Chapter 3: Operational Environment Enterprise Support

This page is a section of TC 7-102 Operational Environment and Army Learning.

The Operational Environment Enterprise (OEE) builds, validates, creates, maintains and delivers OE context and complexity for leader development; training and professional education; experience, and concept and capabilities development.

Operational Environment Enterprise

An operational environment (OE) is a core condition of any mission. An OE is a subset of the strategic environment. The Operational Environment Enterprise (OEE) is the means by which OE products and services are developed, coordinated, integrated, verified, validated, accredited, and provided or made available to support the Army. The Army’s Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) G-2, Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, is the executive manager of the OEE. The TRADOC G-2 staff coordinates, administers, and conducts the recurring services and support functions of the OEE to the Army, and engages OE stakeholder communities through key Army decision forums.

At the OEE management level, the OEE regularly participates in key decision forums such as Quarterly Futures Reviews (QFR), Training Integration Forums (TIF), and Army Profession and Leader Development Forums. Proponents of these types of forums identify OE-related issues and engage the OEE to satisfy OE requirements related to leader development, training and education, and capabilities development. Effective collaboration between lead representatives, staff managers, and the OEE subject matter experts guide and support major objectives (MO) and supporting tasks toward Army readiness.

The OEE consists of Army stakeholders in the operational and institutional forces, internal and external capability providers, and OEE management that shape and govern enterprise activity. OEE stakeholders focus enterprise activity by defining their needs within the context of institutional or operational missions, and/or other organizational requirements. The OEE capability providers deliver products, services, and other support to meet OEE validated requirements. Enterprise-user engagements shape the definition of the needs and service, support, or product satisfaction.

The wide range of Army missions, combined with OE uncertainties and complexities, preclude responding to OE requirements effectively with any single or narrowly-scoped set of OE offerings. To OEE Army identifies how to most effectively support the prioritized major objectives and specified subordinate tasks and subtasks.

The OEE provides OE resources that support the Army in forums such as institutional learning, home station training (HST), combat training center (CTC) rotations, training by deployed units and activities, and other forces. These products, services, and support are integral to the institutional curriculum development process (ADDIE) and exercise design planning and execution. For example, training circular guidance on how to design exercises is codified in Army TC 7-101. The objective of exercise design is to structure and provision a training event that establishes the conditions to facilitate performance-oriented training on selected, directed, or mission essential training objectives. As a planning and design tool, TC 7- 101enhances an exercise planner’s ability to produce an operational environment that achieves desired unit/activity objectives while fielding a challenging opposing force (OPFOR) consistent with hybrid threat training literature presented in the TC 7-100 series.

The OEE provides the developer with support to U.S. Army TRADOC and non-TRADOC CoEs, schools, and academies and other institutional domain venues. Support includes but is not limited to―

• Instructional design and scenario development OE data support for concrete training and educational experiences and related learning activities in support of individual and unit training and leader development.
• OE analysis expertise to ensure that the latest methodologies and techniques that facilitate enhanced understanding of the OE concept are integrated into the appropriate learning programs.
• Tailored OE data support to represent the diverse complexities of the OE in educational and training venues.
• Information of OE compliance by U.S. Army TRADOC and non-TRADOC organizations through Quality Assurance (QA) Program accreditation and assistance visits, and operational environment assistance team visits to the combat training centers (CTCs) and other Army organizations and activities.
• Insights on OEs and their integration into aspects of the Joint and Army lessons learned process. This includes the application of threat and red teaming perspectives and methodologies to update and validate environments and changing conditions in support of the Army and unified action partner communities.

Operational Environment Enterprise Resources

The resources of the OEE comprise a comprehensive collection of information, services, and products that describe the complexities of current and future operational environments. Subject matter experts reside in the Army’s commands, systems, educational programs, offices, centers, and other activities. The Army studies OE conditions continuously to ensure an accurate, robust, and relevant description of the variables in an operational environment. As executive manager of the OEE in support of the U.S. Army, TRADOC G-2 expertise and focus areas include but are not limited to the following resources.

TRADOC Intelligence Support Activity (TRISA)

TRISA consists of six subordinate directorates, office, university, and related activities: Threats Directorate; Wargaming, Experimentation, and Threat Emulation Directorate; Models and Simulations Operational Environment Directorate; Foreign Military Studies Office; University of Foreign Military and Cultural Studies; and Human Terrain System Directorate. Capabilities within TRISA are as follows:

Threats Directorate

The Threats Directorate studies, designs, applies, and certifies contemporary to mid-term operational environments (OEs) and threats (or opposing force [OPFOR]) in order to apply realistic and challenging conditions that drive all Army training; education and leader development; doctrine; and capabilities development. The Threats Directorate consists of two directorates: Complex Operational Environment and Threat Integration Directorate (CTID) and the Capabilities Development Scenario and Studies Directorate (CDSSD).

