Addressing Negative Trends Through Certification

In the July 2017 compilation of lessons learned and best practices from the Joint Readiness Training Center, there were several key observations identified for the field artillery community.

- Maj. John Poore

One of the most significant trends observed was that field artillery units conduct ineffective rehearsals that lead to weak execution. 1

The 25th Division Artillery views fire support team (FiST) certifications as an opportunity to reverse this trend by leveraging lessons learned from the Joint Readiness Training Center and by integrating the Army Associated Units Program. 2

FiST certifications are semi-annual events that happen across the Army to ensure the readiness of artillerymen across the force. In the 25th Infantry Division, the brigades conduct their individual FiST certifications twice a year and the DIVARTY commander oversees an annual consolidated FiST certification. This ensures certified fire supporters are prepared to provide maneuver commanders continuous and responsive indirect Fires during combat operations.

The 25th DIVARTY commander requires that an assessment of the certification process is done quarterly to ensure the evaluated tasks are effectively assessing the selected focus areas. 3 This assessment is then integrated into training glide paths that culminate with the FiST certification process.

“The FiST certification is a great opportunity to reverse fire support trends that have atrophied over time and increase the overall lethality of fire supporters from both active and National Guard Soldiers,” said Col. Matthew Stader, 25th DIVARTY commander.

To maximize the training opportunity, the 25th DIVARTY included all available fire supporters rather than conduct separate iterations for each brigade.