Read the Panama Case Study and provide feedback on how the lessons learned about Readiness and Program Management
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APA 7th Edition, Times New Roman 12
600 words
Please use this manual attached as one of the references
NCOs take on multiple roles to ensure success in Panama
November 3, 2016 Clifford Kyle Jones
By CLIFFORD KYLE JONES NCO Journal
The NCOs in Panama are selected for their experience, maturity and Spanish-language abilities, and they have clearly defined roles training Panamanian security forces — but they routinely go outside those roles to help the U.S. achieve its goals.
Sometimes that means learning about new equipment; sometimes it means cross-training with other Technical Assistance Field Team members; sometimes it means taking on duties far outside the regular role of an NCO.
Sgt. 1st Class Leobardo Nuno, TAFT Panama’s maintenance NCO, does all three.
TAFTs are deployed by the U.S. Army Security Assistance Training Management Organization, a subordinate organization to the U.S. Army Security Assistance Command. USASATMO currently has 38 TAFTSs and 43 teams in more than 20 countries around the world.
Nuno’s primary responsibility is helping Panamanian security forces maintain their equipment and develop tactics and procedures to keep that equipment running well. On a recent afternoon in a remote jungle outpost, he found himself under the hood of a Jeep J8.
“Jeep J8s are not a regular part of [the U.S. Army’s] inventory, so I have to study and learn them,” he said. “They have to show me some of the issues that they’re talking about in order for me to develop a correct answer for them and also to assist them technically to fix them.”
He and members of Panama’s Servicio Nacional de Fronteras, known as SENAFRONT, were working on the Jeeps’ air conditioning system. The hoses, he said, were too close together and were rubbing against each other.
“He links in with the maintenance personnel and makes sure they’re doing the right things to maintain their fleet of donated equipment,” said Maj. Bernard Gardner, who led the U.S. Army TAFT in Panama until recently. “That also applies for weapons. He has a good background in weapons maintenance and how [the Panamanians] need to get into the parts request system to get spare parts to fix them.”
Nuno also helps with the Panamanians’ cache of night vision goggles — maintaining, testing and getting rid of them as needed and ensuring spare parts are on hand. But when in Panama, NCOs go beyond their military occupational specialty.
“In addition to being a maintenance supervisor assistant for the TAFT here in Panama, I like to assist and cross-train with the other TAFT members,” Nuno said. “Yesterday, I was here supporting them with the range, but by the same token, I was learning the tactical stuff that they show the units and training them on the basic soldier skills.”
Nuno, like many of the NCOs in TAFT Panama, pulls double-duty when he travels from TAFT headquarters in Panama City. He had a maintenance mission at SENAFRONT’s facility, but he coordinated his visit with the tactical training team so he could help with a weeklong marksmanship course for SENAFRONT forces.
“Sometimes [maintenance] is not a full-time job, so it’s a perfect opportunity for him to also cross-train — come out, do tactical training with these guys and focus in that arena as well,” Gardner said. “He’s kind of a jack-of-all-trades.”
Helping the Embassy
One of Nuno’s other trades in Panama is human-rights vetting.
As required by the United States’ Leahy Law, the Defense and State departments are prohibited from providing military assistance to foreign entities that violate human rights standards.
Each person who takes part in the training conducted by U.S. forces must be vetted to ensure they don’t violate the Leahy Law. Panama is what is known as a fast-track country, unlike some other Central and South American nations that have histories of violent factions in regular conflict and many documented human-rights abuses. In Panama, the vetting can be conducted locally, and the U.S. Embassy approves participants in coordination with other U.S. agencies.
The TAFT took over the vetting process more than a year ago, with Nuno and Sgt. 1st Class Rafael Faria Rodriguez conducting most of the work. They link with Panamanian schoolhouses, collect names for requested training, ensure information is recorded correctly, run the data through Embassy computers and files, and then track the process to ensure all agencies are doing the appropriate vetting, Gardner said.
“Since taking it over, about 1,000 have been vetted,” Gardner said about nine months into the TAFT’s new responsibility.
“Panama doesn’t really have human rights problems like some other Central American countries,” he said. “So the check is really for criminal background of trainees. With nearly 1,000 names submitted thus far, we have had three that came back (flagged), and we had to make a decision. It’s usually because they had some sort of connection to a drug-trafficking organization.”
Keeping operations running
Such behind-the-scenes is common for Sgt. 1st Class Freddy Matostoro, the TAFT’s senior logistics advisor.