Complex Operational Environment and Threat Integration Directorate (CTID)

Serves as the Army lead for identifying, analyzing, documenting, and integrating the OE, threats, and opposing forces (OPFOR) in support of all Army leader development, training, and experience (LD). The CTID designs and sustains the Army’s baseline OPFOR model in organizational structure and equipment as a composite of threat capabilities and limitations in regular and irregular forces for training, education, and leader development programs.

Researches, authors, and publishes threat and OPFOR literature in Army doctrine, administrative publications, handbooks, training support packages, educational and self-development support material, and related intelligence assessments and reports in order to describe foreign threats and terrorism threats that serve as OE training conditions for all Army training and leader development (AR 350-1).

Reviews, analyzes, and provides recommendations for the integration of the OE and its variables (political, military, economic, social, infrastructure, information, physical  environment, and  time) (PMESII-PT), and subvariables into training, education, and leader development doctrine and practical experiences in LVCG domains.

CTID Operations

Serves as the approval authority for all OE conditions for scenarios used in training. Validates all data used in OPFOR training, simulation, and other activities, including training scenarios and OE. Researches, produces, and updates Army training, education, and leader development products. Examples include―

• U.S. Army field manual (FM) and Army Training Circular (TC) 7-100 series in support for the Opposing Force Program (AR 350-2).
• U.S. Army training, education, and leader development literature in OEs (ADRP 3-0).
• Terrorism tactics chapter contribution to U.S. Army Training Publication for Antiterrorism (ATP 3-37.2).
• Functional analysis appendix to U.S. Army Training Publication (ATP) 2-01.3 for Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield (U) (ATP 2-01.3).
• U.S. Army Training Circular for Hybrid Threat (TC 7-100).
• U.S. Army Training Circular for Opposing Force Tactics (TC 7-100.2).
• U.S. Army Training Circular for Irregular Opposing Forces (TC 7-100.3).
• U.S. Army Training Circular for Exercise Design (TC 7-101).
• U.S. Army Training Circular for Operational Environment and Army Learning (TC 7-102).

Researches, produces, and updates Army OEE training, education, and leader development products to include topics such as―

• Operational environments and threats for near-term years and strategic environment for unified land operations (See figure 3-1.)
• Worldwide equipment guide (WEG) of capabilities for land, naval, and aviation systems.
• Improvised explosive device (IED) tactics, techniques, and procedures.
• Intelligence analytics processes.
• A military guide to threat terrorism in complex OEs.
• A training support package on threat terrorism in complex OEs.
• A handbook on threat terrorism and weapons of mass destruction threats.
• A handbook on threat kidnapping and hostage-taking in complex OEs.
• A handbook on threat terrorism tactics and techniques.

Publishes threat and OPFOR-related and OE unclassified information as strategic communications to the unified action communities through recurring professional literature to include a monthly―

• Newsletter on threats and OE-related topics.
• Combating terrorism poster as a monthly spotlight on current threats and available Army training, education, and leader development literature.
• Threats terrorism advisory as a monthly highlight on current threats and available Army training, education, and leader development literature.

Figure 3-1. OEE support and Decisive Action Training Environment

Integrates and coordinates current and mid-term threats and terrorism analyses in OEs into the Army lessons learned process in conjunction with the Army’s Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL).

Contributes threat updates to the Headquarters, Department of the Army G3/5/7 and Office of the Provost Marshal General, Army Antiterrorism Branch, The Sentry.

Contributes threat updates to the Headquarters, Department of the Army, Army Threat Integration Center (ARTIC).

Contributes threat updates to the TRADOC G34, Protection Division.

Integrates and coordinates current and mid-term threats and terrorism analyses into training packages that combine threat doctrine and tactics and techniques; video exploitation of current events and exercises; and modeling and simulations for resident, distributed, and mobile training, education, and leader development.

Collects, analyzes, and archives threat videos for use in Army training and products through the video exploitation (VEX) program.

Studies OEs and threat tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP).

Maintains a CTID threats and terrorism data repository of historical and contemporary threats and enemy terrorism information and assessments.

Supports doctrinal application of OEs and OPFOR through the review, edit, development, and publication of designated training, education, and leader development literature.

Responds to requests for information from U.S. generating and operating forces on OE, threats, terrorism, and OPFOR issues.

Produces other OE and OPFOR products in accordance with U.S. Army priorities of effort.

Fusion Team

Produces and updates the U.S. Army’s Decisive Action Training Environment (DATE), a prime source for operational environment (OE) conditions in complex OE and threat and/or hybrid threat opposing forces (OPFOR) in training, education, and leader development venues.

Produces Micro-Operational environment assessments (OEAs) for selected OEs in support of DATE training exercises.

Produces and updates Regionally Aligned Forces Training Environment (RAFTE) products (see figure ) as supplements to DATE to train forces for a given OE, such as―

Figure 3-2. OEE support and Regionally Aligned Force Training Environment

Produces Operational Environment Assessments (OEAs).

Produces Threat Assessments based on requests from Combatant Commands.

Edits and publishes a monthly OEE and threats-oriented newsletter.

Researches and publishes threat reports on current or potential operating environments (OEs) and threat TTP.

Provides research and analysis for designated high priority areas of interest on known or potential threats and persistent conflict OEs.

