The Crucible - The JRTC Experience Podcast

141 S13 Ep 18 – Getting the Integrated Fires Support Plan Right w/JRTC Experts

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the one-hundredth-and-forty-first episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by MAJ Marc Howle, the Brigade Senior Engineer / Protection Observer-Coach-Trainer for Brigade Command & Control (BDE HQ) and MAJ Jeff Horn, the Executive Officer OCT for Fires Support Task Force (FA BN / DIVARTY), on behalf of the Commander of Ops Group (COG). Today’s guests are experts within JRTC’s BC2: MSG Jared Cawthon as the BDE Fires Support NCOIC, MSG Austin Moss as the Senior Targeting NCOIC OCT, CW3 Michael Horrace is the BCT Targeting Officer OCT, and MSG Randell Conway as the BDE S-2 Intelligence NCOIC OCT.
 
This episode focuses on the fundamentals and execution of an effective integrated fires support plan, emphasizing that true integration begins early in the MDMP process and is anchored by a well-constructed and disciplined timeline. The discussion highlights the importance of the higher headquarters’ operational timeline (HOP), nested planning timelines, and synchronization across echelons to ensure fires are aligned with maneuver. A key theme is the tight coupling between intelligence and fires during mission analysis, particularly through IPOE/SPOE, where accurate enemy templating, event templates, and collection planning directly enable lethal and effective targeting. Without this integration, fires risk becoming terrain-focused rather than threat-focused, leading to ineffective effects and missed opportunities to shape the fight.
 
The episode also explores best practices for sustaining integration throughout planning and execution, including the role of running estimates, valid planning assumptions, and the continuous feedback loop between MDMP and the targeting process. It underscores the necessity of disciplined target refinement cutoffs, version control, and shared fighting products to ensure all echelons operate from a common understanding prior to rehearsals. Additionally, the conversation highlights that integrated fires is a full staff effort—not just fires and intelligence—but includes sustainment, protection, signal, and maneuver elements working together through both planning and execution cycles. Ultimately, success is tied to mastering fundamentals, maintaining synchronization through clear processes and products, and enabling commanders to make informed, timely decisions in a dynamic 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.

140 S11 Ep 09 – Closing the Gap: Replicating the Modern Threat at JRTC w/JRTC OPFOR

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the one-hundredth-and-fortieth episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by LTC Trevor Jones, the Battalion Commander of 1-509th IN (OPFOR) on behalf of the Commander of Operations Group. Today’s guests are members of JRTC’s intelligence community: Mr. Jason McAnally, MAJ Will Montoya, and CPT Graham Gifford. Mr. McAnally is the JRTC G-2 Intelligence Officer. MAJ Montoya is the Multi-Domain Effects Cell Chief for Geronimo. And CPT Gifford is the S-2 Intelligence Officer for Geronimo.
 
This episode centers on how the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) is actively working to close the gap between training and the rapidly evolving realities of modern warfare by replicating a more lethal, complex, and peer-driven operational environment. The discussion highlights how lessons from contemporary conflicts—particularly the Russia-Ukraine war—are driving a shift toward incorporating realistic threat capabilities such as massed UAS, electronic warfare, and precision fires into OPFOR replication. Emphasis is placed on ensuring that rotational units encounter these threats in training first, rather than in combat, by exposing them to continuous surveillance, contested electromagnetic environments, and the persistent threat of unmanned systems operating across depth.
 
The conversation also explores how OPFOR (Geronimo) is evolving its tactics, organization, and capabilities to better mirror near-peer adversaries like Russia and China. This includes replicating multi-domain effects across disruption, battle, and support zones, integrating emerging technologies such as FPV drones, robotic systems, and AI-enabled targeting, and experimenting with new forms of mass that combine traditional fires with unmanned and electronic effects. A key theme is the transition toward “machines first” contact—leveraging robotics and UAS to initiate engagements—while forcing units to adapt to degraded communications, contested airspace, and high-casualty environments. Ultimately, the episode reinforces that closing the gap requires continuous adaptation, iterative experimentation, and translating lessons learned into behavioral change across the force.
 
