Military engineers from all service branches are very familiar with their own respective capabilities. Familiarity with the other three services’ capabilities, however, tends to be less emphasized due to the majority of in-garrison engineer roles and responsibilities falling neatly within the boundaries of their respective service. The lack of emphasis placed on this joint knowledge has produced suboptimal results at the Joint Task Force (JTF) level where engineers face the unfamiliar task of pairing requirements with the engineering resources of the entire U.S. military, and not just their own respective service. This unfamiliarity with the different engineer service capabilities can ultimately hinder successful mission execution.

To remedy this shortcoming, the joint engineer community created Joint Engineer Operations Course (JEOC). The course was a joint effort under the guidance of the Doctrine Training Working Group of the Joint Operational Engineer Board. The course consists of two phases: a 32-hr distance learning phase and a 40-hr residence phase. The third and final pilot course offering was held 23 – 27 Jul 2007 at Fort Leonard Wood, MO. Forty-six students, comprised of 17 USA, 17 USAF, 8 USN, and 4 USMC officers, attended the course. The in-residence phase consisted of group lectures and small group discussions followed by practical exercises to reinforce the lesson’s main ideas. Video teleconferences with JTF engineers serving in Africa (JTF Horn of Africa) and Afghanistan (JTF-82) were included to bridge the gap between engineering theory discussed in class and real world applications.

The Civil Engineer and Services School at AFIT participated in the JEOC development as the AF lead for preparing and executing the course. Activities ranged from preparing on-line video presentations of AF engineer capabilities available to students to serving in course facilitator, student, and observer roles during the in-residence portion. CESS will continue to work with the joint engineer community to refine the course content and participate as course facilitators leading up to and during subsequent courses. There are currently four JEOC offerings scheduled for CY2008.

The practical benefit of attending the in-residence course is the cross-talk gained by sharing experiences with fellow engineers from the different services. What better way to learn about the Navy Seabees expeditionary construction program than from talking with a former Seabee (Hoorah!)? These similar types of discussions not only better prepare students for working on a JTF engineer staff, but also provide a better perspective on how their respective service’s capabilities fit into the spectrum of theater operations. Knowing the right tool for the right job is a common axiom in the engineering world, and the JEOC is a critical step in making that a reality for field grade engineering officers working on a JTF.

Maj. Christopher Stoppel is the CESS Course Director for the Joint Engineer Operations Course.  Contact Maj. Stoppel at christopher.stoppel@afit.edu or (937) 255-5654.