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| Africa: Horn |
| CJTF-HOA instructs Ethiopian military |
| 2005-05-01 |
| Ethiopian graduates of the Combined Joint Task Force — Horn of Africa's Operation Ridgeback Tutor have begun training new students from the Ethiopian Army in anti-terrorism operations as a part of Ridgeback Tutor IV, here. The course, which was originally taught by members of Team Alpha, 1-294th Infantry (Light), focuses on such topics as troop leading, patrolling, traffic control and roadblocks, improvised explosive device searches and short range marksmanship. While Team Alpha remains, they have assumed a supervisory role, allowing their former students to teach the class. "We took an 'instruct the instructors' approach to the first few classes, and now those graduates are teaching" said 1st Lt. Joseph Cruz, commanding officer of the instructor staff here. "Now we are more watching the instructors
they are really teaching the course now." The course involves practical exercises, a three-day, two-night field training exercise, and classroom instruction complete with slides translated in Ahmeric. According to instructors and students alike, the training has been very beneficial. "Some of the topics are a little difficult because we have basically been taught offense and defense in the past, not any specialized training like this," said Ethiopian Army Lt. Solomon Abebe, graduate of the Ridgeback Tutor II and current chief instructor of the course. "The hardest classes are the troop leading procedures and action on the objective. But [the students] have a good knowledge of the lessons and do well." Because Ethiopian instructors are now entirely running the course, Team Alpha's trainers can now focus on sharpening the instructor's skills and improving the quality of the training itself. "We critique them at the end of the day," explained Sgt. Tommy Taitano, one of Team Alpha's trainers. "We encourage them and give suggestions on how to improve." Students in the course find the methods of instruction very different to what they are accustomed to. According to Abebe, most military instruction in Ethiopia comes in lecture form. Students, especially those from enlisted ranks, are discouraged from participating classes or offering suggestions - whereas the Ridgeback Tutor courses encourage student participation from officers and NCOs alike. "This is a new subject for us, and the ways we have class are very different," said Abebe. "Having participation and discussion is good and has helped them learn." While the course has had some obstacles, it has generally run smoothly, according to Cruz. The contents of the course is in some cases counter to all training the Ethiopian students have received throughout their careers, most notably in the area of troop leadership; as non-commissioned officers are not traditionally given as much responsibility in the Ethiopian military as in the American. "There are a lot of differences, but a lot of similarities as well" said Sgt. Frank Cepeda, a Team Alpha instructor, who said he has even had opportunities to learn from his students. "The Ethiopian commandos, for instance, challenged us the most. We were nothing but impressed with their tactics and movement and learned a lot from them." The students are set to finish the three-week long course with a graduation ceremony Wednesday. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |