The Crucible - The JRTC Experience Podcast

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the one-hundredth-and-forty-sixth episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by MAJ Marc Howle, the Brigade Senior Engineer / Protection OCT for Brigade Command & Control (BDE HQ), on behalf of the Commander of Ops Group (COG). Today’s guests are subject matter experts across JRTC: CW3 Michael Horrace is the Senior Targeting OCT, MAJ Edward Pecoraro is the BDE S-2 Intelligence Officer-in-Charge OCT, and MSG Randell Conway is the BDE S-2 Intelligence Noncommissioned Officer-in-Charge for BC2.

This episode explores the relationship between intelligence, fires, and the targeting process, centered on the question of whether intelligence has become overly focused on targeting at the expense of broader situational understanding. The discussion highlights that while targeting is a critical function—especially in a sensor-rich, time-compressed battlefield—intelligence must first and foremost enable decision-making and understanding of the operational environment, not just feed the fires enterprise. Overemphasis on target production can lead to a narrow focus on high-payoff targets while neglecting the development of a holistic enemy picture, including disposition, capabilities, and intent. The episode reinforces that effective intelligence drives both maneuver and fires, not just the latter.

The conversation also emphasizes the need to rebalance intelligence efforts through disciplined integration within MDMP and continuous refinement via running estimates. Best practices include aligning collection with commander’s critical information requirements (CCIRs), ensuring IPOE/SPOE is thorough and continuously updated, and maintaining a clear linkage between intelligence assessments and decision points—not just target lists. Additionally, the targeting process is framed as a commander-driven, staff-enabled function that requires synchronization across warfighting functions, rather than being owned solely by fires or intelligence sections. Ultimately, success depends on maintaining a balance: leveraging intelligence to enable precise and timely targeting, while preserving its primary role in building shared understanding and informing operational decisions across the formation.

Part of S13 “Hip Pocket Training” series.

 

For additional information and insights from this episode, please check-out our Instagram page @the_jrtc_crucible_podcast

 

Be sure to follow us on social media to keep up with the latest warfighting TTPs learned through the crucible that is the Joint Readiness Training Center.

 

Follow us by going to: https://linktr.ee/jrtc and then selecting your preferred podcast format.

 

Again, we’d like to thank our guests for participating. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and review us wherever you listen or watch your podcasts — and be sure to stay tuned for more in the near future.

 

“The Crucible – The JRTC Experience” is a product of the Joint Readiness Training Center.

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the one-hundredth-and-forty-fifth episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by MAJ Amy Beatty, the Task Force Executive Officer Observer-Coach-Trainer from Task Force Sustainment (Division Sustainment Support Battalion / Light Support Battalion) on behalf of the Commander of Ops Group (COG). Today’s guests are CPT Cody Kindle and MAJ Charles Alley. CPT Kindle the S-4 Sustainment Planner for JRTC’s Plans / Exercise Maneuver Control Task Force. MAJ Alley is the Senior Sustainment Operations Officer S-3 OCT from Task Force Sustainment (DSSB / LSB).

 

This episode focuses on the importance of logistics synchronization (LOGSYNC) meetings as the central mechanism for aligning sustainment operations with maneuver across the formation. Rather than being a routine battle rhythm event, the LOGSYNC is framed as a decision-making forum where commanders and staff integrate supply, maintenance, transportation, and medical support with the operational timeline. The discussion emphasizes that effective LOGSYNC meetings are driven by accurate and timely data—particularly LOGSTATs—and enable leaders to anticipate requirements, prioritize limited resources, and posture sustainment assets in advance of key events. When done correctly, LOGSYNC ensures sustainment is proactive rather than reactive, directly contributing to tempo and freedom of maneuver in Large-Scale Combat Operations.

 

The episode also highlights common friction points and best practices in executing LOGSYNC at echelon. Units often struggle with incomplete or inaccurate reporting, lack of participation from key leaders, and failure to tie sustainment planning to decision points and phases of the operation. Best practices include enforcing disciplined reporting standards, maintaining a clear and consistent battle rhythm, and using shared running estimates and visualization tools to drive discussion. The conversation reinforces that LOGSYNC is not solely a sustainment function—it requires integration across all warfighting functions to ensure protection, movement, and sustainment efforts are synchronized. Ultimately, effective LOGSYNC meetings enable commanders to make informed decisions, mitigate risk, and sustain combat power throughout the fight.

