BUILDING THE FIELD ARTILLERY’S NEXT GENERATION AT FORT SILL
Across Fort Sill, Potawatomi Training's instructors are shaping the skills that keep the field artillery mission ready from the radar operators who track incoming fire, to the crews who deliver it, to the specialists who call it in. Three instructor teams, three distinct disciplines, one shared standard of excellence.
Potawatomi Training's 13R Field Artillery Firefinder Radar Operator instructor team continues to deliver mission-ready training at Fort Sill, preparing soldiers to operate the sophisticated radar systems used to detect and track incoming enemy fire, pinpoint its origin, and enable rapid, accurate counterfire. The team has graduated numerous classes and kicked off Training Resource Arbitration Plan (TRAP) courses, all while continuing to build instructor readiness. Beyond the classroom, Potawatomi's instructors are developing and updating lesson plans and Programs of Instruction to keep the curriculum current and standing ready to scale up support for surge classes whenever the Army's training needs demand it. It's this steady combination of expert instruction and adaptability that keeps the 13R AIT pipeline running strong.
That same readiness carries over to the crews who put rockets on target. Potawatomi Training's 13M instructor team is giving Fort Sill's Multiple Launch Rocket Systems AIT course a rock-solid foundation heading into the fall. All six instructors have stayed immersed in every facet of schoolhouse life: running the classroom, delivering curriculum, mentoring students, and holding the line on training standards. That consistency is paying off in student outcomes and instructional quality alike. Looking ahead, the team is gearing up to support a schoolhouse Live Fire Exercises, continuing to turn out confident, mission-ready Soldiers prepared to operate MLRS systems in the field.
And it's not just systems and equipment; Potawatomi Training's instructors are shaping the people who make split-second calls in the field. Their instructors lead the way in training the future brains of the field artillery. The 13J instructor team has now trained over 1,200 Fire Control Specialists to date, a milestone that reflects the caliber of instruction happening at Fort Sill. This cycle's top honor, Instructor of the Cycle, went to a member of the Potawatomi team, recognition of the standard he sets in the classroom. The team also saw one of its own step-up in a bigger way: a Potawatomi Instructor made the selfless choice to enlist into active duty, and thanks to the strength of his work at Potawatomi, he was assigned right back to the schoolhouse as an instructor. Our latest Instructor addition brings deep expertise in Cannon FDC and is already applying his operational experience in the classroom and curriculum development.
From radar to rockets to fire control, Potawatomi Training's instructors are proof that mission-ready training isn't a single skill, it's a culture. That culture is what keeps Fort Sill's pipeline of capable, confident Soldiers running strong across every discipline.
