Commander 2 Land Force Group
Col Lofty Hayward

3 October 2006

The Trainer's Legacy 

As I head towards the completion of my second year as Commander 2 LFG, I remain convinced that one of the cornerstones of our Army is good quality, structured and logical training. Training is a command responsibility, but without the professional dedication of the “trainer”, the quality of the development, preparation and delivery of the training will vary. At a time when we remain challenged by the turbulence created by the 1999-2002 East Timor deployments, past attrition rates, the introduction to service of new capabilities, corporate initiatives, and the current operational tempo, it is critical that we do not lose sight of the value we place in the trainer.

High attrition during 2004-5 saw us lose many of our more experienced trainers. We also lost many of those who, with time, would have been expected to assume their mantle. It is now our job to rebuild this base. Within 2 LFG I am responsible for creating the conditions for trainers to gain the skills and experience needed to provide stimulating and imaginative training. Unit commanders, and those below, are responsible for identifying and growing those soldiers and officers with this special skill. All of us are responsible for ensuring that these skills are developed quickly, and placed where they are most needed, including ATG.

At this stage I am unable to state that all training being conducted within 2 LFG reaches the standards I expect. However, it is what we aspire too, and with time and increasing experience I would expect to see our delivery standards improving. This will require us to remain “self critical with enthusiasm”!

The challenges facing our trainers are numerous. We must not be afraid to conduct repetitious training, for only by doing so can we guarantee how we will react under fire. Repetition does not come naturally to Kiwi soldiers, but we must be prepared to go back and do something again and again. We need to allow our people to have a few successes in order to gain some confidence. We must adapt our training to reflect our understanding of the contemporary operational environment, and we must ensure we incorporate, in all our training, the new capabilities in our Army. The increasing use of simulation must be constantly encouraged.

None of these challenges have easy fixes; I am constantly reminded of the plethora of issues that threaten to shift our focus away from one of our primary responsibilities. It is only with the professional dedication and focus of unit commanders, and the skill and passion of our trainers, that we ensure we continue to produce the officers and soldiers we need for tomorrow’s operations. That will be the trainer's legacy.

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