Soldier Readiness

Provided by U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command

What is it?

The U.S. Army is transforming how it attracts, recruits and trains Soldiers to ensure formations are filled with capable and lethal professionals, who require less preparation at their first units of assignment. Through continuous improvement to Basic Combat Training, enhancement of One Station Unit Training (OSUT) and Advanced Individual Training, and a renewed focus on the Army Profession and Ethic, Soldiers arrive at their first operational assignments with greater readiness and lethality.

What are the current and past efforts of the Army?

The increased complexity and lethality of near-peer threats on the multi-domain battlefield requires more highly trained close-combat Soldiers. The Army has undergone several measures to meet the requirement of delivering a more ready force including:

• Modernizing the Army Accessions Enterprise
• Adopting the Occupational Physical Assessment Test
• Field testing the Army Combat Fitness Test
• Extending One Station Unit Training to 22 weeks

These actions increase Soldier readiness by providing more realistic training and additional preparation of Soldiers to meet the demands of Army operational units.

What are the continued efforts planned by the Army?

Continued efforts to increase Soldier Readiness upon assignment to the operational field ensure new Soldiers will be ready to fight and win. In addition to transforming how the Army finds, attracts, recruits and trains Soldiers, continued efforts include:

• Using the Occupational Physical Assessment Test (OPAT) to match recruits to opportunities across 150 occupations based on physical and vocational aptitudes
• Increasing the ratio of drill sergeants to recruits
• Adding more foot movements, tougher field training and greater time spent in austere field environments throughout BCT
• Transforming OSUT to expose Soldiers to adversities found on the modern battlefield

Why is this important to the Army?

The Army’s future readiness starts with transforming the Accessions Enterprise to meet increased end-strength requirements. Today’s Soldiers must train to fight, win and survive in a close-combat environment. Matching recruits’ abilities through tools like the OPAT and Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) assists Army recruiters in finding military specialties best suited to recruits physical and vocational aptitudes. Increased rigor throughout Basic Combat Training and the added toughness of the enhanced OSUT ensure tomorrow’s Soldiers arrive to the operational force ready for the adversities found on the modern battlefield.

Resources:

• Army.mil: Army Combat Fitness Test
• U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command
• U.S. Army Center for Initial Military Training
• Go Army

Related STAND-TO!:

• Go Army
• Army Combat Fitness Test Microsite
• U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command
• U.S. Army Center for Initial Military Training
• Occupational Physical Assessment Test

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