The General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania delivers junior officer command skills development course under the NATO Defence Education Enhancement Programme (DEEP) for cadets from Ukraine. The course was established last year and continues into this year as its relevance keeps growing.
The Ukrainian cadets value the Troop Leading Procedures (TLP) on Movement course offered by the Military Academy of Lithuania for its intense character and focus on practical aspects of dealing with real challenges of the battlefield. Such readiness is particularly relevant for junior commanders too as they are about to receive their first appointments to military units in their war-ravaged country. The wish to continue the course expressed by the Armed Forces of Ukraine proves the high level officer education available in Lithuania and valued internationally
As put by an expert, instructor at the Military Academy of Lithuania Maj Gintautas Razma, the TLP syllabus was developed at the request of the NATO DEEP team asking for a quick and efficient way for enhancing command abilities in Ukrainian cadets and junior officers while also giving them basic theory and practical TLP skills.
The mission of the new training course voiced by the NATO experts presented a serious challenges, primarily, because the course syllabus had to take no longer than three days. “Delving deep into our long experience, we have managed to develop a syllabus and training material. We only had three terms planned in the beginning but in the end of 2022 the Ukrainians asked for an additional one seeing the course prove hugely beneficial for the future officers. We have three iterations approved for this, possible, with three more to come. We didn’t expect it to become almost a regular course, however, the war sets the rules. If the Ukrainians see value in this course even amidst the ongoing war, it is a substantial compliment to the entire military Academy of Lithuania,” says Maj Gintautas Razma.
The training activity has been noticed by instructors from other units of the Lithuanian Armed Forces and staff responsible for organisation of military education and training. An instructor form the National Defence Academy of Latvia will take part in the course on observer’s rights as well.
“They wish to know about the training materials and methods to acquire it well within the relatively short time. AS a teacher, I can see the bigger picture so I answer to their questions, consult, share knowledge with my colleagues,” says Maj Gintautas Razma.
The intense course starts off by familiarizing the students with the procedure of practical task assessment when higher commander’s orders to move are received. Then demonstration of a systemic analysis of a concrete terrain follows, as well as modeling of the most probable sequence of actions of the enemy and the most rational and logical actions of the platoon under one’s command based on the terrain assessment. After the three-day training session an interactive synopsis is provided and a debate is held. Thus cadets are equipped with primary TLP skills.
Maj Gintautas Razma confirms he gets bests reviews and even a commendation certificate. Students often thank for the training personally. “Possibly the best praise is the wish of the Ukrainians to continue the course,” says the Military Academy of Lithuania officer.
Every such course trains approx. 30 students. It is a distance learning course delivered in English. Modern teaching means enable the students to arrive at the desired results quickly. The participants acquire practical know-how that make command of small military units more effective when applied on the battlefield. The course has been delivered five times to date resulting with over 150 trained cadets and junior commanders. It is estimated that at least 180 cadets will undergo the course in 2023.
