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Advanced infantry courses hone warfighting skills, shape future Marines

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http://www.marines.com/news/-/news-story/detail/news_20jul2015_advanced-infantry-courses-hone-warfighting-skills_marinesmil

Advanced infantry courses hone warfighting skills, shape future Marines

By Cpl Shaltiel Dominguez
Marines.mil | Jul 20 2015

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- The cadenced crack of machine guns and assault rifle fire echoed through the ravines, punctuated by deafening explosions made by improvised Bangalore torpedoes and shoulder-launched multipurpose assault weapons. The final field exercise was an orchestra of firepower, and the students of the Advanced Infantry Courses were the conductors.

The Advanced Infantryman, Machine Gunner, Mortarman, Assaultman and Anti-Tank Missileman courses introduce students to advanced concepts, new technology, techniques tactics and procedures through classroom instruction, lecture, practical application, field training, and live fire exercises.

"We give them the necessary tools to lead and more gainfully employ their Marines in the operating forces," said SSgt Cody Waldroup, Chief Instructor for the Advanced Assaultman Course and Advanced Antitank Course, Infantry Unit Leaders Training Company, Advanced Infantry Training Battalion, School of Infantry-West. "They learn and refine advanced tactics, land navigation, close air support and weapons systems."

"Instead of working by themselves, the students also learn to integrate with Marines from other infantry military occupational specialties at a higher level," added Waldroup.

The course culminates in a live-fire exercise which engages the students' leadership abilities by allowing them a degree of flexibility in planning and accomplishing a company-wide mission.

"They get to see timing and sequencing across the board, work together with the other MOS's, cross-communicate and see what everyone can bring to the table," said Capt Brian Hubert, Executive Officer, IULTC. "It's a complex exercise."

During the exercise, each student had a specific role to play depending on their MOS. Mortarmen commenced the attack by providing indirect fire support, allowing the combined anti-armor team to establish a base of fire and start shelling targets with their 50 caliber and M240B machine guns.

This allowed the maneuver element to move into their assault positions. From there, they used demolitions to breach and attack the company objective using small-arms.

Coordinating and de-conflicting each unit's actions was vital to the students' success due to the complexity of the exercise and the different fire support assets involved.

"The students are going from one or two deployments into a leadership role and they need to understand how to use different indirect fire support assets at a company level," said Hubert. "We emphasize the need to make sure the desired effect on the battlefield is achieved before they proceed with the attack."

The courses last from five to seven weeks depending on the MOS, and train junior Marines and NCOs to become squad or section leaders when they get back to the fleet.

"I don't have as much experience working with the other MOS's and it's been challenging," said Cpl Richard Bork, an assaultman and section leader participating in the course. "But we've been able to build unit cohesion and integrate with each other, which in turn allowed us to overcome challenges in training."

"I believe it has improved my confidence and my ability to lead Marines in the fleet," added Bork.

Marines.mil is the official website of the United States Marine Corps and is maintained by the Marine Corps' Division of Public Affairs.


More info about the USMC Advanced Infantryman course and others can be found at the following link
http://www.trngcmd.marines.mil/Units/SouthAtlantic/SOIE/Units/AdvancedInfantryTrainingBattalion/AdvancedInfantrymanCourse.aspx
 
This is the Marine Corps version of our PLQ(I).  However, from what I understand you aren't eligible for the course until you are in a Squad Leader billet and not every Marine Squad leader will receive the training.
 
Infanteer said:
This is the Marine Corps version of our PLQ(I).  However, from what I understand you aren't eligible for the course until you are in a Squad Leader billet and not every Marine Squad leader will receive the training.

And that is one of the main areas I believe where we are better than the good ol' USMC. High quality junior leaders.

The other is, of course, that we have a secret war winning weapon called a 'self-deprecating sense of humour'  ;D
 
Infanteer said:
This is the Marine Corps version of our PLQ(I).  However, from what I understand you aren't eligible for the course until you are in a Squad Leader billet and not every Marine Squad leader will receive the training.

I believe you are correct, that you must already be filling the billet before you can be course loaded. It appears(from the article linked below) that eventually this course(and others) will be a requirement as the USMC now has a Infantry Squad Leader MOS(0365).

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story/military/careers/marine-corps/2015/03/05/bonuses-new-marine-squad-leader-mos/24427575/

 
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