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As the United States Army and our sister services prosecute the global war on terrorism, the experience we gain and the tactics, techniques, and procedures that emerge are reflected in the way we do business. A fundamental part of that business is training, and I'd like to take a few minutes to update you on changes to the Infantry Captains Career Course (ICCC) that we present here at Fort Benning. Some of the changes are already accomplished and the remainder are ongoing.
A number of factors have led us to change ICCC. The main reasons include:
* The need to move from our traditional "input-based" program of instruction (POI) to an outcome-based program - more on this later;
* Lessons from Iraq and Afghanistan and the need to remain relevant. In particular, the need to better incorporate the ambiguities and difficulties we lace in the contemporary operating environment (COE) into the course;
* Increasing perceptions that ICCC had become somewhat rigid and that we were not putting enough emphasis on flexible problem solving and effective communications;
* External requirements to change, including TRADOC's increasing emphasis on counterinsurgency (COIN) operations, COE, cultural awareness, and, most immediately, the impending merger of the Infantry and Armor Schools into the Maneuver Center of Excellence.
As we prepare to merge ICCC with its Armor counterpart into the "Maneuver Captains Career Course" (ICCC +ACCC = MCCC), lieutenant Colonel Steve Russell, our chief ofTactics. and his small group instructors (SGIs) are working closely with their counterparts at Fort Knox. The initial step, nearly completed, is agreeing with the Armor School on what the course will look like. This is more than just the POI; it's also the way we will teach it - the culture of the course. Both commandants have enthusiastically endorsed our proposal, and we are ironing out the final details. The next step, underway now, is to begin teaching the new course at both ICCC and ACCC so that the two begin to converge. The third step, planned for later this year, is to run the initial pilot course at Fort Benning, with instructors and students from both schools learning together. We will adjust POI and methods based on the lessons we learn in the pilot and move quickly...