Military Review English Edition September-October 2014 | Page 98

U.S. Army photo by Spc. Sara Wakai, 55th Combat Camera

training. Unfortunately, assessing
the quality of a training event is
subjective and particularly problematic for a senior commander
who does not have the available
time to closely observe the training
of all subordinate elements.
On top of the difficult assessment process, the senior commander needs a rehabilitation
mechanism which can correct
subordinate commander deficiencies as identified.27 In a situation
where a commander identifies an
A U.S. Special Forces soldier assigned to Combined Joint Special Operations Task
honest mistake in combat, a corForce-Afghanistan fires a Carl Gustav recoilless rifle after receiving small-arms fire during a
clearance of Denasaro Kelay Village in Mizan District, Zabul Province, Afghanistan, 8 March
rection can be put in place in short
2014. USSF soldiers were helping Afghan forces conduct clearance operations to disrupt
order to remedy the situation. This
insurgent movement in the area.
allows the subordinate to improve
and not make that mistake again.
Combat allows company-level leaders to put inHowever, in a training environment the commander
struction into practice. As the requirements outlined
is much more likely to hold a single mistake against
in AR 350-1 receive less emphasis during combat
a subordinate, not allowing him to recover from the
operations, the oversight on managerial-type tasks
incident. This reality stifles risk-taking and in F