The GMTP: A Formalized Approach to Ground Maintainer Training Proficiency

Background 

Aviation maintenance standards and procedures have always been revered as being the safest, strictest, and most closely managed maintenance program in the military. Within the combat aviation brigade, commanders at every level spend much of their time focusing on the operational readiness (OR) rate and working to balance training, maintenance, and operations. It is often stated in production-control meetings that 50% of maintenance is responsible for 50% of maintenance. This is a subtle reminder to maintainers and supervisors that human error is often the cause of maintenance delays and extraneous maintenance actions. It serves as a reminder for how complex aircraft are and how even a minor oversight can have significant impacts.

The Aviation Maintenance Training Program (AMTP) provides a standardized framework that facilitates the training and development of aviation maintenance personnel and integrates adherence to the interactive electronic training manuals into maintenance progression. Most important, the AMTP provides a standardized record that travels with maintainers from one assignment to another, allowing commanders to quickly assess and place Soldiers in the best positions for both their progression and the unit maintenance program.

We developed the Ground Maintenance Training Program (GMTP) to achieve the same objectives for our ground maintainers and to help shape the approach to scheduled and unscheduled maintenance for the ground fleet. The program started by focusing on 91B Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic progression to prove the concept and refine the framework before involving other ground maintenance military occupational specialties (MOSs). Within the battalion, we have already seen a positive impact on our ground OR rate and an increase in motivation and engagement from our ground maintainers.

Soldiers are inherently goal oriented where their success gives them credibility and provides them an opportunity to demonstrate potential to their leadership. By aligning specific tasks toward specific maintainers, we ensure that formations develop proficiency across the board and increase readiness by being able to adapt to last-minute changes in personnel without having significant impact on the unit’s ability to conduct maintenance. We hope to share this program across the brigade, providing senior leadership with a holistic picture of the health of our ground maintenance and the personnel who support it. The program allows us to place maintainers in the unit and duty position that will benefit the technical development and professional growth of our Soldiers and will improve the health of the brigade’s ground maintenance.

— LTC Andrew Eggers

 

Introduction 

The Army’s ground fleet outnumbers its air fleet by approximately 200,000. According to Enterprise Materiel Status Reporting (ESMR) data as of January 15, 2024, the Army maintains 3,640 pieces of aircraft, rivaled by 203,329 pieces of rolling stock. We argue that these numbers highlight the critical need to provide a methodical and tailored approach for the professional development of our ground maintenance Soldiers. We recommend the implementation of the GMTP to fill this need.

The Army must publish a training circular dedicated to the formalized professional development of ground maintainers to support technically and tactically proficient Soldiers. A formalized training program provides both leaders and Soldiers with an objective, qualitative measurement of technical competency, which allows appropriate duty position placement. The right experience in the correct duty position facilitates more efficient scheduled and unscheduled maintenance operations, bench and shop stock management, and the navigation and employment of Army systems, saving the Army both time and money.

The GMTP provides Soldiers and leaders with a framework to consistently demonstrate thorough knowledge and application of their technical fields. As ground maintainers validate their expertise through this approach, confidence, education, and skill level are built, which further reinforces cohesive teams. In this way, the GMTP capitalizes on the Army People Strategy vision for cohesive teams and the lines of effort. As proof of this, our ground maintenance OR saw a growth of 10% in the first 90 days of implementation.

Framework 

In its beginning stages, the GMTP was akin to the AMTP, a program created to validate the competency of aviation maintainers due to the nuance and intricacies required to maintain aircraft. It was quickly realized that it would not be productive to simply adopt the AMTP. This is due to the plethora of MOSs associated with ground maintenance and the difference in Army prescribed levels of progression in comparison to the aviation maintenance community. MOS progression comes in the form of individual critical task lists (ICTLs), as outlined in the Soldier training publications (STPs), and every unit requires a different variation of maintainer MOSs. The driving force for the creation of the GMTP was the lack of importance placed on the ground fleet and the limited checks and balances correlated to ensuring ground maintainers are adequately qualified on their required maintenance tasks. Similar to aircraft and other critical fighting platforms, if ground vehicles are not properly maintained and resourced, operations will culminate. In garrison, during a rotation, and in combat, a mission-capable ground fleet can mean the difference between success and failure.

