Army Training: Management Initiatives Needed to Enhance Reservists' Training
NSIAD-89-140
Published: Jun 30, 1989. Publicly Released: Jun 30, 1989.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO examined the Army's training of its National Guard and Army Reserve units to determine the: (1) extent of individual reserve component soldiers' training in both critical job tasks and battlefield survival skills; and (2) factors affecting reserve units' ability to provide adequate training.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
---|---|---|
Department of the Army | To enable unit commanders to train soldiers in all soldier manual tasks that support the units' missions, the Secretary of the Army should make arrangements, when feasible, with active units or other reserve units to share valuable equipment with units that lack mission-essential equipment for training. |
Since the Army already has procedures for reserve components to borrow minimum essential equipment to train, this recommendation is being dropped.
|
Department of the Army | To enable unit commanders to train soldiers in all soldier manual tasks that support the units' missions, the Secretary of the Army should identify and evaluate the feasibility of options to establish advanced initial training programs that provide instruction on equipment used by the unit to which reserve soldiers are assigned. |
The Army will identify and evaluate options for improving Advanced Individual Training programs for reservists. The Army Training and Doctrine Command will recommend alternative strategies to increase skill-level-1 tasks on appropriate equipment.
|
Department of the Army | To enable unit commanders to train soldiers in all soldier manual tasks that support the units' missions, the Secretary of the Army should ensure that unit commanders are adequately trained to fully understand the mission-essential task list development process. |
The Army will continue to provide guidance and assistance to subordinate commanders in developing unit mission-essential task lists. FORSCOM Regulation 350-2 provides updated guidance.
|
Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should emphasize the responsibility of leaders throughout the Army in establishing a training environment for reservists that stresses training in battlefield survival. |
The U.S. Forces Command and the National Guard Bureau have published a coordinated regulation, 350-2, which directs all reserve units to train with a battle focus.
|
Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should direct unit commanders to follow Army guidance and train noncommissioned officers: (1) in all common soldier tasks; and (2) under realistic battlefield conditions so that noncommissioned officers can in turn train the other soldiers. |
The Forces Command/National Guard Regulation 350-2, provides detailed implementing instructions for reserve commanders to integrate individual and collective training, noncommissioned officer training, individual skills training, and training under battlefield conditions.
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Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should direct unit commanders to plan training activities to maximize the limited training time available. |
Regulations have been revised to provide consistent training guidance to reserve commanders. The Reserve Component Training Development Action Plan initiatives were developed to assist reserve commanders and units in making better use of limited training time.
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Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should encourage states and Army reserve units that have not already done so to adopt initiatives aimed at consolidating administrative requirements. |
In August 1988, the Army established a task force to reduce reserve training detractors. The task force conducted a total review of reserve component administrative requirements and recommended requirements to be deleted, or consolidated.
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Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should direct commanders at all levels to ensure that soldiers take the Skill Qualification Test once the Army Training and Doctrine Command has implemented the revised tests. |
New guidance is to be published in the revised Army Regulation (AR) 350-37, Individual Training Evaluation Program.
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Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should direct unit commanders to keep job books current. |
The Army Training and Doctrine Command has stated that job books are still a requirement and directed all units to keep them current.
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Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should direct: (1) commanders at all levels to ensure that soldiers take the Common Task Test, as required by Army regulation; and (2) the Army Training and Doctrine Command to develop guidance on evaluating soldiers to preclude the administrative problems that currently bias Common Task Test results. |
The Army Training and Doctrine Command is clarifying guidance on the evaluation of soldiers during common task testing. The new guidance will be published in the revised AR 350-37, Individual Evaluation Program.
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Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should: (1) ensure that the strategy for training reservists is fully implemented; and (2) provide details to Congress on how the new strategy will affect the total force policy, which implies that Army reserve component units will complement active forces with equal capability. |
The Reserve Component Training Strategy and Reserve Component Training Development Action Plan are specifically designed to reinforce the total force policy and the training readiness of reserve component units. Briefs have been given to the House Appropriations Committee and Congressional Budget Office.
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Topics
Armed forces reserve trainingArmy reservistsCombat readinessDefense contingency planningEducation program evaluationStaff utilizationMilitary materielNational defense operationsNational GuardMilitary forces