Beginning in June, BG James Blackburn, Jr., the deputy commanding general for maneuver for the 3rd Infantry Division, will begin training brigade combat teams and certifying battalions in the use of digital command posts. It's the next step in a program that extends digital command capabilities to the company level.
The goal is to upgrade command and control communications and extend it down to lower organizational levels.
MORE: See video featuring Blackburn and other JBC-P leaders at our special feature, "Next Generation Situational Awareness."
Until recently, "We had these very digital, very capable command posts in a static environment," he said. "It wasn't really resourced to the company (level) or below. It was capable while it was static, but on the move the battalion was back to the lowest common denominator again on how they could communicate with companies and platoons. That would have been a map, a grease pen and a sticky marker. What this provides us in the ability to make the lowest common denominator a digital form of command and control.
Right now, as part of a progressive training program called Vanguard Focus, the brigade commander is training battalions and certifying companies, he said. "Where we are right now in Vanguard Focus is a progressive training model ready in this brigade to go to the Joint Readiness Training Center in Fort Polk (Louisiana) in August."
