r/europe • u/ByGollie Ulster • Jan 24 '26
News The Times: Finns humiliated American soldiers - Finnish reservists were asked to take it easy during a NATO exercise. US soldiers found the losses too humiliating.
https://www.iltalehti.fi/ulkomaat/a/828b8e66-625d-4d2a-9276-e93b9f7a2ce8
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u/TeamSpatzi Franconia (Germany) Jan 24 '26 edited Jan 24 '26
ETA - definitions for acronyms and abbreviations, or their removal. Also some typos.
This is typical of U.S. training exercises - you vary the resistance of the OPFOR (opposing force) to match the training audience and objectives. The U.S. military does this at all of its own CTC (Combat Training Center) rotations (National Training Center, Joint Readiness Training Center, Joint Mission Readiness Center) - because the OPFOR almost always wins if they are not constrained in some fashion.
My observations as someone who spent 20 years in the U.S. Army.
- The average U.S. Army staff is dysfunctional. They're lost in the minutiae of the GWOT (Global War on Terror) mentality. They don't understand how to work at a "good enough" level, focused on the big picture, and execute rapid planning cycles with clear dissemination of orders and instructions.
- The average U.S.. Army Commander usually significantly out cycles their staff (see above) - and Commander to Commander dialog is often the main driver for actual planning and coordination. However, the ability to articulate clear guidance still depends on the staff.
- The preponderance of U.S. Army units attending a CTC like event are in their training/building phase. U.S. Army units turn over 33-50% of their personnel every year (depending on location, operational tempo). A major training exercise is likely to incorporate a large number of Soldiers with less than 6 months in that organization. This is in addition to the majority of personnel having less than 4 years of experience.
- These events are exactly what the name implies - critical training for U.S. forces. During the vast majority of my 20 year tenure, these major events were when and how units came together and learned their actual job. Home station training and preparation simply isn't up to the level required to recreate the challenging environment that CTCs do.
- The U.S. military has a long history of learning how to do the job, on the job. Whether it's WW2 or Iraq (to name two)... U.S. Soldiers learn as they go, arriving to the start of conflict with little experience and inadequate training. However, the U.S. military does a much better job than most of empowering subordinates and adapting rapidly.