Bringing Rehearsals

into the Modern Age

A Digital Transformation for
Divisions
Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, U.S. Army
Lt. Col. William Denn, U.S. Army
Maj. Christian Turley, U.S. Army

L egendary Alabama football coach Nick Saban, widely

considered to be one of the greatest football coaches
of all time, notably described his incremental ap-
proach to training his football team at fall training camp:
“Couple days in helmets, couple days in shells, and then you
put pads on … we want them to develop the kind of habits
that are going to allow them to play winning football on a
consistent basis.”1 What Saban described was his incremen-
tal build up for his team to practice, repeat, and learn their
play well. This training philosophy of practicing and building
speed into fundamental plays is useful not just on the football
field—it can be a simple and effective training philosophy for
military operations as well.
Over the last year, 3rd Infantry Division (3rd ID) used
Saban’s philosophy as a critical component in the division’s
methodology to conduct its series of division-level rehears-
als. Using an entirely digital terrain model, to continue the
analogy, the division first executed “without pads, wearing
shorts and a helmet.” Then, after the division proficiently
demonstrated that play at a crawl, the division would “put on
helmets and shoulder pads” and run through it again faster.
And when the division could demonstrate the play with a
tactical and temporal grasp of sequence and shared under-
Coach Nick Saban observes a University of Alabama foot-
ball scrimmage 17 April 2010 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. standing across echelons, the division would put on full pads
(Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons) and execute at combat speed.

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Most recently, 3rd ID deployed to the European Eisenhower iterated in 1957, “plans are worthless, but
theater in August 2024. Headquartered in Bolesławiec, planning is everything.”3 With each warfighting func-
Poland, the division supported U.S. European tions’ fighting products on-hand such as the division
Command’s Operation Assure, Deter, and Reinforce synchronization matrix, decision support matrix, IC
as a deterrent to continued Russian aggression with- synchronization matrix, high-payoff target list (HPTL)
in the region. As the regionally aligned force for nine and other supporting fires planning products, among
months, 3rd ID also participated in U.S. Army Europe others, when friction in the mission appeared, leaders
and Africa’s (USAREUR-AF) Austere Challenge 24 merely fought off these
Warfighter exercise series. In preparation of Austere fighting products instead
Challenge 24, the division trained through one of a script. Moreover, Maj. Gen. Christopher
corps-level and one divisional-level command post discarding lengthy scripts Norrie, U.S. Army,is the
exercise that built readiness and sharpened all warf- (and relying on a digital commanding general of
ighting functions’ familiarity with their fighting prod- terrain model) enabled the 3rd Infantry Division,
ucts and digital systems. Each command post exercise the division to substan- Fort Stewart, Georgia.
allowed 3rd ID and its five or more brigades to execute tially reduce rehearsal His previous commands
a series of rehearsals to include division information preparation time. The include commanding
collection (IC), IC/fires, sustainment, and a combined “dirty” CPCE layer of general of 7th Army
arms rehearsal (CAR). operational graphics, Training Command,
control measures, and Grafenwoehr, Germany;
Improving the Combined Arms unit icons (red, blue, and 25th Commander of
Rehearsal: Repetitions at Speed green) were fully movable Operations Group,
While many units focus on the physical terrain by anyone with a connec- National Training Center,
model for shared understanding, 3rd ID executed tion to an MPE computer Fort Irwin, California; 3rd
their rehearsals digitally utilizing the Command Post anywhere in the world. Armored Brigade Combat
Computing Environment (CPCE) mission com- More importantly, fully Team, 4th Infantry Division,
mand system on the USAREUR-AF Mission Partner digitized, fully distrib- Fort Carson, Colorado;
Environment (MPE) classified enclave.2 A benefit of uted mission command and 1st Battalion, 8th
executing these rehearsals digitally was it allowed the replicated how subordi- Cavalry Regiment, 1st
greatest participation of subordinate units and com- nate commanders will Cavalry Division, Fort
mand nodes that were distributed across Europe and fight in large-scale combat Cavazos, Texas. Norrie has
the continental United States. The division G-2 upload- operations where they earned his undergraduate
ed refined high-resolution imagery to support terrain will likely be separated degree from Bucknell
visualization, and the division knowledge managers by geography to increase University and master’s de-
created specifically for our rehearsals a “dirty” CPCE dispersion for protection. grees in business adminis-
layer consisting of all the operational graphics, control To start each turn in tration from Embry-Riddle
measures, and unit icons to allow for subordinate units the rehearsal, units would University and in national
and outstations to manipulate in real-time. Compared be oriented to the time security strategy from the
with conducting the rehearsals on a physical terrain of the turn, their starting National War College.
map, the digital CPCE method with manipulable layers locations, weather con- His operational deploy-
enabled greater understanding and more innovation in ditions, and higher and ments and combat tours
a completely interactive environment. adjacent units’ missions, include Operation Joint
An interactive CPCE series of rehearsals allowed and the division G-2 (in- Forge-Bosnia/Herzegovina,
the commander to validate the team’s understanding of telligence officer) would Operation Iraqi Freedom-
not just the “play” as it exists in a playbook (e.g., a wet- orient the division to the Iraq, Operation Spartan
gap crossing or air assault) but confirmed that subor- enemy activity. Units Shield-Middle East,
dinate units and the staff understand what to do when would then organically, and Operation Atlantic
the mission went off plan. As President Dwight D. under their own initiative, Resolve-Poland.

