Question About Theatre Activation Teams

[navypuke]

Okay so were sticking around in Afghanistan for two more years and this means the mission is changing from Kandahar back to Kabul. I just recieved a message at my unit that CEFCOM is looking for 5 MCPL/MS (can be over ranked to PO2/SGT) to be "Theatre Activation Team Advisors" in Kabul.  The positions are for any NCM trade and no previous experience or training is required. They will train you for the role. And by looking at the dates without giving them out. Training would take no more than 3 months. The deployment itself is only four months.

So heres my shot in the dark to the forums. What exactly would a theatre activation team advisor do? Who would I be advising. Has anyone done it before in a previous mission or theatre such as Kosovo, Bosnia, Kabul in 2002 or Kandahar 2005/06. From what I gather its to help stand up the mission and get it off the ground. Maybe a paper pushing job of some sort. The tasker people I talked to today said they had no descriptive info on the position yet. So I thought I would try here. Thanks

 

[ModlrMike]

OPSEC OPSEC OPSEC!

 

[QM]

I don't think OPSEC comes into play here. Discussion of a particular mission might be classified to some extent, but its common knowledge that Canada will start conducting operations in Kabul later this year. Certainly, generic discussions of what a Theatre Activation Team (TAT) might do, is unclas.

A Theatre Activation Team is intended to set up the theatre of operations so that the personnel from the first roto can focus on the mission rather than, well, setting up the theatre. After earlier missions, Kosovo in particular, it was clear to the CF leadership that Roto 0's were spending too much time "setting up" the theatre rather than actually conducting operations. So they devised a plan whereby a smaller group of people would go into theatre ASAP, while Roto 0 was still training in Canada, to establish the conditions for success of the first roto and allow them to focus on the actual mission rather than figuring out how the AOR was set up. Its much more than just organizing logistics or setting up camps, although that's a part of it. But if that's not your normal role in life, its unlikely to be your task on this TAT.

The work could be diverse. It might include establishing logistics and lines of communications, building camps, establishing links into existing multi-national organizations, writing SOPs, conducting recce's of possible deployment areas, determining who's who in the AOR, etc. Very interesting stuff. At the end of the TAT mission you hand-over your work to Roto 0, who can then hit the ground running.

What you will do, depends on what your trade is. You might work in the existing schools, reviewing lesson plans and training regimes to Canadianize them so that the first roto can start running courses immed on arrival, rather than having to re-do whatever the Germans or Americans are teaching right now. If the Canadians will establish new courses rather than use existing allied templates, you might be writing those courses and making arrangements to run them (facilities, resources, real estate etc).  If you' re a siggie you might be running wires. All depends.

If you know anyone in CEFCOM, call them and ask what the jobs might be about. Its a shame your tasker didn't do that on his own initiative.

Anyhow if you are looking for a tour and/or an adventure, just volunteer. Its four months in Afghanistan - what more could a guy want!!!???!!!

 

[navypuke]

Yeah considering there is no details about said deployment I don't think there is any opsec issue here. I never even named the damn operation. Which you could probably find on google anyways. My line of work is not supposed to matter from what I gather here. So I imagine its going to be a very generic job.

I have the position numbers to look up on the CEFCOM DIN site, but I cannot find the link anymore that shows you all the positions for all the missions and a description of what they do. Does anyone have this link kicking around. It used to be on their main splash screen and it was titled "Interested in a Deployment"

From what you describe Logofficer it sounds like it could be fairly exciting getting everything ready for the new Roto's. But its not like were new to Afghanistan or Kabul. So how much setting up would really be needed. I know we abandoned our base there years ago to the ANA but I'm sure NATO has compounds there that we would just occupy. This is going to be a training mission right? Like were going to set up lesson plans and stuff like that maybe.

 

[brihard]

Okay so were sticking around in Afghanistan for two more years and this means the mission is changing from Kandahar back to Kabul. I just recieved a message at my unit that CEFCOM is looking for 5 MCPL/MS (can be over ranked to PO2/SGT) to be "Theatre Activation Team Advisors" in Kabul.  The positions are for any NCM trade and no previous experience or training is required. They will train you for the role. And by looking at the dates without giving them out. Training would take no more than 3 months. The deployment itself is only four months.

So heres my shot in the dark to the forums. What exactly would a theatre activation team advisor do? Who would I be advising. Has anyone done it before in a previous mission or theatre such as Kosovo, Bosnia, Kabul in 2002 or Kandahar 2005/06. From what I gather its to help stand up the mission and get it off the ground. Maybe a paper pushing job of some sort. The tasker people I talked to today said they had no descriptive info on the position yet. So I thought I would try here. Thanks

To your knowlege is this open to reservists, or is it RegF only?

 

[opcougar]

OK...Log Offr pretty much answered your question, but I'll add to it as I have an inside knowledge of what you are talking about in-depth. If you have the posn # then why aren't you using CFTPO to get more detail? Also note that everyone is OPCOM to CEFCOM, but they've tasked OSCOM.

You are on a TAT, then there is another TAT after or before you, then ROTO 0. Some folks on one of the TATs will be augmenting ROTO 0. This is all in aid of the MTTF.

By the sound of things, you should be glad you aren't on the 10 month tour.

Yeah considering there is no details about said deployment I don't think there is any opsec issue here. I never even named the damn operation. Which you could probably find on google anyways. My line of work is not supposed to matter from what I gather here. So I imagine its going to be a very generic job.

I have the position numbers to look up on the CEFCOM DIN site, but I cannot find the link anymore that shows you all the positions for all the missions and a description of what they do. Does anyone have this link kicking around. It used to be on their main splash screen and it was titled "Interested in a Deployment"

From what you describe Logofficer it sounds like it could be fairly exciting getting everything ready for the new Roto's. But its not like were new to Afghanistan or Kabul. So how much setting up would really be needed. I know we abandoned our base there years ago to the ANA but I'm sure NATO has compounds there that we would just occupy. This is going to be a training mission right? Like were going to set up lesson plans and stuff like that maybe.

 

[Rheostatic]

I cannot find the link anymore that shows you all the positions for all the missions and a description of what they do. Does anyone have this link kicking around. It used to be on their main splash screen and it was titled "Interested in a Deployment"

Does such a thing still exist?