He said he doesn’t get to travel with members of the TAFT often, but his work is instrumental in ensuring their training happens.
Matostoro is in charge of developing the training budget and ensures that all U.S. Southern Command and U.S. Embassy requirements are met.
His challenges started upon his arrival, just under a year ago. The TAFT had been operating with a cash fund. Panama uses the U.S. dollar as its currency. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to Matostoro, the U.S. government had shifted from using cash to using credit cards.
“It wasn’t until budget close that they noticed I didn’t have a credit card,” Matostoro said in the spring. “Long story short, it took five months to get my credit card. So now halfway through my tour, and I have yet to buy anything.”
Challenges aside, the other members of the TAFT recognize how central Matostoro’s mission is to accomplishing theirs.
Faria said, “We have people right now out at Darien and all the things that we are doing simultaneously here, all that requires — all the resources, the vehicles, the fuel, even the toll pass that we put in the vehicles; all the supplies, wood, nails, hammers, tools all that stuff; and also the ammo when it gets ordered — that’s him who does it.”
Faria said he and the other members of the TAFT could not possibly keep track of all the details.
“He’s the one who keeps track of all that, so that’s what keeps all of us on the road and on the move and doing missions here,” Faria said. “Without him, we couldn’t do it.”
And Nuno is happy to be part of the TAFT’s mission in Panama.
“It’s one of those assignments that no one tells you about. But once you get in, you start realizing the impact we have here in Panama and any other country is huge. It’s a huge impact. By the same token, that impact can only be seen with time,” he said. “Every day, we continue to develop relationships with the international forces. The impact from that can be seen at a higher level than we are. The impact that we have here, the training that we do here, it helps the Panamanian forces to develop a good security system. That way they can control the drug flow and the immigration flow from different areas.
“We work as one single team, that’s No. 1,” he continued. “The relationship within our team is huge, because we come from different backgrounds — we have infantry guys, we have armament, we have commo — yet we all come together as one.”
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FAWA Rubric FY25
The Focused Area Writing Assignment (FAWA) is assessed within the following areas and weighted as shown below: Purpose, Body Content, Analysis, Structure, Conclusion, Accuracy, and Directly Quoted Material. Your FAWA must follow the instructions outlined in Blackboard. Your paper must be in Times New Roman, 12pt font, double spaced, using the current APA STUDENT PAPER style, NO RUNNING HEADS, NO ABSTRACT as found at Purdue OWL. Your paper must be 500 to 1000 words in length not including your title and reference page. Cite at least two references (the case study and one other reference). It must be in MS Word format. IMPORTANT: IAW MLC Standards, any paper with directly quoted material exceeding 24% will be required to be rewritten/resubmitted due to lack of original material or deduct 31% from the Grade Total. "All learner work must be original in nature and properly cited IAW APA standard format" (MLC ISAP). Late work subtracts 10% per day.
Levels of Achievement
Criteria Far Exceeds Standard
Exceeds Standard
Meets The Standard
Does Not Meet Standard
Purpose: “Bottom Line Up Front”
100.00 %
Exceeds Standard, plus explains what is known about the thesis (problem(s) or positive insight(s)) within the case study. Thesis statement describes what will happen if an NCO C3
80.00 %
Meets Standard, plus clearly supports an answer to the thesis (problem(s) or positive insight(s)) within the case study.
70.00 %
Purpose/ Introduction conveys topic. Thesis statement (in the form of a problem statement or positive insight) clearly tied to the topic.
20.00 %
Purpose/ Introduction does not convey topic. No introduction of main points. Thesis statement was unclear.
Name
Description
Rubric Detail
Weight 10.00%
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Levels of Achievement
Criteria Far Exceeds Standard
Exceeds Standard
Meets The Standard
Does Not Meet Standard
is applied or not applied to the situation.
Body Content: NCO Common Core Competencies (NCO C3s)
100.00 %
Exceeds Standard, plus two NCO C3s are clearly identi�ed and succinctly explained. The writer provided a convincing and ample evidence. Key components are detailed and evidence is clearly tied to the case study analysis.
80.00 %
Meets Standard, plus two NCO C3s are identi�ed and explained. Includes at least two key components (one for each NCO C3 or two for one of the NCO C3s) but are not fully supported with relevant details and evidence.
