PodcastsGovernmentThinking Inside the Box - The Gauntlet

Thinking Inside the Box - The Gauntlet

Fort Irwin Operations Group
Thinking Inside the Box - The Gauntlet
Latest episode

34 episodes

  • Thinking Inside the Box - The Gauntlet

    Thinking Inside the Box - The Gauntlet EP32: Through the Lens of a Maneuver Battalion, Applying Fundamentals to the Planning and Preparation Process (NTC Warrior Chronicles)

    04/20/2026 | 30 mins.
    Thinking Inside the Box – The Gauntlet, part of the NTC Warrior Chronicles, brings you interviews with the United States Army’s experts in combined arms maneuver, the Observer Coach Trainers (OC/Ts) of Operations Group, at the National Training Center (NTC), Fort Irwin, California.

    In this episode, host Lt. Col. Trinidad Chavez, Senior Trainer of Operations Group sits down with the Capt. Abreu, Capt. Hansen and Sgt. First Class Essig to discuss applying fundamentals to the planning and preparing process to enable maneuver battalions’ success at the National Training Center. They talk about the Planning Process, Military Decision-Making Process (MDMP), Mission Analysis, Courses of Action (COA) Development the Rapid-Making and Synchronization Process (RDSP), staff synchronization, fighting products, rehearsals, and recommendations before coming to NTC.

    To stay updated with the latest video from Operations Group, NTC Observer, Coach / Trainers, be sure to like, subscribe, and review us wherever you listen or watch. Stay tuned for more episodes in the future.

    Thinking Inside the Box Podcast at
    Thinking Inside the Box on Apple Podcasts
    Thinking Inside the Box | Podcast on Spotify
    Thinking Inside the Box | Podcasts on Audible | Audible.com

    We encourage you to watch our TAC Talk series on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@tactalks-operationsgroupntc.

    Follow us on Facebook to see more from Operations Group, NTC
    https://www.facebook.com/operationsgroupntc

    Visit us on our Official Unit Webpage:
    https://home.army.mil/irwin/units-tenants/ntc-operations-group

    “Thinking Inside the Box - The Gauntlet and TAC Talks” are a product of the Operations Group, National Training Center, part of the NTC Warrior Chronicles.

    Episode hosted by Lt. Col. Trinidad Chavez and edited by Annette Pritt
  • Thinking Inside the Box - The Gauntlet

    Thinking Inside the Box - The Gauntlet EP32: Rotation 26-01, 2-3 FA (NTC Warrior Chronicles)

    03/26/2026 | 35 mins.
    Thinking Inside the Box – The Gauntlet, part of the NTC Warrior Chronicles, brings you interviews with the United States Army’s experts in combined arms maneuver, the Observer Coach Trainers (OC/Ts) of Operations Group, at the National Training Center (NTC), Fort Irwin, California.

    In this episode, host Lt. Col. Justin Cuff, Field Artillery Senior Trainer of Operations Group sits down with the Capt. JJ Howse, Capt. Megan Winston and First Sgt. Zachary Platt of the 2nd Battery, 3rd Field Artillery Battalion, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, to discuss some of the lessons learned during Rotation 26-01. They talk about the importance of the NTC Leader Training Program; RSOI operations, including miles and calibration; fundamentals; Reconnaissance, Selection, and Occupation of Position (RSOP); ammo distribution; maintenance; and give advice to leaders coming to the NTC.

    To stay updated with the latest video from Operations Group, NTC Observer, Coach / Trainers, be sure to like, subscribe, and review us wherever you listen or watch. Stay tuned for more episodes in the future.
    Thinking Inside the Box Podcast at
    Thinking Inside the Box on Apple Podcasts
    Thinking Inside the Box | Podcast on Spotify
    Thinking Inside the Box | Podcasts on Audible | Audible.com

    We encourage you to watch our TAC Talk series on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@tactalks-operationsgroupntc.

    Follow us on Facebook to see more from Operations Group, NTC
    https://www.facebook.com/operationsgroupntc

    Visit us at our Official Unit Webpage:
    https://home.army.mil/irwin/units-tenants/ntc-operations-group

    “Thinking Inside the Box and TAC Talks” are a product of the Operations Group, National Training Center as part of the NTC Warrior Chronicles.
  • Thinking Inside the Box - The Gauntlet

    Thinking Inside the Box - The Gauntlet EP31: Preparing Commanders for NTC

    03/05/2026 | 32 mins.
    Thinking Inside the Box – The Gauntlet, part of the NTC Warrior Chronicles, brings you interviews with the United States Army’s experts in combined arms maneuver, the Observer Coach Trainers (OC/Ts) of Operations Group, at the National Training Center (NTC), Fort Irwin, California.

    In this episode, host Col. Ian Lauer, Commander of Operations Group sits down with the Col. Michael Porges, Brigade Senior Trainer to discuss changes how commanders can prepare for coming to the National Training Center. They dive into exercise design, transitions, brigade fighting as part of a division, feedback and battlefield assessments, communication and fundamentals.

    To stay updated with the latest video from Operations Group, NTC Observer, Coach / Trainers, be sure to like, subscribe, and review us wherever you listen or watch. Stay tuned for more episodes in the future.
    Thinking Inside the Box Podcast at
    Thinking Inside the Box on Apple Podcasts
    Thinking Inside the Box | Podcast on Spotify
    Thinking Inside the Box | Podcasts on Audible | Audible.com

    We encourage you to watch our TAC Talk series on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@tactalks-operationsgroupntc.

