real weapons, blank ammunition, and tactical radios allowed the Cadets to experience what it is like to carry the additional weight for an extended period of time. The weapons loaded with blank ammunition also allowed the Cadets to practice weapons safety by enforcing procedures to prevent negligent discharges.

For the Movement to Contact lane, the squad leader received the mission and went through their troop leading procedures (TLPs) to execute the mission. As the squad moved through the lane, they received fire from an enemy Opposing Force (OPFOR) composed of MS-IV and National Guard role players. Once the squad received fire, the squad leader maneuvered the squad to counterattack the enemy and eliminate the threat.

For the Squad Attack lane the squad leader knew the exact location of the OPFOR. Once the squad leader finished their planning and rehearsals, they would lead their squad near the location and set up their support by fire and assaulting element. Once the squad leader initiated the fight, the support by fire element would fire on the enemy while the assaulting element would go through the objective to clear it. The squad attack lane was made extra hard due to the need stealthy approach the enemy without being detected while simultaneously trying to get around a small lake.

Cadet Patrick Coleman issues orders to his squad over the radio.

For the Ambush lane the squad leader had to position their squad on the objective where the enemy will be traveling through. After planning, the squad leader would position their squad in the path that the OPFOR would be walking through. Once the OPFOR entered a designated kill zone the squad would initiate the ambush. An added challenge for this lane was that the OPFOR after being attacked would retreat into an old junk yard. This meant the Cadets had to maneuver and fight through the junkyard to eliminate the enemy threat.

Cadet Adam Burnside assaults through a junkyard ambush.

The next lane was the Area Recon. Here the squad leader had to plan for a mission where their squad had to locate an enemy force without detected. While observing the enemy, the Cadets had to collect Priority Intelligence Requirements (PIR) which were then sent to the higher command element via radio. The added challenge on this lane was that the Cadets conducting the recon had to cross a road which is known tactically as a linear danger area without being detected.

Cadet Josh Browning looks for the enemy.

The final lane was squad level defense. While in a patrol base the squad was attacked by the OPFOR. To help the Cadets detect the OPFOR trying to infiltrate their perimeter, trip wires that ignited signal flares were used. This added extra realism to the lane that feature much fire, smoke, and noise in an effort to create a chaotic environment to challenge the Cadets.

A member of the OPFOR sets off a trip flare during the platoon defense lane.

With a very early morning start, cold temperatures, and constant activity, the EWU ROTC Cadets where tested both physically and mentally during the Winter FTX. This training is used to prepare our MS-III Cadets for Advance Camp at Ft. Knox, Kentucky this summer. Advanced Camp is a requirement for all MS-III Cadets to pass in order to commission as Army officers. The 37-day Advanced Camp is why the Fighting Eagles battalion conducts challenging training to prepare the MS-III Cadets as much as possible for camp. Next quarter the battalion has even more challenging training planned in conjunction with Gonzaga University ROTC to further prepare the Cadets to succeed during summer training.

Go ROTC! Go Fighting Eags!

Note: You can see and download more pictures from the Winter FTX from our EWU Army ROTC Flickr page.