AC Summer 08 WIN-T Online - United States Army Signal Center of ...

New Equipment Training
Inc 2 to build on Inc 1
By Timothy Rider
Monte Crippen, the New
Equipment Training planner for
WIN-T Increment 1 leaves little
doubt as to whether he thinks
Soldiers should dedicate themselves
to NET when new equipment and
training arrives at their doorstep.
“This is brand new, state-ofthe-art
communications,” Crippen
said. “It is their go-to-war communications
backbone network, and it’s
complicated. If the units don’t know
how to operate it, they can’t communicate.
The commands need to
realize they need to completely
dedicate themselves to this training.”
Crippen has been planning
NET for units since the initial
delivery of the Joint Network Node-
Network to the 3rd Infantry Division
between summer and fall of 2004.
That JNN-Network is now part of
the WIN-T program does not change
the basic process that continues with
Increment 1 and through follow-on
updates and increments: When the
new equipment arrives, NET follows
soon thereafter. Then, crew drills
and battle staff exercise and finally a
complete inventory and turnover to
the unit.
In order to achieve readiness,
Project Manager WIN-T provides
full service to help a unit through the
steps of new equipment arrival and
training.
In the preliminary steps,
Project Manager WIN-T schedules a
meeting.
“We physically go to the unit
and explain how it’s going to
happen,” Crippen said. “While
we’re there, we do a site survey of
the facilities to help establish a plan
for the use of space needed to hold
classes, store, set up, and test the
new equipment.”
The next step is receipt, initial
set up, and equipment testing.
“The contractor has to have the
equipment in place, so the Soldiers
have the equipment to train on and
then use,” Crippen said.
In a typical brigade, 75 students
take NET classes for WIN-T
Increment 1. In an expeditionary
signal battalion, that number of
students is approximately 150
Soldiers.
“During classes, the units
pretty much stand down,” said
Crippen, who referred to WIN-T
NET as a “high impact” event.
The Signal Center at Fort
Gordon, Ga., approves the training
program, selects teachers for NET
and assesses the available military
occupational specialties that will
serve as “feeder MOSs” – those
existing MOSs that have been
identified to receive the updated
training, Crippen said.
Increment 1 NET courses
For WIN-T Increment 1,
courses will continue until 2009
when Mobile Subscriber Equipment
retires, according to Crippen.
Typically, six to eight classes are in
session, sometimes simultaneously,
during a 12-week period. Classes
typically hold 16-20 Soldiers. Class
schedules are aligned, so personnel
can complete one class and then take
other courses. For example, Basic
Information Technology Networking
class students may also attend the
Battalion Command Post Node
course.
Although there are now three
different versions of the WIN-T
Increment 1 shelter, Soldiers train on
a version that comprises all three
versions, according to Crippen.
WIN-T Increment 1 NET is
summarized below:
� A 50-day JNN/Single
Shelter Switch Shelter Operator
Class is targeted for 25F/25N
Soldiers. Upon completion, 25N
Soldiers may also attend the five-day
JNN Shelter Troubleshooting course,
which is targeted to 250N, 948B 25W
Soldiers.
� The five-day Basic Networking
Course and a 10-day BCPN is
targeted for 25B Soldiers who will be
the BCPN primary operator/
maintainers.
� The 10-day Ku Satellite
Communications Transportable
Terminal Course is targeted for 25S/
25Q Soldiers and the five-day
Master Reference Terminal Course is
targeted for 25S Soldiers.
� The 43-day Network Management
Course, 12-day Information
Assurance Course and 10-day Depot
Purchased Equipment Maintenance
Planning Module Course is provided
to officers and key personnel from a
number of target MOS who will be
the unit’s network planners, managers
and information assurance
specialists.
� As part of Increment 1, NET
is also provided on transmission
systems that have recently been
enhanced with increased capabilities,
including the 20-day Tropospheric
Scatter Radio Operator-
Maintainer course, a five-day High
Capacity Line-of-Sight Operator
Maintainer Course and a three-day
HCLOS ELM Unit Maintainer
Course.
� One-day courses on generators
and environmental control unit
maintenance
Although the JNN/SSS Shelter
Operator Course material is now
taught as part of Advanced Individual
Training to new 25 N Soldiers,
“we do recommend that those
new Soldiers receive the NET
training, because it’s the actual
equipment they will use, and we
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