Research and Analysis Team

Produces and annually updates threat and OPFOR organizational structure and equipment capabilities.

Develops and maintains a repository of OE and threat and OPFOR information regarding organization, tactics, doctrine, and materiel for training, education, and leader development via the Joint Training Data Services (JTDS) database and the Army Training Network (ATN).

Provides subject matter experts representing specific intelligence/threat-related areas such as threat capabilities and tactics, geographic orientation, or policy areas such as crime, terrorism, and cyber attack.

Provides OE/OPFOR guidance and support on threat equipment data verification and surrogate systems data to support Army training, education, and leader development programs.

Researches and writes articles on current or potential OEs and threat tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP).

Integrates and coordinates current and mid-term threats terrorism analyses into the Army lessons learned process in conjunction with the Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL).

Develops baseline requirements for and conducts periodic review-updates for the OE/OPFOR pillar of resource requirements in support of combat training centers (CTCs) and home station training (HST).

Exercise and Training Support Team

Prescribes learning methodologies for developing current and predictive assessments of the OE to support leader development, training, and experience (LD) throughout the Army.

Prepares training support package and curricula aids to conduct OE training programs for cadre, scenario writers, observer controllers, course developers, and OPFOR.

Researches, produces, and updates Army training, education, and leader development products.

Researches, produces, and updates Army training, education, and leader development curricula support such as―

• U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. School of Advanced Leadership and Tactics. Mid-Grade Officer Learning Continuum (MLC) for 2015 Common Core. M100: Mission Command (MC). Lesson Plan for Lesson M117. Framing the Operational Environment. Training Vignette Support (Beslan).
• U.S. Army Basic Officer Leaders Course Common Core Lesson Plan: Explain the Operational Environment, Version 1.
• Basic Combat Training (BCT) Lesson Plan: Identify Combatant and Non-Combatant Personnel and Hybrid Threats, 301-BT301070 / Version 1.
• U.S. Army, Individual Task: 159-200-2026, Identify Combatant and Non-Combatant Personnel and Hybrid Threats.
• U.S. Army, Individual Task: 159-200-2025, Perform in an Operational Environment Effectively.

Conducts mobile training team (MTT) instruction to train and advise cadre on the threat and OPFOR.

Supports Quality Assurance (QA) accreditation programs in training and education for threat and OPFOR.

Maintains liaison functional area expertise with each of the combat training centers:

• National Training Center (NTC).
• Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC).
• Joint Maneuver Readiness Center (JMRC).
• Mission Command Training Program (MCTP).

Executes OE training programs for Army cadre, scenario writers, observer controllers, course developers, and OPFOR.

Supports the development and implementation of exercise support packages in Army Centers of Excellence (CoE) curricula and training events.

Supports the Army institutional domain on OE and OPFOR integration through the review, edit, development, and publication of curricula and materiel.

Threats Capabilities Development Scenario and Studies Directorate (CDSSD)

Leads the development and validation of all capabilities development (CD) scenarios. Develops and certifies all OEs, threats, and associated threat capabilities used throughout TRADOC for all developmental work in CD studies, analyses, and experimentation.

The CDSSD―

• Designs, applies, and certifies the OE and threat for all TRADOC CD studies, analyses of alternatives, and other CD analyses and related CD modeling and simulation (M&S) applications in support of the Army CD mission. Variable replication is reviewed and validated.
• Validates threat system capabilities, characteristics, and applications, or surrogates for all CD M&S and related analytical work. Refines, recommends, and approves validated workarounds for M&S threat portrayal in support of Army CD M&S activities.
• Employs threat experts to represent adversary commanders in the development of TRADOC standard scenarios and scenarios underpinning CD studies, analyses of alternatives, and other CD analyses.
• Coordinates with HQDA, the service intelligence agencies, and DIA for review, input, and validation of threat and threat data products.

Operational Environment Laboratory-Models and Simulations (OE M&S) Directorate

The TRISA operational environment laboratory (OEL) conducts prototype development within the modeling and simulation (M&S) community and in support of Army learning. This includes constructive, gaming, decision support, and analytic products that incorporate OE-related behaviors associated with operational variables (PMESII-PT) variables and the human, social, cultural, and behavioral (HSCB) aspects of the OE. The life-cycle of these products include gap analysis, conceptualization, requirements development, material development and verification, validation and accreditation (VVA) efforts focused on delivery to current programs of record (PoR). To date, the OEL has prototyped and deliver to the Joint Land Component Constructive Training Capability (JLCCTC) PoR, the Hybrid Irregular Warfare Network- defeat Toolkit (HINT-an Attack the Network federation), and the First Person Cultural Trainer (FPCT) as a first person, game-based cultural competency trainer).

