The Advanced Maneuver Warfare Course (AMWC)
by Capt Zach Schwartz
BLUF: AMWC at MCTOG in Twentynine Palms is a required course for battalion operations officers, operations chiefs, intelligence officers, and intelligence chiefs (see CXFile: episode 006). Graduation nets you the Operations Tactics Instructor/Intelligence Tactics Instructor (OTI/ITI) certification. The course has changed immensely since it was known as TMIC; it now focuses almost entirely on the “art” of maneuver warfare. Though AMWC’s target audience is the key battalion level Ops-Intel players, you should be fighting to get anyone involved with planning at your battalion to this course. They will return with a better appreciation for all the warfighting functions, the ability to plan effectively in a time compressed environment, and a deeper understanding of our warfighting philosophy (particularly how to orient on the adversary). One of the best pay-outs of sending your Marines to the course: they learn how to facilitate all the experiential learning they will receive at AMWC (TDGs, Kriegspiels, Decision Forcing Case Studies). The best part of the course to me? Over 20 “reps” at tactical problem sets with dedicated feedback from the highly professional and dedicated instructor cadre as well as your fellow students. In a Marine Corps where our focus on tactics often gets lost in the daily “battle” rhythm, AMWC is a much-needed refresher on what it takes to win in combat.
Some thoughts and advice for future students:
-Bring the right kit: You’ll be hitting mapwork and planning from day one. The staff is good about providing materials to help you out (markers, acetate, tape, etc.), but it is handy to have your own gear especially since a lot of it is probably laying around your office right now. Things to think about bringing along include super fine map pens, bold map pens (multicolored pack of sharpies works great), alcohol wipes, mapping protractor, straight edge ruler (preferably one of the ones that is scaled for map work), blue pen, black pen, red pen (important for when you play as the adversary in Kriegspiel).
-Study up: Since you’ll be planning and briefing from day one, it helps to brush up on some knowledge before you walk in the door. Helpful topics/pubs include
+Ops Terms and Graphics for units, TCMs, Tactical Tasks, Obstacles. +Tactical Tasks. MCDP 1-0 Appx C. +Types of Offensive/Defensive operations. MCWP 3-01.
+Marine Corps Planning Process. MCWP 5-10.
+Core doctrine. MCDP 1, MCDP 1-3, MCDP 5, MCDP 7.
+Adversarial Threat Weapons, Tactics. MCTOG adversary smart packs, TRADOC pubs, ODIN database. +Fire Support Planning (primarily EFSTs). MCTP 3-10F
These pubs are by no means a study guide. Nor is it necessary to have them read and/or consigned to memory. They are just handy references that you can’t go wrong digging into, especially if you haven’t done any tac-planning in a while. Also worth downloading PDF copies on the laptops you get issued at AMWC.
-Prepare to plan and brief: If you don’t have a system for rapidly executing tac-planning and briefing, it certainly can’t hurt to have one going into the course. You will learn the MCTOG “rapid planning model,” but build a planning methodology and briefing style that works for you. You will be evaluated on your ability to rapidly build a sound plan and then brief that plan in a way that is understandable and actionable. You will have plenty of time to experiment with TTPs that work for you, but a good place to start is Brendan McBreen’s classic “Kodiak 6” (see CXFile Episode 009 or 2ndbn5thmar.com).
-It’s not just for 03xx/02xx: One of the big critiques from my peers and I when we graduated was the lack of other MOS in the course. MCTOG is working to remedy this. I would recommend this course to any Marines who execute the planning process at your battalion. Fire supporters, Comm Marines, the Logistics Officer; the more planners you can send, the stronger your battalion staff will be. And the more diverse your class, the more everyone learns. Non-intel or infantry MOS students will gain a greater appreciation for fighting and training the battalion, while providing realistic feedback and input as to how their specific warfighting function best feeds into a plan.
-Keep an open mind: Healthy debate is part of the course. You will probably hear some ideas from your peers or the staff that differ from what you’ve known or done in the past. Don’t be afraid to challenge them! But always listen and try to see the other side of the argument. This type of critical thinking is among the best behaviors you can take away from AMWC.
-Build a team: You’ll work with other Marines as part of a battalion and eventually a regimental staff. Part of the learning from AMWC comes from making your team as effective as possible. You will need to task out your fellow students and be receptive to tasking from them. At some point, you will be facing a time hack and you and your group just won’t be able to come to a consensus on some part of the plan. How do you proceed? Learning from these types of exchanges is invaluable to mastering interpersonal communication and group dynamics. By the end of the course, you will look back on your initial group “storming” phase and be amazed at the progress your team has made.
-Experiment: Ever want to try that decoy air-assault you’ve always thought would work? What about the mechanized infiltration you read about in CXFile Episode 012? Well, here is your chance. AMWC gives you the opportunity to try new things in the safety of a purely academic environment. Most importantly you will receive great feedback from your instructors and peers. Did your plan work or fall apart? Either way, you’ll learn some solid lessons that will make you better tactician and decision maker going forward.
-Go to the electives: About once or twice a week the instructors will offer electives after class at the Staff and O club. Topics range from fire support planning to MWX after actions. These events are great for connecting with your fellow students but also for continuing conversations from class. Some of the best learning in the course came from talks over a few beers at the “Brass and Rockers.”
-Use the self-reflection: Self-reflection is a big part of AMWC. The MOODLE application for the course has self-reflection writing prompts for every day of class. These are non-mandatory but highly encouraged. You get out of them what you put into them. During AMWC, I would answer the prompt but also populate a “Microsoft Notebook” on my personal computer with things I learned each day. This has been extremely helpful for everything from organizing ideas for PME to tactical lessons learned from the TDGs and Kriegspiels.
Overall, AMWC is a great course. Like any Marine Corps school, you will get out of it what you put into it. Whether you are going to be an OpsO/S2 or not, you should strive to attend. And if you have already been, strive to get your Marines the opportunity to attend. We need more courses that truly embrace our warfighting doctrine while also teaching the art of tactics and decision- making that will help us to compete in future conflicts.
Capt Schwartz is the Weapons Company Commander at V37. He can be reached at zschwartz2012@gmail.com.