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start executing movement or activity in accordance a single IC/fires rehearsal creates risk as units fail to
with the division plan and synchronization matrix. fully rehearse or synchronize elements of their IC plan
During this first iteration, as part of the “without pads” that is not in direct support of targeting efforts.
repetition, friendly forces would execute the play as During a traditional combined IC/fires rehearsal,
planned and without significant enemy contact or the fires and intelligence warfighting functions vali-
interference. date their processes and plans organized around the
After a critical event was conducted, the unit icons targeting cycle of decide, detect, deliver, and assess, or
were then “rewound” and placed back in their original D3A, against critical enemy capabilities on the HPTL.4
starting positions. The play was then rehearsed again— Destruction or degradation of these HPTL systems
this time under the concept of “with helmets.” In this sets conditions in the division’s deep area to enable the
iteration, the G-2 might remove the preferred course success of subordinate brigades in their fights in the
of action from friendly forces by destroying a bridge division close areas.5 But
and forcing an alternate route, or enemy action would critical and often over-
create casualties and contingencies that friendly units looked in executing the Maj. Christian Turley,
would have to react to. D3A process are the sub- U.S. Army, is assigned
After the units practiced this series of the critical processes inherent in the as the 3rd Combat
events, each was again brought back to the start point “detect” function, which Aviation Brigade S-2
and run at “full speed with pads.” The G-2 fought the are typically described for 3rd Infantry Division
enemy and environment to introduce full friction, (3rd ID). His previous
often with the enemy most dangerous course of action assignments include 3rd
considerations. This process was repeated for subse- ID collection manager
quent critical events in the division scheme of maneu- Lt. Col. William Denn, and S-2 observer coach/
ver. Adjacent units, supporting fires, aviation, and other U.S. Army, is the G-2 for trainer, 188th Infantry
warfighting functions all reacted to contact, slowly at 3rd Infantry Division. He Brigade. He has complet-
first, then faster with each turn—but most critically, previously was deputy ed undergraduate study
were required to react and respond to the declared chief of staff, Joint Staff at Indiana University and
actions of adjacent brigades during the rehearsal. This J-5 at the Pentagon; received a master’s degree
sequence ultimately built upon Coach Saban’s method- brigade combat team in operational studies
ology to learn to work collaboratively as a team, which (BCT) S-2 observer from the Command and
reinforces habits to consistently win. It is our collective controller at the Joint General Staff College,
assessment that this methodology is far more effective Multinational Readiness Fort Leavenworth,
and intuitive than the traditional methodology units Center, Germany; and Kansas. He is a graduate
use of units sequencing actions on a terrain model gov- a BCT S-2 at the 82nd of the Army Intelligence
erned by a prepared script. Airborne Division, Fort Development Program-
Liberty, North Carolina. Intelligence Surveillance
Bringing Back the Division He is a graduate of the U.S. Reconnaissance Program.
Intelligence Rehearsal Military Academy at West His overseas experience
In addition to improving how the division conduct- Point, Harvard University, includes deployments
ed their division CAR, 3rd ID also worked to improve and the U.S. Army School supporting Operation
how they rehearse intelligence operations. From the of Advanced Military Enduring Freedom in
authors’ collective experiences as a commander of Studies. He is a General Afghanistan, Multinational
Operations Group at the National Training Center and Douglas MacArthur Forces and Observers in
serving as observer/controllers at dozens of combat Leadership Award recip- Egypt, Operation Spartan
training centers rotations, it is our opinion that the ma- ient and the Command Shield in the Middle East,
jority of tactical units at all echelons have gotten into and General Staff College and NATO’s Enhanced
bad habits of relying on a combined IC/fires rehearsal distinguished honor Response to Russian
as their only intelligence-focused rehearsal. Relying on graduate. Aggression Mission.