The OEL develops the Athena decision support tool prototype. This tool is undergoing multiple VVA efforts associated with decision support and analytical use cases world-wide and in support of customers across DA and DoD. This VVA, for all intents and purposes, is a service to the aforementioned customers in the form of study analyses and reports, the results of which provide for the continued refinement and development of the Athena tool. In addition, the OEL is evolving in a first of its kind effort to bring PMESII-PT and HSCB data to Mission Command. The OEL continues its partnership with Program manager OneSAF in co-development and integration of OE-related behaviors in that entity-based, constructive simulation. Products associated with the OneSAF co-development include a long list of behaviors, Knowledge Acquisition and Knowledge Engineering documents, and product trouble reports (PTR). The PTRs are a result of the testing service the OEL provides to the PM OneSAF community. Behaviors thus developed for OneSAF are many, but include the IED Lifecycle and forensics and a current focus on cyber and subterranean representations.

The OneSAF simulation is the primary tool used in the OEL service support to the Army Capabilities Integration Center (ARCIC) experimentation efforts. Using the ARCIC sponsored Battle Lab Collaboration Simulation Environment (BLCSE), the OEL serves as the Threat/OPFOR Battle Lab for these experiments. The OEL also provides terrain integration and development support service to a wide variety of customer, all focused on getting the best two-dimension and three-dimension terrain representation for Army training scenario development. All these products and services support the Army Learning community as they ultimately find their way into home station, constructive, experimentation, exercise support and classroom environments.

Foreign Military Studies Office (FMSO)

The  Foreign Military Studies Office provides unclassified, open source  research for the  OEE, especially focusing on understudied and unconsidered aspects of the operational environment from the foreign perspective. FMSO's OEE support products are provided to a broad scope of customers, via direct research papers and analytic input for OEE requestors, articles and monographs for TRADOC PME, requested SME support for events and projects, and requested pre-deployment briefings for regionally aligned forces and other units, and electronic journals of translated foreign OE media for general use throughout the OEE. FMSO's written and published products are posted on the open FMSO Web Site.

University of Foreign Military and Cultural Studies (UFMCS)

UFMCS provides curricula designed to create critical thinkers, and proceeds from a premise that before you point out to someone the errors of their thinking, you had better understand your own. The curriculum is, in essence, a professional experience for thinking to challenge students to examine prevailing thoughts and similar things they hold sacrosanct, and the ethnocentrism of their own thinking, overreliance on methods such as the military decisionmaking process (MDMP), a tendency to default to Western/Aristotelian logic, a lack of appreciation for the frames that subconsciously capture their thinking, a failure to avoid common cognitive biases, and predisposition to seek consensus while exhibiting classic symptoms of groupthink. How humans think, why they don't think as well as they could, how other cultures think differently, and how can we learn to think better are the core concepts of the UFMCS critical thinking curriculum of readings, contexts, and exercises.

UFMCS provides students with tools to help them view problems from alternative perspectives, challenge to their own biases, identify and examine the metaphors and analogies they use, and how to test them for appropriateness. UFMCS examines values and worldviews from other cultural perspectives with an intent to inculcate behaviors designed to make critical thinking a discipline and not a habit. The outcome of this process is a student with bundle of cognitive capabilities, at the heart of which is a better ability to apply one's normal thought processes and common sense to the circumstances of a given situation. UFMCS offers five programs of instruction: 18 week Red Team Leaders Course; 9 week Stop- Gap Red Team Leaders Course; 6 week Red Team Members Course; 2 week Critical Thinking for Red Team Practitioners Course; and 2-4 day Tailored programs. All UFMCS courses are available as MTTs. See the UFMCS Web Site.

Wargaming, Experimentation, Test, and Evaluation Directorate (WETED)

The Wargaming, Experimentation, Test, and Evaluation Directorate (WETED) represents the threat and the OE in experiments, wargame events, concept development venues, and test and evaluation events. The WETED―

• Selects, trains, educates, and manages a cadre of independent operational and tactical threat experts. Threat experts represent the OE and adversary to competitively challenge the Blue Force in all TRADOC wargames, experiments, leader development venues, and concept formulation programs.
• Provides threat and OE assessments of U.S. capabilities, operational concepts, systems, and organization designs.
• Reviews, certifies, and documents threat representations, scenario assumptions, red players, and adequacy of models, simulations, and work-arounds in replicating the OE during the conduct of TRADOC-led wargames, studies, analytical venues, and experiments.
• Provides intelligence analysis and support for concept development, scenarios development, experimentation, wargames, and force development.
• Produces studies, analyses, and other documentation to support Army understanding of OE and threats for near-term, mid-term, and far-term timeframes.
• Coordinates with external intelligence agencies, departments, industry, and academia to adequately understand and replicate the OE and threats in training, concept, and requirements development.
• Provides oversight of threat support to test and evaluation across Threat Managers at CoE for Threat Test Support Package (TTSP) approval.
• Provides oversight of threat input to the Test and Evaluation Master Plan across threat managers at CoE proponent programs.
• Monitors all aspects of threat test coordination, planning, documentation, and approval of COE content in TTSP for all test and evaluation operational events requiring a validated threat. Participates in validation working groups for all threat simulators, simulations, and targets to be utilized in Army tests.
• Coordinates with the National Ground Intelligence Center, the other service intelligence production agencies, and DIA for threat science and technology intelligence and general military intelligence information for TTSP documentation and associated threat simulators, threat simulations, threat instrumentation data, and threat targets used in test and evaluation events.
• Provides threat test support for Army-led joint programs.
• Chairs threat working groups for test coordination of threat requirements and portrayal.
• Participates in Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC) Threat Accreditation Working Group for threat equipment used in tests which require approved threat portrayals.
• Serves as lead threat developer for TRADOC programs for development and portrayal which require Threat Computer Network Operations in Operational Tests.
• Participates in all test integrated product teams (IPTs) and working group IPTs in support of ATEC and program managers.
• Provides threat support for test and evaluation across the LVC applications.

