TEWTs are conducted at almost every training establishment and unit throughout the Army. This post advocates for the use of reverse or ‘OPFOR TEWTs’ in order to enter the mindset of an adversary, understand their vulnerabilities, and ultimately, figure out how to defeat them. Commanders make TEWTs as realistic as possible by replicating battlefield conditions however, most TEWTs are blue-force focused which means the enemy is treated as a secondary rather than primary entity on the battlefield. TEWTs involve students examining a tactical problem, conducting an appreciation and producing a solution for the set terrain. Tactical Exercises without Troops (TEWT) are used to teach and practice tactical theory against a specified enemy (OPFOR). But how do you defeat a man’s mind? David A.
That is the essence of manoeuvre warfare, that you defeat the enemy’s will to fight rather than his ability to fight.
Reading Time: 4 minutes Defeating the enemy’s will.