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as the processing, exploitation, dissemination (PED)

process.
Moreover, elements of the IC plan focused on
answering priority information requirements (PIR)
to support commander decision points and provid-
ing situational understanding are often not rehearsed
if it is not tied to the HPTL as part of the targeting
plan. To mitigate this risk, the 3rd ID G-2 executed a
digital IC-only rehearsal with subordinate units prior
to and in support of the division’s combined IC/fires
rehearsal. The G-2’s goal was to synchronize, rehearse,
and demonstrate technical proficiency in the linkages
between information collection assets and the G-2
analysts to illustrate to them how collection informs as-
sessments and decisions and drives operations, and how
that information is communicated and disseminated
both laterally and vertically through multiple paths in
the division intelligence architecture.
The division IC rehearsal, executed prior to the IC/
fires rehearsal, confirms every soldier within the intel-
ligence enterprise along the PED chain understands
their individual part of the play. It gives G-2 soldiers
a chance to fight through their intelligence specialty
The 3rd Infantry Division (3rd ID) main command post conducts
and see how their portion of the play serves the entire operations inside an unused maintenance bay in January 2024
enterprise and informs operations. With today’s Army during a command post exercise in Żagań, Poland. (Photo courtesy
structural changes that have shifted much of the of the 3rd ID Public Affairs Office)
intelligence PED capabilities in divisions and brigades
into intelligence and electronic warfare battalions and military intelligence companies, the division cavalry
general support military intelligence companies, it is squadron, the division Gray Eagle (unmanned aircraft)
even more paramount to practice through rehearsals company, as well as other single-intelligence sensor
the synchronization and execution of these processes teams across the battlespace. The division focused on
for soldiers that may not be embedded with the unit two critical events during the IC rehearsal that also
throughout the planning processes and training. supported critical events later used during the division
For 3rd ID, the division IC rehearsal was CAR: a wet-gap crossing and an airfield seizure, and
chaired by the division chief of staff and the G-2 and the first probable line of contact with the enemy in
run by the division collection manager—all digitally the first forty-eight hours of operations. The rehears-
and distributed on CPCE via MPE. In addition to al methodology was the same as outlined previously
the division G-2 section, joint air ground integration for the division CAR—critical event plays would be
center team, and other members of the division staff, “rewound” several times with increased pace and com-
key participants included the division’s intelligence and plexity and utilizing only division fighting products like
electronic warfare battalion, which provided much of the IC synchronization matrix.
the intelligence manpower to the division “strike cell” At each critical event, the collection manager laid
comprising multi-intelligence PED (geospatial intel- out the collection plan and priorities for the phase,
ligence and signals intelligence); intelligence, surveil- creating shared understanding for the G-2 enterprise.
lance, and reconnaissance (ISR) mission managers; and Units and sensors would then naturally narrate and
ISR technical controllers. Additionally, subordinate execute the plan as outlined on the IC synchronization
units participated which included brigade S-2s, brigade matrix. As the ISR mission manager advanced Gray