Human Terrain System (HTS)

The Human Terrain System (HTS) is the Army’s primary social science-based human domain research, analysis and training capability which fosters the Army culture interoperability with our unified action partners. HTS enables leaders to remain adaptive when shaping current and future complex strategic and operational environments. HTS facilitates a paradigm shift beyond a static PMESII- PT/ASCOPE/Western understanding in how commanders and staffs perceive, consider, and interact with local populations and UAP throughout the operations process and across the range of military operations.

HTS functions as an integrated system to facilitate relevant sociocultural understanding among commanders and staffs at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels to enable culturally astute decision-making. HTS provides scalable direct support tailored to the needs of the client through embedded social science research and analysis, reachback secondary-source research and analysis, surveys of local populations, and access to academic and practitioner subject matter experts.

HTS core functions include:

• Recruit, assess, select, train, educate, and manage a cadre of multidisciplinary sociocultural experts.
• Conduct multi-disciplinary, holistic, and operationally relevant sociocultural research and analysis in order to enable culturally astute decision-making and enhance operational effectiveness. This research includes both operational support and human-subjects research.
• Support all three domains of the Army Leader Development Strategy (ALDS) (Operational, Institutional, Self-Development) through integration, sharing, and collaboration with units, schools and other organizations involved in leader development across the Joint Force.
• Assess the sociocultural effects of actions, inactions, and messages on specific populations for their operational impact.
• Develop and maintain a sociocultural knowledge base to preserve and share sociocultural institutional knowledge.
• Provide sociocultural support for concept development, scenario development, experimentation, exercises, modeling, simulations, and force development.
• Provide sociocultural training and education to the Joint Force.
• Develop and disseminate research products and contribute to doctrine to increase sociocultural understanding.
• Enforce adherence to internationally and locally accepted ethical standards and practices.

HTS Sociocultural Support to ADDIE. Culture of U.S. forces, our unified action partners, the local populace, and the interactions between and among all of these actors is a critical aspect of the complex, adaptive system that is the OE. HTS supports the trainer, curriculum developer, leader or staff responsible and accountable in each step of the ADDIE process.

HTS Support to Analysis. HTS supports units and organizations in the Analysis step of the ADDIE educational design process by assisting their staffs with the process of identifying and understanding the sociocultural aspects of their learning problems. In this step HTS collaborates with and provides recommendations regarding how to assess learners’ preexisting levels of cultural knowledge and how sociocultural understanding contributes to their unit or institutions’ learning outcomes. This step is critical because, although culture and the human domain are critical for success in all actions across the ROMO, the specific sociocultural knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) required vary significantly depending on the rank, responsibility, and future organizational mission of the students.

HTS Support to Design. HTS supports units and organizations in the Design step of the ADDIE educational design process by assisting with the identification and understanding of the sociocultural aspects of learning objectives (LOs), or enabling learning objectives (ELOs) that support established organizational LOs, as well as advise on particular aspects of the learning environment and method of instruction that would best facilitate achievement of the identified LOs.

HTS Support to Development. HTS supports the Development step of the ADDIE educational design process by developing sociocultural curriculum and curriculum support products. HTS develops sociocultural exercise scenario products, including regional-specific, general culture, or products to assist in leader self-awareness, depending on the required learning objectives. HTS provides train-the  trainer support to increase the sociocultural aspects of the organization’s educational capacity.

HTS Support to Implementation. HTS supports the Implementation step of the ADDIE educational design process by providing personnel to serve as guest instructors, coach-mentors, or role players as required by the organization to achieve their identified learning objective. Guest instruction could be provided in person, by distance, or by blended learning formats.

HTS Support to Evaluation. HTS supports the evaluation step of the ADDIE educational design process by providing recommendations concerning rubrics, metrics, and processes by which the organization measures the sociocultural aspects of student learning. HTS uses Kirkpatrick’s Four-Level model of training assessment consisting of measuring student reaction to the instruction, student learning, transfer of new knowledge (graduate on-the-job performance) and organizational results.

Training Brain Operations Center (TBOC)

The Training Brain Operations Center replicates the complexities of the Operational Environment by leveraging real-world data, information, and knowledge and shapes it for more focused application in training, education, and leader development venues. See the TBOC Web Site:

• Supports realistic and relevant home station and institutional training by providing depth and complexity to scenario and exercise development.
• Helps commanders become better training managers and exercise designers through application of the Training Brain Repository.
• Develops Army Learning Model (ALM)-compliant OE visualizations and gaming products that are responsive to unit needs.