 

Part of S05 “Beans, Bullets, Band-Aids, Batteries, Water, & Fuel” series.

 

For additional information and insights from this episode, please check-out our Instagram page @the_jrtc_crucible_podcast.

 

Be sure to follow us on social media to keep up with the latest warfighting TTPs learned through the crucible that is the Joint Readiness Training Center.

 

Follow us by going to: https://linktr.ee/jrtc and then selecting your preferred podcast format.

 

Again, we’d like to thank our guests for participating. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and review us wherever you listen or watch your podcasts — and be sure to stay tuned for more in the near future.

 

“The Crucible – The JRTC Experience” is a product of the Joint Readiness Training Center.

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the one-hundredth-and-forty-fourth episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by MAJ David Pfaltzgraff, the BDE Executive Officer Observer-Coach-Trainer and MAJ Marc Howle, the Brigade Senior Engineer / Protection OCT for Brigade Command & Control (BDE HQ), on behalf of the Commander of Ops Group (COG). Today’s guest is the JRTC expert for JRTC for airspace management: CW3 Bryan Hartt, the Air Defense Airspace Management OCT (formerly Brigade Aviation Element) for BC2.

 

This episode examines air defense operations at the brigade and division echelons, emphasizing that effective protection against aerial threats begins with disciplined planning during MDMP—particularly mission analysis. A key theme is that units often fail to properly assess the specific air threat they face, resulting in mismatched capabilities and ineffective employment of available systems. Rather than simply positioning assets, leaders must understand the threat—whether fixed-wing, rotary, or UAS—and resource appropriate countermeasures early, often requiring coordination with division-level assets. The discussion highlights that air defense is not just a system or capability, but a planning problem that must be integrated across the staff, especially within the protection warfighting function.

 

The conversation also explores the realities of operating with limited organic air defense capability at the brigade level, where units often rely on external assets and must prioritize what to protect rather than attempting to cover everything. Integration challenges—such as balancing airspace management with air defense, coordinating with electronic warfare for counter-UAS, and maintaining visibility of distributed ADA assets—are highlighted as common friction points. The episode reinforces the importance of passive air defense measures—camouflage, concealment, dispersion, deception, and emissions control—as essential, immediately available tools that significantly enhance survivability. Ultimately, success at echelon depends on clear prioritization, staff integration, and a realistic understanding of both capabilities and limitations in a contested, multi-domain fight.

 

Part of S13 “Hip Pocket Training” series.

 

For additional information and insights from this episode, please check-out our Instagram page @the_jrtc_crucible_podcast

 

Be sure to follow us on social media to keep up with the latest warfighting TTPs learned through the crucible that is the Joint Readiness Training Center.

 

Follow us by going to: https://linktr.ee/jrtc and then selecting your preferred podcast format.

 

Again, we’d like to thank our guests for participating. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and review us wherever you listen or watch your podcasts — and be sure to stay tuned for more in the near future.

 

“The Crucible – The JRTC Experience” is a product of the Joint Readiness Training Center.

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the one-hundredth-and-forty-third episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by MAJ David Pfaltzgraff, the BDE Executive Officer Observer-Coach-Trainer and MAJ Marc Howle, the Brigade Senior Engineer / Protection OCT for Brigade Command & Control (BDE HQ), on behalf of the Commander of Ops Group (COG). Today’s guests are experts across JRTC: MSG Jared Cawthon as the BDE Fires Support NCOIC, MSG Randell Conway as the BDE Intelligence NCOIC OCT, both from BC2 (BDE HQ), and MAJ Lorenzo Evans is the Support Operations Plans Officer OCT for TF Sustainment (DSSB / LSB).

