geo said:
Haggis.... I don't consider your comments as a hijack...
That's good... 'cause I'm not editing the scrolling thingy I worked so hard to get right.
Now, back on topic: I think there is value added to going south for Bde or higher FTX's. That being said, we have to realize that there's an awful amount of staff work required and we are always subject to the operational requirements of the host nation, right up until the last minute. (I remember an ex a few years ago where my company was double booked at the MOUT site with a SEAL Team. We ended up providing some OPFOR for them when theirs was a no-show.)
I'm a firm believer in "outside the box" thinking (and I live in a pretty big box, built by guys like PPCLI Guy) but I have also seen many Reserve FTX's bite off far more than they can chew to give troops "a taste of everything" as was alluded to earlier by covering all phases of war in 36 hours. To that I say:
a. take a weekend and do one or two things very well (i.e convoy escorts, recce patrols, ONE raid).
b. take a week and do three things very well (advance to contact, hasty defense, deliberate attack).
c. support the damned ex properly!
In both cases, make time for proper Battle Procedure, including rehearsals, and provide as much "real time" support as possible. (If a flag officer has to miss his Griffon taxi flight so a Transport Pl Comd can do a route recce by air, then so-be-it.) The misson comes first, always.
So far the LFCA "Guardian" series has done pretty well at this, but we really need to get the A&B echelons fleshed out and working better. Nobody works harder on those exercises than the A&B ech units, supporting the F echelons. They are chronically undermanned. They need troops just as much as they need trucks.