JLASS 2009 trains students in strategic thinking

During this year’s Joint Land, Aerospace and Sea Simulation game, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard members posed as media for JLASS students. The purpose of the media presence is to prepare students in dealing with media members during real-world situations. The reporters seated are: DeAnn Barr, Kim Tebrugge, Charlie Heit, Hien Vu, Mavi Smith, Carol Schmidt and Jay Delancy. The interview was with Pacific Command members Navy Cmdr. Adrian Garcia, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Fred Stratton and Air Force Col. Dan Kosin (behind). (U.S. Air Force photo by Carl Bergquist)

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JLASS 2009 trains students in strategic thinking

Published April 22, 2009
By Carl Bergquist
Air University Public Affairs

MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- As students from Air War College, the Army, Navy and Marine Corps War Colleges and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces became immersed in the 26th annual Joint Land, Aerospace and Sea Simulation, or JLASS, game, members of the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard gave of their time by coming to Maxwell to play media for the game.

The 15 media players came to the Air Force Wargaming Institute April 12 -18 from across the country to participate in an exercise designed to teach senior-level students how to think strategically, said retired Army Col. Michael Pasquarett, an Army War College professor who played the role of President of the United States for the game.

"I've been coming to JLASS since 2001, and the facilities at Maxwell, to include eating, billeting, the Air Force Wargaming Institute, the JLASS staff and the [42nd] air base wing, do a tremendous job in supporting the game," he said. "Everything is taken care of so students can focus as much as possible on JLASS while they are here."

He said media training is "so important" for the students, and while some of them are reluctant at first to face the media, once they do get involved, they enjoy it.

"I had one guy who kept volunteering to come back because he said he loved doing the media interviews," the colonel said. "I finally had to explain to him that we had to share the wealth and let some other people come."

Tyrone Mitchell, an Air National Guard technical sergeant from the 111th Fighter Wing, Willow Grove, Pa., said this was his first JLASS, and when he heard how extensive the exercise was going to be, he "immediately volunteered."

"I'm the NCO in charge of broadcast video for the 111th, and I felt the camaraderie and contacts I would make at JLASS were a way of seeing how my career field was changing," he said. "I come from a Combat Camera background, and JLASS gives me a chance to see the studio-side of the business and how other people do the job and edit video."

He said he liked the organization of the exercise and described Air University Television as "incredible."

"Anytime I can walk into a studio like that, I'm in awe," Sergeant Mitchell said.

Capt. Hien Vu, a Reservist with the Entertainment Liaison Office in Hollywood, Calif., said this was also his first JLASS, and he arrived at Maxwell with no pre-conceived ideas about the game.

"I did know our [JLASS media players'] part was to enable students, who are the future leaders of the military, to be equipped to engage the media," he said. "One thing I enjoyed was that the dividends of being a part of JLASS showed up immediately. The students were comfortable with the media players, and we helped prep them to be better with real-world media. It's better that they stumble here than in a real-world situation."

Captain Vu said it means a lot to him to have been a part of JLASS because it is an excellent experience, and he feels what he learned during the exercise will be useful to him.

Charlie Heit, a nine-year veteran of JLASS and a technical sergeant with the Montana Air National Guard's 120th Fighter Wing Public Affairs office, said the game is for the benefit of the students who attend, and he has enjoyed his experiences with JLASS.

"We want to get the students to understand that the media is not going to go away, and it is their job not to mislead the media, but to incorporate them into the battle plan for the benefit of mission," he said. "What helps me the most about JLASS is that I get the bigger picture of the world and how commands function both collectively and independently."

Sergeant Heit said he has seen JLASS get "better and better" over the years, and that is good because it helps students learn what they need to know.

Following an "arrival-interview" on April 16, Navy Cmdr. Adrian Garcia, a student from the Navy War College, said he felt the interview with the media players went well.

"That was a good primer and practice session, and it helped me get the skills and practical critique I needed," he said. "I thought the questions were a little mild, but it was the first day, and I imagined the questions would get more aggressive as the game progressed."

For the African Command arrival-interview, Army Col. Drefus Lane played the role of AFRICOM commander, General Lane, and said he thought he was able to convey the AFRICOM strategy to media players.

"I may have said something a little negative about the media during the session, but I believe I was able to get the AFRICOM message out and address our major focus areas," he said. "I was expecting media players to be tougher on me, but they asked the right questions. This is a great exercise, and a culminating point for us was to come from a school environment and step into a simulated real-world situation. That is spot-on."

Army Col. Dan Grey, the JLASS director, said his job is to make sure everything goes smoothly because the game is ultimately about the students who attend. He said as head of the JLASS Steering Committee he has been working the game for about a year, and wants to be sure all the war colleges participating get what they need from JLASS.

"I'm just a small piece of this exercise that prepares the student to think strategically," he said. "This game is unique in that there aren't many exercises were you have more faculty and controllers than you have students."

Colonel Pasquarett said because of his job at the Army War College, he is at the Pentagon just about every week, and someone always walks up to him and says, 'Hi Mr. President,' and tells him about his or her JLASS experience.

"I was on the [Washington] Metro a few months ago, when a guy who was on the Presidential Transition Team came up to me and told me he had attended JLASS," he said. "The guy said he was honored to have been selected for the transition team and said because of what he learned at JLASS, he felt he would have no problems doing the job. That is an example of the kind of confidence JLASS instills in its students."