A Success Story: Engineer Master Gunner Initiative

by SGM (Retired) Derek D. McCrea

Unit commanders have identified an increased need for Bradley master gunners (MGs) as armored brigade combat teams (ABCTs) have transferred from conducting counterinsurgency (COIN) operations to conducting simultaneous offense, defense, and stability operations in an operational environment comprised of a near-peer threat. Bradley MGs serve as technical and tactical experts for commanders on the training and employment of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle (BFV).

Prior to 2011, the Bradley MG Course had two separate training tracks for MGs to receive institutional training based off of the variant of BFV assigned. The two courses to train Bradley MGs were the M2A2 Operation Desert Storm (ODS) Course and the M2A3 (A3) Course. In 2011, the two courses were combined into a single Bradley MG Course. Prior to 2012, 12B engineer MGs were fighting off of the M2A2 ODS BFV and received their training in the ODS Course. In 2012,engineers began receiving M2A3 BFVs, and the U.S. Army Engineer School (USAES) was faced with a requirement for 12B MGs to be qualified on the A3 variant.

From 2012-2013, USAES worked closely with the Army Human Resource Command (HRC) to better manage its master gunner population. The school first identified a shortage of MGs and Bradley-experienced Soldiers in Korea in the fall of 2012. Since the turnover rate in Korea is so high, it is very difficult to maintain qualified crews. To address this, USAES worked with HRC to assign Soldiers to Korea based upon J3 and D3 additional skill identifiers (ASIs). The J3 ASI identifies NCOs who graduate from the Bradley MG Course, and the D3 ASI identifies Soldiers who were qualified to operate or maintain the BFV during 19D One Station Unit Training (OSUT) at Fort Benning, Ga. Based on their success with the Korea model, in the near future the Engineer School’s strategy is to rotate the current J3 population through the bases and units that have the requirement for Bradley MGs. USAES’s strategy has been successful in attaining 366 percent of the J3 ASIs for the 12B population.

SGM (Retired) Derek D. McCrea is currently serving as the training, leadership development, and safety integrator for TCM-ABCT, Jacobs ASG. His previous assignments include serving as the MCoE Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) transformation SGM; operations SGM for the 197th Infantry Brigade; operations SGM for the 158th Infantry Brigade, operations SGM for the 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment; first sergeant for C Company, 3-15 IN; first sergeant for A Company, 1st Battalion, 64th Armor; and first sergeant for HHC, 1-64 AR. McCrea has ABCT deployment experience during Operation Iraqi Freedom I and III. He has a master’s degree in business administration from Columbia Southern University.

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