TBOC Simulations Support

TBOC Simulations creates and integrates virtual, constructive, and gaming replications of the OE. Video and simulations recreations support operational and institutional leader development needs as well as materiel and force development by providing a blended learning environment to efficiently communicate complex information.

TBOC simulations primary product is visualizations of the OE using Army Games for Training technology. By relying on gaming technology in lieu of traditional video production methodologies requiring actors, sets, and travel to shooting locations, TBOC can rapidly generate After Action Reviews and instructional support video content. Timely video production is greatly enhanced by TBOC access to OE data that is converted into a video replication.

TBOC also leverages gaming technology to provide a wide-range of customized products based on customer requests. TBOC has constructed several micro-simulations in a variety of gaming technologies tailored to specific uses and learning objectives. As the single largest creator of Army games for training content, TBOC produces gaming models, terrains, and software enhancements that improve training developers' ability to deliver effective instruction.

TBOC Exercise Support

The TBOC supports home station training and institutional learning events by replicating complex OEs. TBOC provides real-world operational and intelligence messages and reports as well as finished intelligence products that are integrated into the training exercise scenario. For field training exercises, this complex database is transformed to fit onto the home station terrain so that events that happen in the real- world environment happen at the right time and place in the local training area. For command post exercises (CPX) the database is kept in its original location, but transformed to fit the time period of the CPX. This enables the training unit or institutional course to build a common operational picture of their future environment and stress the staff’s analytical capabilities against a realistic threat. The staff is essentially rehearsing their mission against a real-world threat environment on the terrain of their choice.

The replicated OE consists of social networks (threat, neutral, friendly, and unknown), real and current operational  and intelligence messages and reports covering all the operational variables, and intelligence products such as threat assessments, spatial/temporal event analysis, and OPFOR/Role Player support packages. This gives the training audience access to the same amount and type of information available in theater which enables comprehensive analysis and targeting. This also reduces the exercise preparation burden on the training units and sets the conditions for an active start to an exercise.

TBOC Intelligence Directorate OE Application Products and Services

Training Brain Operations Center (TBOC) Intelligence Directorate assists training developers and planners integrate their respective programs of instruction into a specific OE. TBOC Intel products provide a mechanism to improve the training audience’s ability to attain a deeper understanding of the operational environment. TBOC Intelligence Directorate provides the following products and services.

• Scenario development: assist developers and planners by recommending scenarios and storylines that support specific training objectives and represent the appropriate OE conditions.
• Scenario products: visualize the road to war and the historical sequence of events required to facilitate terminal and enabling learning objectives. Products include:
  • Area Overview.
  • Spatial and Temporal analysis of key events.
  • Analysis of social networks (friendly, neutral, threat).
  • OE-specific examples of enemy TTPs.
  • Role player instructions.
  • Information to support biometric systems and site exploitation.

TBOC Attack the Network (AtN) Training

TBOC conducts AtN training to improve the training audience’s (TA) ability to integrate cross- functional staff skills, such as operations, intelligence, civil military operations, and information operations, into a unified effort. AtN training spans the operations process (plan-prepare-execute-assess) and demonstrates how integrating functions (design, IPB, and ISR synchronization) work together to support the targeting and assessment processes. The overarching training objective is to enable the TA to shape the operational environment for mission success by planning and conducting operations that support friendly networks, influence neutral networks, and neutralize threat networks. These three networks comprise the human domain. The TBOC also offers Advanced Network Analysis and Targeting (ANAT) Training, which enables the TA to rapidly identify ways to shape the human domain by engaging key network nodes. Depending on timing and resources available, the TBOC AtN team may be able to assist in tailoring AtN and ANAT training to meet specific requirements of individual COEs. Another example of coordinated AtN support is a Maneuver Center of Excellence) Staff Attack the Network MTT that provides AtN training from BCT Staffs to Company CoIST. The training objective consists of mission planning to counter enemy IED and other networks with the end state of disrupting enemy network operations.

TBOC Training Brain Repository (TBR)

The TRADOC Training Brain Operations Center (TBOC) hosts the Training Brain Repository (TBR) accessible via NIPRnet directly at the TBR Web Site or through the Army Training Network (ATN) and SIPRnet (Common Access card (CAC) is required).

The Training Brain Repository (TBR) is the Army’s “start point” within the Integrated Training Environment (ITE) for exercise design. It provides users the capability to create, store, access, modify and reuse exercise Warfighter Training Support Packages (WTSPs). The TBR is a software application that automates the Army exercise design process. The TBR currently provides a decisive action training environment in support of exercises. The TBR’s user-focus capability allows unit trainers, exercise designers, intelligence staff, experimenters and curriculum developers to reduce the time required to develop an exercise while increasing the accuracy and realism of the OE.