    Follow us on Facebook to see more from Operations Group, NTC
    https://www.facebook.com/operationsgroupntc

    Visit us at our Official Unit Webpage:
    https://home.army.mil/irwin/units-tenants/ntc-operations-group

    “Thinking Inside the Box and TAC Talks” are a product of the Operations Group, National Training Center as part of the Warrior Chronicles.

    Episode hosted by Col. Ian Lauer and edited by Annette Pritt
  • Thinking Inside the Box - The Gauntlet

    Thinking Inside the Box - The Gauntlet EP30: Rotation 26-02 (LTC John Albert, 4-9 CAV (NTC Warrior Chronicles)

    12/16/2025 | 25 mins.
    Thinking Inside the Box – The Gauntlet, part of the NTC Warrior Chronicles, brings you interviews with the United States Army’s experts in combined arms maneuver, the Observer Coach Trainers (OC/Ts) of Operations Group, at the National Training Center (NTC), Fort Irwin, California.

    In this episode, host Lt. Col. Matthew Schardt, Cavalry Senior Trainer of Operations Group sits down with the Lt. Col. John Albert, the Commander of the 4th Battalion, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, to discuss changes to the Cavalry Division and some of the lessons learned during Rotation 26-02. They dive into preparations and how they approached training before coming to NTC; differences in the formations; new organizations, warfighting concepts and technologies for Rotation 26-02, how 1st Cavalry Division is prioritizing a “big s” over a “little r”; and lessons learned to continue transforming the cavalry at home station.


    To stay updated with the latest video from Operations Group, NTC Observer, Coach / Trainers, be sure to like, subscribe, and review us wherever you listen or watch. Stay tuned for more episodes in the future.
    Thinking Inside the Box Podcast at
    Thinking Inside the Box on Apple Podcasts
    Thinking Inside the Box | Podcast on Spotify
    Thinking Inside the Box | Podcasts on Audible | Audible.com

    We encourage you to watch our TAC Talk series on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@tactalks-operationsgroupntc.

    Follow us on Facebook to see more from Operations Group, NTC
    https://www.facebook.com/operationsgroupntc

    Visit us at our Official Unit Webpage:
    https://home.army.mil/irwin/units-tenants/ntc-operations-group

    “Thinking Inside the Box and TAC Talks” are a product of the Operations Group, National Training Center as part of the Warrior Chronicles.

    Episode hosted by Lt. Col. Matthew Schardt and edited by Annette Pritt
  • Thinking Inside the Box - The Gauntlet

    Thinking Inside the Box - The Gauntlet EP29: Field Trains Command Post, FTCP (NTC Warrior Chronicles)

    12/10/2025 | 18 mins.
    Thinking Inside the Box – The Gauntlet, part of the NTC Warrior Chronicles, brings you interviews with the United States Army’s experts in combined arms maneuver, the Observer Coach Trainers (OC/Ts) of Operations Group, at the National Training Center (NTC), Fort Irwin, California.

    In this episode, host Sgt. 1st Class Dakson Menefee, Observer, Coach, Trainer sits down with Capt. Steven Shak to discuss Field Trains Command Posts. They dive into some of the considerations for the FTCP planning, common issues and points of friction.

    References:
    FM 3-90.5 Combined Arms Battalion (July 2021) - https://rdl.train.army.mil/catalog-ws/view/100.ATSC/78053117-6081-479B-BF87-47F6349E66BF-1455649447540/atp3_90x5.pdf

    FM 3-34 Engineer Operations (December 2020) - https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/ARN31353-FM_3-34-000-WEB-1.pdf

    FM 3-96, Brigade Combat Team (January 2021) - https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/ARN31505-FM_3-96-000-WEB-1.pdf

    FM 4-0, Sustainment Operations (August 2024) - https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/ARN41683-FM_4-0-000-WEB-2.pdf

    FM 6-0, Commander and Staff Organization and Operations (May 2022) - https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/ARN35404-FM_6-0-000-WEB-1.pdf

    ADP 4-0, Sustainment (July 2019) - https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/ARN18450_ADP%204-0%20FINAL%20WEB.pdf

    ATP 4-90 Brigade Support Battalion (June 2020) - https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/ARN34182-ATP_4-90-001-WEB-2.pdf

    To stay updated with the latest video from Operations Group, NTC Observer, Coach / Trainers, be sure to like, subscribe, and review us wherever you listen or watch. Stay tuned for more episodes in the future.

    Thinking Inside the Box Podcast at
    Thinking Inside the Box on Apple Podcasts
    Thinking Inside the Box | Podcast on Spotify
    Thinking Inside the Box | Podcasts on Audible | Audible.com

    We encourage you to watch our TAC Talk series on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@tactalks-operationsgroupntc.

    Follow us on Facebook to see more from Operations Group, NTC
    https://www.facebook.com/operationsgroupntc

    Visit us at our Official Unit Webpage:
    https://home.army.mil/irwin/units-tenants/ntc-operations-group

    “Thinking Inside the Box and TAC Talks” are products of the Operations Group, National Training Center and part of the NTC Warrior Chronicles.

    Episode hosted by Sgt. 1st Class Dakson Menefee and edited by Annette Pritt

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About Thinking Inside the Box - The Gauntlet

"Thinking Inside the Box" brings you interviews with the United States Army's experts in combined arms maneuver, the Observer Coach Trainers (OC/Ts) of Operations Group, at the National Training Center (NTC), Fort Irwin, California.
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