70.00 %
Identi�ed and provided a basic understanding of one NCO C3 that accurately describes the competency. Includes at least one key component but is not fully supported with relevant details and evidence.
20.00 %
Did not identify or demonstrate an understanding of an NCO C3.
Analysis: Evidence and Arguments
100.00 %
Exceeds Standard, plus description contains examples (from the case study) directly
80.00 %
Meets Standard, plus major points address implications or consequences. Analysis showed sound reasoning.
70.00 %
Analysis description makes the relevance clear. Examples from the case study are vague in
20.00 %
Analysis description does not show relevance. Does not provide examples from the case study. Major
Weight 20.00%
Weight 25.00%
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Levels of Achievement
Criteria Far Exceeds Standard
Exceeds Standard
Meets The Standard
Does Not Meet Standard
support the problem statement. Analysis accurately connects evidence to clearly support the issue. At least one source is peer- reviewed research based.
This paper cited three relevant sources, at least one source is scholarly in nature e.g. doctrine.
application. Major points partially support the problem statement. Most of the analysis used research appropriate for the historical event. This paper cited two relevant sources including the case study and the TC 7- 22.7.
points do not support problem statement. Description showed little to no analysis of the historical event. The paper cited less than two sources.
Structure: Organization and Transitions And Concision: The Most Information in the Least Space
100.00 %
Exceeds Standard, plus material organization presents a logical �ow of ideas. Transitions are clear and smoothly link paragraphs. All written paragraphs and pages are concise
80.00 %
Meets Standard, plus material organization supports the writer’s problem statement. Transitions are mostly evident, and reader can easily follow the paper’s �ow. Exceeds the prescribed length by 125 words.
70.00 %
Most material organized by subtopics. Transitions are mostly evident between paragraphs and headings. Exceeds the prescribed length by 250 words.
20.00 %
Material is not organized. No transitions. Exceeds the prescribed length by 500 or more words or is less than the 500 word minimum.
Weight 15.00%
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Levels of Achievement
Criteria Far Exceeds Standard
Exceeds Standard
Meets The Standard
Does Not Meet Standard
and to the point.
Conclusion: “What, so what, now what”
100.00 %
Exceeds Standard, plus includes relevant details from subtopics. Reinforces the problem statement through concise explanation.
80.00 %
Meets Standard, plus summarizes the main aspects of the paper. Paraphrases the problem statement.
70.00 %
Restates the problem statement. Does not introduce any new ideas.
20.00 %
No conclusion or does not support the problem statement. Conclusion is disconnected from the rest of the paper or introduces new ideas.
Accuracy: Grammar, Spelling, Punctuation, and Syntax (Reducing Reader Distractions)
100.00 %
Exceeds Standard, plus no grammatical error patterns identi�ed. Follows current APA formatting and citation guidelines.
80.00 %
Meets Standard, plus three grammatical error patterns identi�ed. Follows current APA formatting and citation guidelines with no more than three exceptions.
70.00 %
Paper is mostly active voice. Five grammatical error patterns identi�ed. Inconsistent use of APA formatting and guidelines.
20.00 %
Paper is mostly passive voice. Six or more grammatical error patterns identi�ed that made the paper unreadable or hard to follow. Does not follow APA formatting and citation guidelines for layout.
Directly Quoted Material
100.00 % 80.00 % 70.00 % 20.00 %
Weight 10.00%
Weight 15.00%
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Levels of Achievement
Criteria Far Exceeds Standard
Exceeds Standard
Meets The Standard
Does Not Meet Standard
(or SafeAssign Text Matching Score)
8% or less directly quoted material (excluding the title and reference pages).
16-9% directly quoted material (excluding the title and reference pages).
24-17% directly quoted material (excluding the title and reference pages).
24.1% or more directly quoted material (excluding the title and reference pages).
Weight 5.00%
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What Insights can we derive from Operation Anaconda regarding the NCO Common Core
Competencies (NCO C3s) of Operations and Communications?
Kenneth P. Mullan
Department of the Army, Fort Bliss
Master Leader Course Class 008-24
MSG Brian Brown
January 12, 2023
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What Insights can we derive from Operation Anaconda regarding the NCO Common Core
Competencies (NCO C3s) of Operations and Communications?