 
Part of S11 “Conversations with the Enemy” 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.

139 S13 Ep 17 – Running Estimates Made Easy w/JRTC Experts

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the one-hundredth-and-thirty-ninth episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by MAJ Marc Howle, the Brigade Senior Engineer / Protection Observer-Coach-Trainer, and MAJ David Pfaltzgraff, BDE Executive Officer OCT, from Brigade Command & Control (BDE HQ) on behalf of the Commander of Ops Group (COG). Today’s guests are experts within JRTC’s BC2: MAJ Steven Yates, the BDE S-6 Signal OCT and MAJ Michael Stewart, the incoming, BDE S-3 Operations Officer OCT.
This episode examines the role of running estimates within the Military Decision-Making Process (MDMP) and why they are essential to maintaining shared understanding between current operations and future planning. The discussion highlights that running estimates are not simply formatted slides or quad charts, but rather a continuous analytical process conducted by staff subject matter experts across each warfighting function. Effective running estimates synthesize facts, assumptions, constraints, and limitations while identifying risks and emerging tasks, enabling staff to translate raw information into meaningful assessments for commanders. Rather than simply listing data such as available assets or equipment, staff must analyze what those resources actually enable the force to accomplish and communicate the operational implications. 
The conversation also explores best practices for maintaining useful running estimates throughout planning and execution. Leaders emphasize that running estimates must be continuously updated as operations unfold and integrated into key staff forums such as the operations synchronization meeting, Battle Update Brief /Commander’s Update Brief, and other battle rhythm events to ensure planning remains aligned with battlefield realities. When neglected or treated as static documents, units risk planning against outdated assumptions, leading to flawed courses of action and ineffective execution. Ultimately, the episode reinforces that running estimates are the “connective tissue” between plans and current operations, allowing staffs to translate evolving battlefield information into timely recommendations, risks, and decisions that support effective command and control. 
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.

138 S05 Ep 14 – Sustainment Base Cluster Design Deep-Dive w/JRTC Subject Matter Experts

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the one-hundredth-and-thirty-eighth 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 CPT Christopher Ward. CPT Kindle the S-4 Sustainment Planner for JRTC’s Plans / Exercise Maneuver Control Task Force. CPT Ward is the A Co CDR OCT (Distro / BSA) from Task Force Sustainment (DSSB / LSB).
 
This episode examines the employment of base clusters within the brigade support area (BSA) as a survivability technique in the modern battlefield. The discussion highlights how sustainment units must adapt to a highly transparent and lethal operating environment where UAS surveillance, long-range fires, and precision targeting threaten traditional large logistics footprints. Rather than concentrating sustainment elements in a single BSA, base clusters disperse key functions—such as maintenance, distribution, medical support, and command nodes—across multiple smaller positions that remain mutually supporting. This dispersion reduces the likelihood that a single enemy strike can disrupt sustainment operations while still enabling brigades to maintain logistics flow to maneuver battalions.
 
The conversation also emphasizes the planning and synchronization required to make base clusters effective. Leaders discuss the importance of terrain analysis, security integration, camouflage and signature management, and disciplined reporting to maintain a shared operational picture across dispersed sustainment nodes. Effective base clusters require coordinated movement control, rehearsed displacement drills, and strong communications architecture to ensure that dispersed elements can still function as a cohesive support network. Ultimately, the episode frames base clusters as a critical adaptation for sustainment survivability in large-scale combat operations, enabling brigades to continue fueling, arming, and repairing combat forces despite persistent enemy reconnaissance and precision strike threats. 
 
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.