TBR users can define and request their own set of training data regardless of their echelon, unit type, operational variables, or physical location. For example, a battalion S3 planning a command post exercise (CPX) at home station will be able to leverage the TBR to select the type of training, unit specifications, desired training audience, training environment, and output format in order to generate realistic training. The TBR guides the user through the exercise design process, including friendly forces and opposing forces units and tasks. Once fully implemented, it provides for: reusing tasks, Master Scenario Event Lists (MSEL), events, storylines, and higher headquarters' operational orders. The TBR supports use of unit tasks based upon a unit’s specific Mission Essential Task List (METL), Joint Universal Tasks, and Army Tactical Tasks. The TBR will provide corresponding OPFOR tasks, searchable storylines, events and role players, develop a timeline to reflect the MSEL, and develop the higher-unit operations order (OPORD) with Annexes A-D, as well as other training related documents. The end state enables Army commanders and staff to collaboratively develop and plan an exercise based upon realistic and evolving data from DATE, the Army Common Framework of Scenarios or a future OE.

Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance Integration Directorate

Operational Environments have significant implications for Intelligence, Reconnaissance, and Surveillance (ISR). The OE drives how units organize, train, equip and man to accomplish the mission. Joint/Theater ISR is a critical function in helping commanders understand, visualize and engage with their area of operations (AO) and the problem sets within it.

ISR Integration is responsible for researching, developing and delivering key ISR elements of the Operational Environment, consisting of analyzing and refining OE-specific problem sets, and the application of theater capabilities and processes to dealing with them. See NIPRnet or SIPRnet Web Site.

OE-specific problem sets are analyzed for patterns of activity, network structure, and behavior. From those, indicators (consisting of signatures and observables) that can be exploited by theater ISR capabilities are described in detail.

Once Problem Sets have been developed and compared against collection capabilities, the ISR integration function produces a variety of products designed to support Army training and education including:

• Detailed description of OE-specific problem sets and ISR capabilities for collecting the range of Indicators associated with them
• Training support materials detailing Joint/Theater-specific ISR capabilities and processes. This includes assets, collection management, data and management architecture, and processing, exploitation and dissemination protocols.
• Detailed description  of  possible  staff processes, TTPs, and  battle drills  for integrating Joint/Theater ISR to exploit those problem sets.

The ISR integration program also provides advice and assistance and training support to training and education by providing subject matter expertise on OE-specific application to problem sets. This support includes―

• Developing and delivering the Joint/Theater ISR context to the maneuver combat training centers. This is accomplished by establishing and portraying the Joint Force capabilities and processes in HICON roles; development and delivery of ISR staff integration training modules for use by  CTCs to prepare rotational training units (RTU); and direct trainer/mentor support to RTUs on Joint/Theater ISR staff integration.
• Providing OE-specific assistance to the Army, including schools and centers of excellence; experimentation activities; and concept and capabilities development.
• Gathering and documenting ISR integration best practices, lessons learned and TTPs from trainer/mentor support at Combat Training Centers, deployed unit support and integrated support to Asymmetric Warfare Group (AWG) advise and assist missions.
• As required, providing OE-specific training and assistance to units, including:
  • Providing trainer/mentors to deployed units on staff integration of their OE-specific capabilities and processes
  • Providing training prior to deployment or during RAF alignment on OE-specific ISR capabilities, processes and their application
  • Assisting in the development and delivery of training materials for foreign military partners in support of COCOM and service component commands.

Figure 3-3. ARCIC and OEE support for cyber training requirement (example)

The ISR Integration OE support is not designed to develop or conduct individual or collective intelligence training, but rather to fully analyze and describe the ISR-relevant aspects of the Operational Environment, and provide tailored results of that analysis to units, training centers, and schools and centers to meet their own training and education requirements. While ISR integration provides training assistance as required, its key contribution lies in the detailed description of the OE in a form that can be quickly translated into training and education, or operationalized for aligned or deploying forces. (See figure 3-3.)

Training and Operational Environment Assessments Directorate

The OEE supports OE/OPFOR accreditation concept for institutional training and education. TRADOC G2 participates as a governance member of TRADOC Quality Assurance Office (QAO) accreditations for Army Centers of Excellence (CoE) and schools. As the OE governance evaluator, the TRADOC G2 reviews the integration of OE/threat complexities within programs of instruction (POI), lesson plans, classroom instruction and exercises. Using the results of these events, the TRADOC G2 evaluates the centers and schools ability to anticipate and generate OE conditions to challenge leader development, training, and education (LDTE) tasks in order to prepare leaders and Soldiers for future unified land operations. TRADOC G2 presents OE/OPFOR findings to the Army’s CoE or school commandant as part of the overall QAO accreditation report.

Collective and individual training must ensure the conditions within the task-condition-standard framework to meet its training objectives in OE complexities. These conditions provide the appropriate stimulation that drive training unit actions to complete their training tasks and learning in stimulations that are relevant and realistic. Also important to the credibility of the OE/OPFOR Program is the perception that it accurately portrays potential conditions and an enemy within the context of the established operational environment, while meeting unit training objectives and effecting desired leader development outcomes.

