Officers learn about staff work in redesigned class 

      FORT MCCOY, Wis. -- Army National Guard and Reserve officers from all over the country came together during the first two weeks of June to learn the art of being a staff officer.

      Combined Arms Exercise (CAX) replaced the Combined Arms Staff and Service School (CAS3) this year for reserve-component officers.

Capt. Phil Reiman, 451st Military Police Detachment, and Capt. Ian Weisser, 961st Engineer Battalion, examine a map during the Combined Arms Exercise. (Photo by Capt. Gina Seay-Williams)

      "This is the first year that the class has been in existence," said Lt. Col. William Burton, the lead instructor for the class that took place in early June. Burton is a member of the 10th Battalion, 6th Brigade, 100th Division (Institutional Training).

      The June class was the second held at Fort McCoy this year, he said. In the class, there were officers whose units were in nearby towns, as well as some from units as far away as Ohio, Georgia and Hawaii.

      The new class is much shorter -- at 16 days in length -- than its predecessor, which was either two, two-week Annual Training (AT) periods, or seven months of weekend training followed by a two-week AT.

      The advantage of the new CAX course is that it has a much narrower focus than the old one, Burton said. The class now focuses on staff work and giving briefings, and a lot of the emphasis on military writing was removed. Writing is covered in the captains' career course, Burton said.

      The goal of CAX is to improve the officers' communication skills and their briefing skills, Burton said. They also have to work together as a staff.

      "It gives you an idea what preparations you have to take to be successful," said Capt. Tom LaChance, the commander of A Company, 432nd Civil Affairs Battalion in Green Bay, Wis.

      LaChance felt the training about briefings was good reinforcement. He worked on staff a little bit when he was deployed with the 82nd Airborne Division during the first rotation of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

      This is one of the great things about the course -- it allows the students to share knowledge and experience with each other, Burton said. In a sense, the instructors are actually small group leaders who facilitate learning.

      "The experiences shared by other students can collectively teach more than any one person can teach," Burton said.

      The goal is to teach process, not content, he added. Each unit will change briefing formats and requirements, but the class gives everyone a format with which to work.

      "I got a better understanding of good staff work," said Capt. Ian Weisser, the commander of Headquarters and Support Company, 961st Engineer Battalion, an Army Reserve unit in Milwaukee. He has been in command positions in the battalion, and interacted with the staff but didn't know what they did or why.

      "It's good to see how a staff that works well can benefit a unit and the soldiers in it," Weisser said.

      Not doing the military writing that CAS3 required doesn't bother Weisser. In his current position, he gets a lot of hands-on experience with military writing.

      1st Lt. Todd Holm liked the challenges and the camaraderie the class offered. He is a member of the 724th Engineer Battalion, a Wisconsin National Guard unit in Hayward, Wis.

      Holm feels it will help him later in his career when he becomes a staff officer.

      "We all learned something," he said. 

      The June class is the second for Burton's unit. The first was in January. There are five classes planned for this year at McCoy.

(Wolfe is a member of the 367th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, Whitehall, Ohio and attended the course.)