137 S13 Ep 16 – Base Cluster Basics w/JRTC Expert Sustainers

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the one-hundredth-and-thirty-seventh episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by MAJ Marc Howle, the Brigade Senior Engineer / Protection Observer-Coach-Trainer, and MAJ David Pfaltzgraff, BDE Executive Officer OCT, from Brigade Command & Control (BDE HQ) on behalf of the Commander of Ops Group (COG). Today’s guests are expert sustainers from across JRTC: MAJ Amy Beatty, the TF Executive Officer for TF Sustainment (DSSB / LSB) and CPT Cody Kindle, the S-4 Sustainment Planner inPlans / Exercise Maneuver Control (TF Zulu).
 
This episode dives into the importance of base clusters, which are a survivability and sustainment technique used by brigades and battalions to disperse logistics and command elements while maintaining mutual support in a contested battlespace. Instead of concentrating sustainment nodes such as the brigade support area (BSA), field trains, and maintenance sites in a single large footprint, units distribute smaller elements across a wider area in multiple mutually supporting positions connected by terrain, security, and communications. This approach reduces the vulnerability of sustainment assets to long-range fires, UAS surveillance, and precision strike systems that dominate the modern battlefield. By dispersing logistics nodes while maintaining coordination through disciplined reporting, movement control, and security integration, base clusters allow sustainment elements to remain survivable, mobile, and capable of supporting maneuver forces in large-scale combat operations (LSCO).
 
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.

136 S11 Ep 08 – Machines before Men: Geronimo’s New Forms of Mass & Their Modern New Kill Chain w/JRTC OPFOR

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the one-hundredth-and-thirty-sixth episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by LTC Trevor Jones, the Battalion Commander of 1-509th IN (OPFOR) on behalf of the Commander of Operations Group. Today’s guests are members of JRTC’s infamous Opposing Force, Team Geronimo: CPT Jeremiah Cox, 1SG Terence Newby, and SFC Walter Jinks. CPT Cox is the Company Commander for Able Company, 1-509th IN. 1SG Newby is the First Sergeant for Easy Company, 1-509th IN. SFC Jinks is the Engineer Platoon Sergeant within Easy Company.
 
This episode explores how the JRTC Opposing Force—Geronimo—is evolving its tactics through what the unit calls “new forms of mass.” Rather than relying solely on traditional concentrations of combat power, the discussion highlights how OPFOR is integrating robotics, unmanned systems, electronic warfare, and precision effects to generate combat mass across multiple domains. Leaders describe how small multi-purpose equipment transports (SMETs), unmanned aerial systems, and remotely operated platforms are being used to conduct breaching operations, deliver precision fires, transport sustainment, and even serve as deception or targeting tools. These systems allow Geronimo to make first contact with machines rather than soldiers, reducing risk to personnel while increasing tempo and battlefield confusion for rotational units. 
 
The conversation also focuses on how these technologies enable new ways of synchronizing effects during offensive and defensive operations. Examples include integrating electronic warfare and drone strikes into the suppress phase of a breach, using unmanned systems to obscure and reduce obstacles, and deploying robotic platforms armed with crew-served weapons to support maneuver. In the defense, robotic systems are used to extend screening operations, attrit enemy forces forward of the main battle position, and provide early warning. The episode concludes by discussing challenges such as maintenance, connectivity, and data transport while emphasizing that the future battlefield will require every soldier to understand and employ unmanned systems. Ultimately, Geronimo’s experimentation is designed to force rotational units to confront a modernized threat capable of creating mass through distributed sensors, robotics, and precision effects across the battlespace. 
 
Part of S11 “Conversations with the Enemy” 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.

