Train the Way You Communicate, Marine

The adage of "train the way you fight" isn't working for Marines using communications and networking systems. The result is that personnel have to learn how to use vital command, control and communications (C3) gear in the field, which hinders their effectiveness in a combat zone. Master Sgt. Glenn A. Brown, USMC, operations chief, Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF)--Afghanistan, called for pre-deployment training on the same hardware and software that will be used in the field. Speaking at a TechNet Asia-Pacific 2009 panel on defining requirements for equipping the warfighter, the master sergeant declared that Marines are not training on the same applications. "If we can work on networks here and deploy that way in theater, then I don't have to worry about that when I get into theater," he said. "I already know how to do my job." He also expressed a desire for a mobile modular command and control (C2) vehicle. This vehicle would require less packing and provide a C2 capability with different levels of security.