CAPT at 2009 Expeditionary Warfare School    Career Course 

“…overall value the CAPT contributed to your current fire support training…” 

    Choices                    Quantity            Percentage       Cumulative

Greatly                          7                    18%                 18%

Substantially                 22                    58%                 76%

  Marginally                      9                    24%                 100%

2009 EWS Captain Comments:

General value the CAPT offers to assist your unit develop and maintain core competencies:

Not printed in any order.  

1. Very good. Easy to use. You do need to be a little bit familiar with Fire Support Concepts.
2. CAPT is a really good tool/aid that will illustrate a fire plan. 
3. Good planning tool in reinforcing rules/fundamentals.
4. Excellent value that I wish to incorporate into our unit’s ATP.
5. Never had to think about timing in this manner – eye opener.
6. It is a good tool to visualize a constructed fire support plan and test run it.
7. Very useful.
8. Has value if time is invested into training with system.
9. CAPT offers a visual aid  to understand how the combined arms integration time line unfolds.
10. Makes you aware of the distance and time considerations in combined arms planning.
11. Great tool for time space visualization of overall plan.
12. If does a good job of building a time space picture of the battlespace.
13. Not yet known.  I’ll let you know after test day.
14. Good.
15. Very Good.
16. Good to Go. Trial and Error, builds confidence.
17. It is valuable, but the time it takes to change (because modify is not possible) little things makes the entire program an obstacle to mission success/distraction in a packed PTP.  Need to do “check plan” after every step (prior to “apply” button) or modify needs to be fixed.  Two missions in three hours – not good.
18. Good means to sanity check fire plans.
19. Good for developing core understanding of planning and deconfliction.
20. Very useful in planning and understanding concepts.
21. Great tool that just needs refining.
22. Rule compliance.
23. Useful in visualizing results/consequences of plan.
24. Helped in visualizing the classes given in fire support planning. Helpful for non-fires types to enhance learning.
25. Good to see plan in timeline, map, and assets.
26. Overall Great.  The program encourages critical thought about fire support and hands-on training.
27. The tool is useful; it illustrates most fire support planning principles well.
28. Very usable, fast planning.  Capable to show errors, mistakes made during planning.
29. Solid tool in applying concepts and validating rules.
30. As a FW attack pilot this took is educational but not applicable to employment.  As a young pilot flying CAS this product would build SA as to the overall scheme of maneuver.  However, it is not going to aid their development as a roll player in the fire support plan.
31. Great tool to teach the basics.  Not sure if those with real world experience can deal with all of the artificialities of the program.
32. A good tool once scenarios are developed… really time consuming though for a simple attack.  Probably not a good tool for starting training.  Better suited for maintaining.
33. Excellent program that helps one conceptualize time line synchronization.
34. Good tool for planning.
35. Good idea, but kept freezing every time I tried to add CAS.
36. Looks good, Would be nice to have maps for other training areas like Fort Irwin, Yuma, El Centro, Nellis, etc.
37. Great platform to have internal battle drill.  Additionally, will offer COAs for BN CO/Regiment/Division

What functionality / displays used by the CAPT would you like to see enhanced or changed?

Not printed in any order.  