Accreditation concept for collective training. Collective training accreditations occur at the CTCs, USAR Training Divisions, and ARNG collective training program(s) and other training organizations or programs using an OE for training purposes. The OEE assembles an interdisciplinary accreditation team of subject matter experts (SMEs) on OE/OPFOR, training, and leader development from throughout the Army and Joint community, and may include OPFOR representatives from other activities. The accreditation team travels to the training site(s), makes observations, prepares a  written report with observations, discussions, and recommendations for the observed commander, either accrediting or not accrediting the observed OE variable portrayal, as well as the efficacy to which the replication helped the training unit to achieve training objectives and desired training outcomes. The OEE will also use observations and input from training units as a feedback mechanism into the OE/OPFOR doctrinal, training, and training materiel development process. The use of OE complexities within collective training venues is accredited to ensure:

• The threat OPFOR is adequately trained and resourced to replicate the OE and other directed training.
• The OE  is adequately defined  and understood  by leaders,  trainers,  evaluators, and  scenario developers.
• Training venues are capable and resourced to replicate the complexity of interrelated OE variables.
• Training events are executed so that OE complexities drive leader development and unit training objectives.
• Mission command tasks and warfighting (WfF) systems are stimulated with complexities of the informational aspect of the OE.

OE/OPFOR accreditation concept for CTCs and Reserve Component training programs. The accreditation process may cover the entire period of an exercise, with potential team representation at the initial planning conference and subsequent events as necessary prior to the actual rotation. Reviewing the U.S. Army training objectives, and ongoing scenario development (including OE variable selection), as well as the organizational and operational structure of the OPFOR organization and other condition-setting elements (role players, replication of host nation security forces, lessons learned, prior accreditation reports) the accreditation team will provide advice and validate the scenario and its execution. The team will also look at OPFOR and observer/controller (O/C) training programs, leader development programs, and training seminars as appropriate. TRADOC G2 submits the accreditation report to the commanding general of the training program and the commander of Operations Group, and furnishes a copy to the Deputy Commanding General (DCG), Combined Arms Center-Training (CAC-T) for inclusion in a biennial training activity accreditation report.

OE/OPFOR validation concept for HST. In collaboration with FORSCOM, USAREUR (JMRC), and USARPAC, TRADOC G2 validates OE/OPFOR integration efforts and effectiveness within collective training events at home station sites (none-CTC hosted exercises). These validations are similar to the accreditation process, but are not accreditations due to the multi-facet variations in expected training objectives, anticipated outcomes, and limited resources that make it inconceivable for establishing common standards. TRADOC G2 will provide a written assessment of observations, discussions, and recommendations to training unit commanders, senior trainers, and the FORSCOM G3/5/7 and Deputy Commanding General, and furnish a copy to the Deputy Commanding General (DCG), Combined Arms Center-Training (CAC-T) as the program manager of HST.

Operational Environment Enterprise Initiatives

The OEE continues to incorporate operational environment conditions into the Army Learning Model (ALM) for the Soldier, leader, and civilian in ways that make OEE outputs available, accessible, tailored and useful to specific needs. The OEE architecture-supported tools and enablers are expanding in resource capabilities and accessibility on line. As training and curriculum developers collaborate with the OEE on the tools and enablers required for ALM, mutual objectives include―

• Identify OE considerations across the training development and training readiness cycle.
• Establish website links for easy access to OE/OEE data sources.
• Develop example OE/OEE vignettes as concise “how to” descriptions of what can be OE/OEE inputs during each phase of the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation (ADDIE) process.
• Provide examples of job-aids, exercise design considerations, and task lists to leverage for staff and faculty curricula, training events, programs of instruction, and leader self-development.

In support of Army readiness in training, professional education, and leader development, several initiatives of the OEE are formative. As these initiatives attain an operational state, OEE capabilities and resources will be identified in updates to this training circular or announced in appropriate Army training education, and leader development forums and documents. A sample of OEE products and processes that are evolving for support to the training and curriculum developer, and commander or leader responsible and accountable for Army training, education, and leader development include but are not limited to―

• Operational Environment Enterprise Portal.
• On Demand Red Team Overview Audio File.
• On Demand Red Team Tools Education Package.
• Red Team Additional Skill Identifier (ASI) Course in Modules.
• Training Brain Operations Center (TBOC) Immersive Environment.
• Decisive Action Training Environment (DATE) Training Support Packages and Products.

These venues emphasize critical and creative thinking, and improved situational awareness and understanding of complex OEs. Individual and collective learning by Soldiers and leaders nurtures operational adaptability and prudent risk-taking, and sustains the character and abilities for effective leadership to achieve Army standards. The OEE is a critical support capability to the Army.

This practical and intellectual enterprise for Army learning applies to the Soldier, Department of the Army Civilian (DAC), and Army leader as they conceive, plan, conduct, and assess-evaluate mission essential task and critical task successes that range from tactical to strategic operations in decisive action. The OEE is an integrated training environment (ITE) resource that optimizes technology-enabled presentations and other capabilities for individual and collective learning experiences, with robust, realistic, and relevant OE conditions.