135 S13 Ep 15 – Intelligence Preparation of the Operational Environment Done Right: A Whole of Staff Approach as the Foundation of Military Decision Making Process w/JRTC Subject Matter Experts

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the one-hundredth-and-thirty-fifth episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by MAJ Marc Howle, the Brigade Senior Engineer / Protection Observer-Coach-Trainer, and MAJ David Pfaltzgraff, BDE Executive Officer OCT, from Brigade Command & Control (BDE HQ) on behalf of the Commander of Ops Group (COG). Today’s guests are intelligence and operations subject matter experts from across JRTC: MAJ Michael Stewart is the BDE S-3 Operations Officer OCT, MAJ Edward Pecararo is the BDE S-2 Intelligence OIC OCT, and MSG Randell Conway is the BDE S-2 Intelligence NCOIC OCT from the Brigade Command & Control (BDE HQ) plus the BN S-2 Intelligence OCT, CPT Nathaniel Epps from TF-5 (Brigade Engineer Battalion).
 
This episode dives into Mission Analysis within the MDMP process, focusing specifically on Intelligence Preparation of the Operational Environment (IPOE)—or as framed at JRTC, Staff Preparation of the Operational Environment (SPOE). A central theme is dispelling the myth that IPOE is solely an S2 responsibility. The panel emphasizes that effective SPOE requires a whole-of-staff effort, integrating all warfighting functions to build shared understanding of terrain, threat capabilities, and operational variables. Key outputs discussed include the modified combined obstacle overlay (MCOO), clearly defined areas of operations and interest, civil considerations, threat courses of action, and the development of event templates and event matrices. The conversation reinforces that these products are not checklist items but foundational tools that drive collection planning, targeting, decision support matrices, and ultimately course of action development.  
 
The discussion also highlights common failure points—treating IPOE as a one-time event, failing to update PIRs as operations evolve, and neglecting to refine running estimates between phases. Leaders stress that predictive analysis suffers when staffs become plan-focused instead of threat-focused, losing sight of enemy capabilities in time and space. Effective SPOE requires continuous refinement, aggressive assessment of collection, integration with reconnaissance and fires, and disciplined maintenance of a shared intelligence picture across echelons. Ultimately, the episode frames mission analysis not as a procedural step to “get through,” but as the intellectual fight that enables commanders to anticipate enemy decisions, shape the battlefield, and close both the intelligence and targeting kill chains in LSCO.  
 
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.

134 S05 Ep 13 – LOGSTATs: The Variables of Success and Frustration w/JRTC Subject Matter Experts

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the one-hundredth-and-thirty-fourth 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 guest is CPT Cody Kindlethe S-4 Sustainment Planner for JRTC’s Plans / Exercise Maneuver Control Task Force.
 
This episode breaks down the “5Ls of Logistics” framework, with a deep focus on the LOGSTAT as the foundational communication tool that drives the entire sustainment enterprise. The discussion emphasizes that a LOGSTAT is not just a report—it is a demand signal and a running estimate that enables anticipatory logistics. Leaders explore how inaccurate or inconsistent submissions distort the log sync, misinform commanders, and create artificial crises. Key friction points include routing confusion between battalion S4s, brigade S4, and the SPO; unclear units of measure (raw numbers vs. days of supply vs. percent of capacity); and the dangers of oversimplifying commodities like Class V or Class VIII into vague “DOS” shorthand. The panel stresses that LOGSTATs must reflect commodities on hand, projected resupply, and consumption rates over time—not simply a thumbs-up status—if they are to support real forecasting and informed decision-making.  
 
The conversation also highlights battle rhythm discipline and parallel planning as critical enablers of effective sustainment. Twice-daily submissions feed the log sync, allowing sustainers to track 12- and 24-hour resupply windows, anticipate friction, and cross-level commodities within the brigade before shortages become emergencies. The panel underscores that sustainment math begins with accurate running estimates during MDMP and must continuously adjust based on actual consumption—not static planning factors from garrison. Ultimately, the LOGSTAT is framed as a two-way dialogue between maneuver and sustainment: maneuver communicates requirements; sustainment confirms capability. When synchronized through SOP-driven reporting, disciplined analysis, and aggressive follow-up, the LOGSTAT becomes a combat multiplier rather than administrative white noise.  
 
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.