Army Aims To Improve Lethality, Trim Training

Under the guidance of Secretary Mark T. Esper, the Army is shelving certain training requirements in an effort to “improve warfighting readiness and lethality.” The changes will affect all units at the brigade level and below.
“This effort focuses on a systematic simplification, reduction, or elimination of required activities …which consume commanders’, leaders’, and soldiers time that they might otherwise spend building and sustaining combat readiness,” the service said in a June 15 press release.
Here are some of the training requirements that no longer will be required:
* Travel Risk Planning System (TRiPs).
* Media Awareness Training.
* Combating Trafficking in Persons Training.
* Accident Avoidance Course Training (AR 600-55).
* Grade Requirement for Additional Duty Safety Officer.
* Internal audits of dining facility head counts by company commanders.
* Motor vehicle accident reports by unit safety officers.
* Processing of political asylum or temporary refugee status requests.
* Chemical, biological and radiological training would be incorporated into unit training, rather than a stand-alone requirement.
* Elimination of the requirement to conduct a command climate survey every six months.
* Elimination of unit-level human relations training and the demography of equal opportunity representatives.
* Commanders get discretion in conducting substance abuse and suicide prevention training.
* Elimination of personal vehicle inspections before long weekends or holidays.