022 S01 Ep 04 – The BDE’s Tooth-to-Tail Ratio & Other Insights from Two Incoming BDE Commanders, COL Jason Schuerger & COL Jaron Wharton

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the sixteenth episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by the Commander of Ops Group (COG), COL Matthew Hardman. Today’s guests are two incoming brigade commanders within the 82nd Airborne Division, COL Jason Schuerger and COL Jaron Wharton.
 
In this episode they discuss how units across the force must approach learning with an emphasis on never repeating the same mistakes in preparation for going to war. Specifically, the need for leaders to focus on learning the science, the fundamentals of their profession of arms, before they focus on the “art” of war. The combat training centers highlight to brigade and division leaders that time is your number one “enemy” or concern, not the opposing force. Leaders must provide clear and simple guidance, which allows your subordinates to execute it violently in a timely manner.
 
An interesting point highlighted in today’s episode, within most standard maneuver formations, infantry or armor, subordinate commands prepare leaders for the next echelon of responsibility. Time as a platoon leader prepares you to be a company executive officer and company commander and so forth. However, at the brigade echelon is the level of responsibility that focuses much more heavily enabler assets and thus has a much steeper learning curve at the brigade level. An infantry brigade combat team only has approximately a quarter of its forces as actual infantry units and where the infamous tooth-to-tail ratio (T3R) really starts to come into effect. (The ratio of sustainment or support elements to direct combat units.)
 
Part of S01 “The Leader’s Laboratory” series.
 
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