It is imperative that leaders take operations and communications seriously; because the
doctrinal knowledge as well as the ability to apply the requisite skills equate to life and death for
the Soldiers they lead. Fleri et al. (2003) identified the end results of leading without a clear
understanding of the NCO Core Competency (NCO C3) of Operations, specifically the aspect of
shared understanding within the joint operational environment. Operation Anaconda also reveals
how the NCO C3 of Communications, when effectively executed according to doctrine, leads to
successful conduct of large scale operations. This paper analyzes Operation Anaconda Case
Study through the perspectives of operations and communications.
The NCO C3 of Operations
The NCO C3 of Operations is a combination of operational skill sets that, when mastered
by senior leaders can save lives and ensure effective unified action. Some of its key tenets
include: Large-scale combat operations; understanding operational and mission variables;
resolving complex, ill-structured problems with the use of mission command; and understanding
how to integrate the different branches of the military into successful joint operations
(Department of the Army [DA], 2020a). This final principle of conducting joint operations
becomes increasingly important as contemporary conflicts continue to venture further into the
realm of multi-domain warfare (Marr, 2018). In order to execute such a complex task, Joint
Force Commanders (JFC) must “integrate, synchronize, and direct joint operations” through the
use of seven Joint Functions (Joint Chiefs of Staff [JCS], 2017, p. III-1). One of these functions,
command and control, is how the JFC directs the forces toward accomplishment of the mission,
and its essential task is to “Communicate and ensure the flow of information across the staff and
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joint force” (JCS, 2017, p. III-2). This task is critical to the creation of a shared understanding,
which allows the separate branches to work seamlessly together toward a common goal. The
absence of this unifying component hinders missions and increases casualties.
Case Study Example
In the case study of Operation Anaconda, JFC Major General (MG) Hagenbeck failed to
create such a shared understanding with his subordinate Air Force assets, which contributed to
increasing the amount of casualties his forces incurred. Although the warning order was
published on 6 January, MG Hagenbeck did not notify the Combined Force Air Component
Commander of Operation Anaconda until 23 February, just days before the operation began
(Fleri et al., 2003).
Insights Derived from the Example
This failure to ensure the flow of information across the joint force, caused downstream
effects in planning and preparation that led to diminished air support during the initial stages of
the operation. As noted by Lambeth (2005) in his comprehensive analysis, “because so little air
support had been requested…coalition troops entered the fight virtually unprotected by any
preparatory and suppressive fire” (pp. 204-205). Operation Anaconda provides a clear case of
how proficiency in the realm of Operations can result in fewer U.S. casualties. Alongside the
importance of the leadership competency is the communication competency.
The NCO C3 of Communications
The NCO C3 of Communications is the figurative string that connects all NCO C3s
together and is the basis for the overall impression and judgement of a leader. Different types of
communication include verbal, non-verbal, written, listening, visual, response and feedback,
collaborative, and many others. Communication is something that everyone does, whether
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deliberate or instinctual; it can be something as subtle as a gesture when walking past someone,
or as complex as a written manual. All good leaders are good communicators who use the
various forms of communication in positive ways, as in interpreting and applying the concepts of
Army doctrine. Leaders at all echelons know how to use the abundance of Army doctrinal and
regulatory publications to help them succeed in their implied and directed tasks. As an example,
a squad leader who wants to know how to properly counsel a Soldier would rely on the Army
Training Publication (ATP), The counseling process (ATP 6-22.1), found on the Army
Publishing Directorate website. As an example, the Department of Army (2014) states that
effective leaders and counselors will talk less and spend more time listening. Although this
concept is simple, it is profoundly important to counseling and other communication forums for
a leader. Many Army publications, like ATP 6-22.1, specifically help leaders understand
communication and ways to enhance their communicative ability in their specific military
occupational specialties (MOSs).
Case Study Example
Another example Army publication that illustrates important communication techniques
is the signal support to operations (FM 6-02) publication which “describes how signal Soldiers
support Army forces as they shape operational environments, prevent conflict, conduct large-
scale combat operations, and consolidate gains against a peer threat in joint operations” (DA,
2019, p. V). During Operation Anaconda Case Study, leaders were responsible for conducting
Satellite Communications (SATCOM) in order to order to effectively transmit messages on the
battlefield across vast distances. Specifically, the Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF)
headquarters was miles away from their field elements but was able to exercise regular
situational reports (SITREPs), Medical Evacuations (MEDEVACs) and Close Air Support
5
(CAS) requests, with minimal delays or interruption to operations. The leaders and Soldiers who
operated the SATCOMs were proficient with knowledge from their respective Army doctrine,
wh