After spending a year as a company executive officer in a maintenance company for a brigade support battalion in an armored brigade combat team — where operational tempo is rigorous and the demands multiplied in comparison to an aviation support battalion — I am convinced more than ever that the Army needs an intentional and diligent approach to ensuring our ground maintainers receive attention to their technical skills. Soldiers assigned to the heaviest basic units of maneuver in the Army are thrown into 12-hour workdays and tasked with solving 80-page equipment status reports with little or no low-density training time. On-the-job training is the standard, but in the absence of structured verification of proficiency and no record of skill level, this often results in a few Soldiers who are quick learners becoming overtasked and overworked while the majority do not benefit and often fall behind in career progression.

Experience vs. Information 

The GMTP operates under a leader-driven, self-correcting framework. This program stemmed from an excess of junior enlisted Soldiers juxtaposed with a notable scarcity of NCOs. According to the aviation support battalion’s modified tables of organizations and equipment (MTOEs), for fiscal year 2024, the 601st Aviation Support Battalion (ASB) is authorized three sergeants first class, five staff sergeants, and 16 sergeants. Based on that MTOE, the 2024 U.S. European Command rotation was executed with one sergeant first class, two staff sergeants, and one sergeant to mentor 37 privates and freshly minted specialists.

This severely decreased the unit’s ability to maintain command presence on the operations floor, validate Soldiers’ abilities to perform maintenance actions to standard (with and without supervision), comfortably delegate tasks, and adequately assign work based on skill level. Therefore, we standardized training and structured on-the-job learning to bridge the leadership gap effectively.

The planning and execution of the GMTP is orchestrated by the automotive maintenance warrant officer and the maintenance control officer, with execution overseen by the section sergeant and section leads. Additionally, the prevalence of inexperienced and technically deficient NCOs ascending to leadership roles based solely on seniority underscored the urgency of implementing the GMTP. By providing a structured pathway for professional development, the GMTP mitigates the risks associated with inexperienced leadership, such as erroneous parts procurement, faulty documentation, and deviations from standard troubleshooting procedures. Since the inception of the GMTP, the 601st ASB has observed a notable uptick in Soldiers’ proactive approach to learning and their readiness to seek mentorship from senior leaders.

Training Circular and Records 

In the absence of a training circular, this program was created as a reflection of Training Circular 3-04.71, Commander’s Aviation Maintenance Training Program. Using the Department of the Army Form 7817, Aviation Maintainer Training Record, as a proven example, we created a ground maintenance equivalent, the Ground Maintainer Training Record (GMTR). The GMTR logs the individual tasks that have been trained and evaluated. Creating a ground maintainer training folder, similar to the AMTP folder, requires maintaining the GMTR, ICTLs linked to the Soldiers’ maintenance levels (MLs), counselings on maintenance actions, and a roadmap to recommend duty position placement. When a Soldier conducts a permanent change of station (PCS), the folder will accompany their PCS packet and be presented to the section sergeant of the receiving unit within 14 days of arrival. This record serves as a qualitative and objective assessment of a maintainer’s performance and their ability to learn, while highlighting their internal drive for increased responsibility. The GMTP folder can be reviewed at promotion boards, Soldier boards, and other favorable/unfavorable boards.

Individual tasks and ICTLs must be documented when trained and certified to ensure appropriate career progression. In accordance with the eight-week training model, leader time trainings on an individual task are logged in the training calendar. This provides leaders at higher echelons the foresight and reassurance that the GMTP is being executed efficiently. Currently, our maintenance control section dedicates leader time trainings to low density MOS proficiency twice a month.

A GMTP database is needed, similar to the one that exists for the AMTP, which is dedicated solely to recording low density MOS proficiencies — certifications of individual tasks, achievements of MLs, historical commander and annual evaluations, and previous duty positions held.