1. Good way to simplify, illustrate, and practice combined arms.
2. Great for FSCC, need battle space geometry practice.  Should be mandatory for all artillery units.
3. I think it would be good.
4. It allows the thought process to adjust maneuver off of SDZs.  Focus on geometry of fires.
5. Good planning tool in reinforcing rules and fundamentals.
6. NA; my future unit will have to learn from ground zero.
7. Would be very beneficial to fire support planners.
8. It is a good tool for validation, however I think the most value in planning comes from doing it using systems / tools you will have during execution.
9. Good tool to maintain timeline and capabilities awareness.
10. Can provide a decent tool to maintain proficiency.
11. CAPT is a good tool that could increase understanding of the concepts of fire support planning.
12. Would be good to train FiSTs.
13. Good for planners, SOPs, understand/visualize movement and safety rings, and overall planning in support of maneuver.
14. Good value.
15. Seems promising.
16. Good.
17. Good, especially if by yourself want to refresh yourself, but a great tool to teach and see plan.
18. Little for TAOC; unless there are ACMs.
19. User friendly – great interface, very clear, easily understood, intuitive.  Efficient: No  Therefore, good for demonstration only.
20. Better for planning and FiST leader training; could be integrated if FACs, FOs, were included when running program.
21. Depends on how many computers are available and loaded with program.
22. Very good to train with in garrison or on ship.
23. Good; offers continuity of quality training.
24. None for FW Squadron.
25. If available, would be useful tool to maintain proficiency planning.
26. It would be useful if I were to use it regularly.
27. Seems good, but I am inexperienced.
28. Great
29. This is useful.
30. Can develop soldiers and Marines without live exercises; in classrooms.  Good planning tool, with many-many options.
31. Good tool to start that helps reinforce all of the rules as they apply to CAX.
32. I believe it would be a great tool for work-ups and pre-range operations.

What functionality /displays would you like to see added to the CAPT?

Not printed in any order.  

1. There is no ability to modify, once you select apply.  You have to delete entire lines and start over for corrections.  Rules are too restrictive.  Timing of suppression and smoke too finicky.  WP not being counted as a mark.  Two marks on deck? Not realistic anymore.  What about laser spots from FiST team or Pilots laze for themselves.
2. Ability to change icon’s color.  More maps available.
3. Modify attack and moves.  Ability to click diamonds, units, etc., to open the dialogue box point firing positions for helos wasn’t working.
4. Ability to modify a line vice having to delete it.  Incomplete SDZs for assault support aircraft on the deck “in zone”.  46s and 53s., .50 cal gunnery.
5. SDZs – alerts for breaking SDZs.
6. Real time distance analysis for ground movement.
7. Ability to modify locations instead of delete info.
8. Ability to modify taskings / actions.  Currently forced to delete and rebuild actions.  Also, ability to shift timelines by dragging / moving with mouse.
9. Overall good program.
10. Be able to double click on unit graphic to open information.
11. Making changes to units maneuver of fire plans is very difficult, often not allowed.  There are no rules keeping artillery from engaging multiple targets simultaneously, 1 minute shift times or designate effects should be noted.
12. Would like to be able to adjust times on timeline (drag timeline).
13. CAPT would not allow RW CAS when BPs not selected.
14. Modify events in boxes rather than having to delete it.  Allow to move the time bars on the playback rather than going back to the boxes to adjust times.
15. FiST ability to send/write actual CFF/9Line/6Line. Unknown enemy movements, movement of enemy known positions (limited)
16. When there was an error with an attack for a specific unit, I did not know how to adjust it.  It kept giving me error “unit attack modification not supported”. It caused me to delete the attack and start a new attack.
17. Maybe a hot link to the J-Fire Manual / which out lines rules.
18. Still needs tweaking.
19. Varied air control measures.
20. Easier to modify or just enable modify.
21. Best value could be to shift from CAX to current operations, make a FiST respond to moving enemy.  Test FiST leader’s timeliness.
22. Insert sudden changes in scenario for example unit shifts timelines and adjusts.  That would make it more realistic.
23. Make it easier to modify attacks and movements.  Had to delete the re-attack to modify.
24. Ability to edit a RW attack instead of deleting and starting over.
25. Modify option.
26. Provide ability to modify vice having to delete and enter entire action all over again.  Example: changing locations for SBF positions.
27. From a beginners perspective, the icons and displays were very user friendly.
28. Users need to be able to modify inputs.  Having to delete and start over to make corrections is very frustrating.
29. Time inputs should change to military time,”0002” so faster to enter.  Fixed Wing FAC heading number input sequence incorrect.
30. Better than a lot of other military software.
31. First time user – no issues.
32. Accurate SDZs, ability to shoot and maneuver, ability to destroy targets, should be tailored to real world execution. (Train like you fight).
33. The Weaponeering needs to be enhanced.  The ability to move and shoot needs to be added.
34. Good as is.