 

This episode focuses on the critical outputs of the military decision-making process (MDMP) and how their quality directly determines a unit’s ability to execute in combat. Rather than viewing MDMP as a series of steps, the discussion emphasizes that its true value lies in the products it produces—clear commander’s guidance, refined mission statements, synchronized warfighting function inputs, and shared fighting products that enable subordinate units to act. Key outputs such as planning guidance, initial and refined timelines, targeting products, and decision support tools are highlighted as essential for translating analysis into executable operations. When done correctly, these outputs create a common understanding across the formation and allow units to operate with speed, clarity, and purpose in a complex environment.

 

The conversation also underscores that poor or incomplete MDMP outputs are often the root cause of friction during execution. Vague guidance, inconsistent graphics, and lack of version control lead to desynchronized efforts and missed opportunities on the battlefield. Best practices focus on producing simple, clear, and timely outputs that are continuously refined through running estimates and rehearsals. The importance of early dissemination, shared digital and analog products, and enforcing standards across the staff is reinforced to ensure all echelons are aligned. Ultimately, the episode highlights that MDMP is only as effective as the outputs it delivers, and units that master these products gain a decisive advantage in large-scale combat operations.

 

Part of S13 “Hip Pocket Training” series.

 

For additional information and insights from this episode, please check-out our Instagram page @the_jrtc_crucible_podcast

 

Be sure to follow us on social media to keep up with the latest warfighting TTPs learned through the crucible that is the Joint Readiness Training Center.

 

Follow us by going to: https://linktr.ee/jrtc and then selecting your preferred podcast format.

 

Again, we’d like to thank our guests for participating. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and review us wherever you listen or watch your podcasts — and be sure to stay tuned for more in the near future.

 

“The Crucible – The JRTC Experience” is a product of the Joint Readiness Training Center.

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the one-hundredth-and-forty-second episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by MAJ David Pfaltzgraff, the BDE Executive Officer Observer-Coach-Trainer and MAJ Marc Howle, the Brigade Senior Engineer / Protection OCT for Brigade Command & Control (BDE HQ), on behalf of the Commander of Ops Group (COG). Today’s guests are experts across JRTC: MSG Jared Cawthon as the BDE Fires Support NCOIC, MSG Randell Conway as the BDE Intelligence NCOIC OCT, both from BC2 (BDE HQ), and MAJ Lorenzo Evans is the Support Operations Plans Officer OCT for TF Sustainment (DSSB / LSB).

This episode emphasizes the critical role of rehearsals within the MDMP and broader operations process, framing them as the bridge between planning and execution where units transform concepts into synchronized action. The discussion highlights that rehearsals are often the first thing sacrificed when time is constrained, yet they are the very mechanism that prevents plans from failing under the friction of combat. A full “rehearsal suite”—including combined arms, intelligence and fires, sustainment, and other functional rehearsals—serves to validate plans, confirm triggers, align resources, and ensure each warfighting function is nested in time and space. When executed properly, rehearsals expose gaps in planning, refine synchronization, and build the shared understanding necessary for units to mass effects in a complex, multi-domain fight.

The conversation also highlights common challenges and best practices associated with rehearsals, emphasizing that they must be interactive, friction-focused events rather than scripted performances or “dog and pony shows.” Success depends on having the right participants—not just attendees—who can make decisions, contribute to problem-solving, and adapt the plan in real time. Leaders stress the importance of using proper fighting products, detailed terrain models, and enforcing simultaneity to identify conflicts that would otherwise go unnoticed. Ultimately, rehearsals are described as a forcing function that reveals weak planning, validates feasibility, and ensures that every echelon—from brigade to last-mile logistics—can execute with confidence when the operation begins.

 

Part of S13 “Hip Pocket Training” series.

 

For additional information and insights from this episode, please check-out our Instagram page @the_jrtc_crucible_podcast

 

Be sure to follow us on social media to keep up with the latest warfighting TTPs learned through the crucible that is the Joint Readiness Training Center.

 

Follow us by going to: https://linktr.ee/jrtc and then selecting your preferred podcast format.

 

Again, we’d like to thank our guests for participating. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and review us wherever you listen or watch your podcasts — and be sure to stay tuned for more in the near future.

 

“The Crucible – The JRTC Experience” is a product of the Joint Readiness Training Center.