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Eagle unmanned aircraft icons, the G-2 analysis control in preparation for a synchronized IC/fires rehearsal
element chief introduced enemy injects and friction simulates the collection process in real time, anchored
to the plan, which resulted in a dynamic rehearsal. If by PED, and the role of fusion in analyzing that data.
an unexpected event such as the presence of enemy It demonstrates exactly how the intelligence enterprise
reconnaissance presented itself on the digital terrain, will support both targeting and provide situational
the reaction from the analysts then drove further understanding by answering the commander’s PIRs. It
action. These dynamic actions allowed repetitions is our objective that intelligence doctrine restores the
by junior soldiers to hone their battle drills, practice recommendation and importance of the intelligence
their PACE (primary, alternate, contingency, and rehearsal as an important foundation to the rest of the
emergency) communication plan and PED plan, and unit’s rehearsal series at echelon.
understand their role in the bigger division “play.” If a
geospatial analyst identified a helicopter landing zone What’s at Stake When We Don’t
as “cherry” (presence of a predetermined quantity of Prepare for Combat
enemy forces), thus creating greater risk to mission and Dynamic and unscripted rehearsals serve as a
force, the IC rehearsal demonstrated how that sensor, critical forcing function to integrate the entire division.
observing a named area of interest, carried tremendous Digital tools like CPCE with the right techniques (like
impact for the division. For the collection management manipulable digital layers) can provide suitable envi-
section, it validated that the IC synchronization matrix ronments to run rehearsals, especially while geographi-
placed the right capability at the right time to answer cally distributed. All warfighting functions and subor-
PIRs for that phase of the operation. The IC rehearsal dinate units must synchronize the division for success.
not only tested the IC plan (the play) but also tested The combination of the division’s IC rehearsal, IC/fires
each soldier charged with a PED role at combat speed. rehearsal, sustainment rehearsal, and CAR aim to val-
After the PED analyst decided “what” was observed, idate the plan through the division’s fighting products,
then G-2 fusion cell could compile all the data to assess confirm understanding by the staff and subordinate
the “so what” of that intelligence’s impact on current units, and identify friction points by enabling stressing
operations. and testing of environmental and enemy conditions.
There exists a gap in our current doctrine and Rehearsing plays repeatedly allows the division to build
lessons learned publications reinforcing the importance the confidence and competence required to outpace,
of the intelligence rehearsal. Within Army Techniques outmass, and outthink the enemy, which is essential
Publication 2-01, Collection Management, collection to how we win. Units cannot afford to put on pads for
managers are responsible for four IC related tasks: the first time at combat speed. Repetitions and sets are
collection management, direct information collection, needed to master the fundamentals and solidify good
execute collection, and conduct intelligence-related habits that must be demonstrated repeatedly in varying
missions and operations.6 Field Manual 2-0, Intelligence, conditions. In real-life, large-scale combat operations
specifies that commanders are responsible for ensuring do not measure points on a scoreboard. Failing to re-
collection is synchronized with the operation.7 But hearse effectively and honestly may yield an unbearable
these publications do not specify how units need to re- cost in blood and treasure. In our opinion, Nick Saban’s
hearse the collection plan to demonstrate tactical profi- methodology holds much promise for military units,
ciency throughout combat operations. An IC rehearsal and Nick Saban doesn’t lose.

Notes
1. Joe Gaither, “What Nick Saban Said at Alabama Coor- 2. For more on the Command Post Computing Environment
dinator Media Day,” Sports Illustrated Alabama Crimson Tide, and the Mission Partner Environment, see Amy Walker, “Multina-
6 August 2023, https://www.si.com/college/alabama/football/ tional Exercises Help Improve the Mission Partner Environment,”
what-nick-saban-said-at-alabama-coordinator-media-day-gaither. Army.mil, 27 April 2021, https://www.army.mil/article/245647/

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multinational_exercises_help_improve_the_mission_partner_en- 5. FM 3-0, Operations (Washington, DC: U.S. GPO, July 2019),

vironment. 3-29.
3. Dwight D. Eisenhower, Public Papers of the Presidents of the 6. Army Techniques Publication 2-01, Collection Management
United States (Washington, DC: National Archives and Records (Washington, DC: U.S. GPO, August 2021), 1-4.
Service, Office of the Federal Register, 1957), 818, https://babel. 7. FM 2-0, Intelligence (Washington, DC: U.S. GPO, October
hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=miua.4728417.1957.001&seq=858. 2023), 3-3.
4. Field Manual (FM) 3-60, Army Targeting (Washington, DC:
U.S. Government Publishing Office [GPO], 2023), 2-1–2-13.

US ISSN 0026-4148

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