Major Donald E. Vandergriff,
USA, an armor officer, teaches military science
at Georgetown University Army ROTC. Vandergriff
began his military career with the United
States Marine Corps, and has had extensive
experience in the field with the Army. After
he transferred from the Marine Corps to the
Army National Guard, he initially served as
a cavalry platoon leader in the 278th Armored
Cavalry Regiment (TNARNG). Upon entering active
duty, he served in the Republic of Korea as
a tank platoon, tank company executive officer
and scout platoon leader for almost two years;
at the National Training Center (serving both
as an observer controller and in the OPFOR);
and in the Middle East and Germany.
He has his undergraduate degree in education
from the University of Tennessee, a graduate
degree in military history from American Military
University, and began his PhD studies in military
history at the University of North Carolina,
Chapel Hill. Major Vandergriff has lectured
extensively on military effectiveness and
cultural impacts in the United States and
Europe. He has also been the subject of several
articles that deal with military effectiveness
and military transformation, including features
in the Washington Post, The Atlantic
Monthly, The New Yorker Magazine,
The National Journal, Government
Executive Magazine, The Washington
Monthly, Army Times, Stars and
Stripes, Norfolk News-Gazette and
Pittsburg Star.
He currently lives in Woodbridge, Virginia
with his wife Lorraine, and their three dogs
and one cat. Vandergriff has always been athletically
competitive, playing Rugby at the University
of Tennessee 1982-1984, at Fort Irwin 1987-1990,
in Germany 1993-4, and in Northern Virginia
1996-97. Vandergriff also participated in
Iron Man competitions from 1987-1990, and
was an avid snow skier. His current hobbies
include Tennessee college football, military
wargaming, mountain biking, hiking and his
dogs.
In today's arena of military Transformation, the newest "band wagon" everyone is jumping on is "reform military education." This comes about in light of the complex problems being faced by our leaders in Afghanistan and Iraq.1 Leaders went there largely unprepared by current education and training systems. Our education and training doctrine was developed to deal with 2nd Generation or Industrial war. The existing system did not prepare our leaders, especially our junior officers, to adapt to the unexpected demands of the on going wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. As a result, think-tanks and military task forces are proposing all kind of changes to military education, at the levels of joint education, mid-level officer career courses, and senior level war colleges.2
My response to all this "wow you guys just don't get it!" "Why focus our efforts to change education on people who already have their character set by years of process by our antiquated personnel system?" The solution to our problem is adapting our military education system alongside the evolving generations of war, which calls for a different military mindset. I say "why not begin the reform where it all begins?" If leaders in Department of Defense, in Congress and smart people in the think-tanks really want to "Transform" the force, then they should start with the next generation of potential leaders. Earlier is better.3
Of course one of their first responses will be "how much will it cost?" And, "what are the political costs?" My answer, spelled out in my forthcoming book Raising the Bar: Evolving Army ROTC with the Changing Face of War, is it will not cost much, if anything to prepare the next generation for the leadership challenges our nation faces today and in the future.4
I will explain the reasons for change and my recommendations in a series of forthcoming articles. My proposals are holistic dealing with the way Army ROTC recruits (markets), develop, educates and trains our future officers. I conducted a thorough study of history, a detailed analysis of present and future environments so I could predict what the Army would call for officers to do in the future. Defining the endstate made it possible to put to practice (by trial and error) concepts that will build adaptability and intuition in cadets before they go on as commissioned officers to lead Soldiers.
One program is already putting to practice many ideas on how to better educate and train cadets. We have done it without raising our budget, or adding to our personnel with outside contractors. We have done it entirely with the cadre the Army gave us through its personnel assignment system. These NCOs and Officers accomplished this goal by adhering to a few principles:
1. Continue to evolve our program based on the lessons from war
2. Be open to well-thought out ideas
3. Always set the example
4. Place as much ownership for the program in the hands of the cadets
5. Don't let your ego get in the way of encouraging cadets how to think
The bottom line is that this climate drives all members of the organization to do the best they can in preparing their cadets for the future by using the most effective methods in education and training.5 The end state we are seeking is creating leaders of character who are ready, willing and able to make the right decisions in the face of adversity, be it the enemy, subordinates, peers or superiors, on and off the battlefield. We also use several education techniques to assist us in achieving our endstate. One of them is the Tactical Decision Game or TDG.
The TDGs is a cheap tool, but an intellectually expensive centerpiece of our program of instruction (POI). By using the term "intellectually expensive" I mean that TDGs put demands on the instructor that goes beyond most "ease on instructor," or "turn key" program of instruction (POIs) used today. There is also an art to teaching. It requires an instructor who understands war, is proficient in the technical aspects of the profession of arms, and finally who is a good leader. Oh, one last important asset, the instructor must have an imagination. With these ingredients, the instructor will find many ways to use the TDG in teaching decision-making and in building character.
How to use the TDG as a Decision Making Teaching Tool
Today and in the future, the TDG will assume more importance in developing and sharpening cadet's tactical skills without an extensive and expensive commitment of resources. To be sure, experience is one of the most valuable aspects of teaching and training, but it is also often costly in terms of what an ROTC department's limited resources. The proposed Program of Instruction (POI) encompasses military history, , essays and varied education techniques (which carry over easily to the field). A new curriculum combined with a new operating environment and training philosophy will provide an opportunity to learn from the successes and failures of earlier warriors.6
When thinking how to use the TDG, cadre can also consider it a Tactical Exercises Without Troops (TEWT). Cadre is only limited by the imagination. There is a lot they can do with the TDG. They can use it in a written exam-like writing an OPORD to plan for the scenario for a test-conditions changed, like adding time limits to provide a solution, and/or to do an exam. Along with the written portion there will often be a sketch or plan on which a student is required to sketch out his/her plan. The scenario should also define who you are, why you are there, what your assets are, your mission or objective and the threats against you, but the instructor can change or adjust all of these based on what he wants to achieve and the level of proficiency pf the class. While we want the cadets to "experience the thing before you try to give it a name," we want to give them problems they can manage. By exposing the cadets to too complex a problem, you may discourage them early on from taking risks, and thinking boldly about their solutions.7