Critical Task Lists

Like the AMTP, the GMTP is centered on Army standardized ICTLs and STPs. In the absence of STPs for two MOSs in the 601st ASB’s maintenance platoon, training was based off of ICTLs.

Due to the absence of ICTL 20s for the majority of MOSs assigned to our ground maintenance section, all five MLs are achieved on a percentage basis. For example, as an apprentice ML 0, a Soldier who has just graduated AIT must accomplish 50% of the prescribed ICTL 10 tasks to be recommended for ML 1, and 100% of the ICTL 10 tasks to be recommended for ML 2.

There are no rank requirements for MLs or duty positions, but if a Soldier fails to progress in a timely manner, they are professionally counseled and recommended for the appropriate administrative actions. ML 1 Soldiers who reclassify as a 91 series will be classified as an ML 0, regardless of rank, and will be required to demonstrate technical proficiency before being placed in leadership positions. This process prevents unqualified Soldiers from holding leadership positions and effectively uproots unmotivated, substandard Soldiers.

Equipment 

The diverse portfolio of ground maintenance equipment that requires routine maintenance, technical inspections, and quality assurance/quality control demonstrates the need for a GMTP. According to the ESMR, there are 185 line-item numbers and approximately 280 variants of trucks and trailers combined. Aviation maintainers are technical experts in a specific airframe, whereas ground maintainers are expected to have a holistic understanding across the entire ground maintenance portfolio regardless of their experience and training. For example, the Army requires 91B Wheeled Vehicle Mechanics to accomplish 34 tasks to be proficient as a 10-level maintainer. This includes demonstrating proficiency in five models of tactical vehicles and their variants. Comparatively, a 15T UH-60 Helicopter Repairer is responsible for 64 tasks specific only to their assigned model of aircraft.

Additionally, a 15T will typically only be stationed where UH-60s are present. 91Bs are typically stationed where a mechanic is needed, regardless of the unit’s equipment. For example, the ICTL 10 requires a 91B to demonstrate proficiency on four tasks specific to the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, but this vehicle has not been integrated to all units; thus, the majority of 91Bs will not encounter the opportunity to receive on-the-job training, experience, or qualification on the vehicle. In this respect, the frequency of academic evaluations in lieu of hands-on evaluations will become more prevalent, and the risk of regressive memory will be on the rise. This demonstrates the importance of implementing a formalized training record. Proper documentation in the GMTP folder provides leaders with a consistent and qualitative measure of a Soldier’s legitimate technical expertise.

Conclusion 

In summary, the argument for the creation of a training circular remains rooted in maximizing the lethality and combat power of our ground fleet in support of the sustainment warfighting function. This is achieved by implementing the GMTP. The GMTP provides leaders with a qualitative and objective measurement of a Soldier’s technical and leadership abilities that prevents unqualified Soldiers from being placed in the wrong duty positions. This will save the Army time and money by providing the foundation necessary to reduce erroneous parts procurement, eliminate faulty documentation, and deviations from standard troubleshooting procedures. The program remains an experience-driven, self-correcting program that closes the gap created by a surplus of junior enlisted Soldiers, contrasted by a shortage of NCOs, and effectively implements the Army People Strategy by employing and developing talent.

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LTC Andrew Eggers is currently serving as a concept developer for the Aviation Future Capabilities Directorate, Fort Rucker, Alabama. He previously served as the battalion commander for the 601st Aviation Support Battalion,1st Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division. He has a Master of Arts degree from the University of Louisville.

CPT Alexandria Woodward is currently a student in the Logistics Captains Career Course at the Army Sustainment University at Fort Lee, Virginia. She was previously stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas, where she served as a platoon leader and a maintenance control officer for the 601st Aviation Support Battalion and as an executive officer and S-4 officer in charge for 299th Brigade Support Battalion. She is a graduate of the Basic Officer Leader Course and has a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology. She is currently preparing for company command and pursuing a master’s degree in military and trauma psychology.

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This article was published in the fall 2026 edition of Army Sustainment Professional Bulletin.

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