8
8
0
What do you think weekends in the Army Reserves and National Guard should be called?
When I came into the Army Reserves it was drill and it made sense you practice and train or DRILL...during the weekend.
Do we really battle assemble most weekends? Most weekends tend to be filled with administrative items such as medical tracking and mandatory briefings and stand downs with the focus on metrics during these administrative weekends. So it is truly a battle assembly or a metrics assembly?
What do you think they should be called?
When I came into the Army Reserves it was drill and it made sense you practice and train or DRILL...during the weekend.
Do we really battle assemble most weekends? Most weekends tend to be filled with administrative items such as medical tracking and mandatory briefings and stand downs with the focus on metrics during these administrative weekends. So it is truly a battle assembly or a metrics assembly?
What do you think they should be called?
Posted in these groups: 
Drill
Drill
Posted 11 y ago
Responses: 28
14
14
0
MAJ (Join to see)
Sorry, CPT (Join to see), I'm going to have to go with SSG(P) (Join to see) on this one. I've been in a number of units over the past 20 years, and I don't think I've ever been told where the fire extinguishers are. As for staying hydrated, I would lump that in with physical training.
(1)
(0)
CPT (Join to see)
I really only remember the Fire Extinguisher thing being mentioned a lot in TRADOC (at both Ft. Benning and Ft. Jackson). And in their defense, there was a fire at BOLC.... so there is that...
What about one of the newer OPSEC blocks where it says, "Don't post stuff you shouldn't on Social Media"?
What about one of the newer OPSEC blocks where it says, "Don't post stuff you shouldn't on Social Media"?
(1)
(0)
1SG (Join to see)
SSG P, B what is this MOS thing you talk about?
I wonder if I can put down power point review specialist as my DMOS
I wonder if I can put down power point review specialist as my DMOS
(1)
(0)
7
7
0
I have never heard of such a thing. In the Guard we just have drills. Does everyone in the Reserve also have a battle position. I am curious if the support units, Finance or AG, also have Battle Assembly.
(6)
(0)
SSgt (Join to see)
CPT (Join to see) I like that idea, sir. I think I will be mustering from now on.
(1)
(0)
Suspended Profile
In my day, we called it "Drill". When did the Reserves change it?
CPT (Join to see)
1LT Thomas Fallon I think a year ago. It is only a Reserve thing. We don't call it that in the NG.
(0)
(0)
6
6
0
LTC (Join to see), we all know that Battle (Training) Assembly is a total misnomer. Whoever came up with that was mistaken, I think. Everyone used to call it Drill, but it was actually a Multiple Unit Training Assembly (MUTA), with a number after identifying the number of assemblies that were to be used. Just leave it at that.
(6)
(0)
CPT Chris Loomis
LTC Stephen Curlee I'm with you 100% Sir.
There was a typo due to having fat thumbs. There should have been an "M" in that acronym....
There was a typo due to having fat thumbs. There should have been an "M" in that acronym....
(1)
(0)
SSG (Join to see)
LTC Stephen C., it may be that Lt. Gen. James R. Helmly, USARC Commanding General and Chief, Army Reserve, originated the term back in 2005. In a memorandum addressed to U.S. Army Reserve major subordinate commands in which Helmly wrote:
"In peacetime, armies change slowly and deliberately. Today, that measured approach will not suffice for the Army Reserve at war. In short, change in this time of war must deal simultaneously with both current and future Army Reserve needs."
"Personnel historically have associated the term 'weekend drills' with a preoccupation with administrative duties, he wrote. The term battle assemblies will reflect the intent for Army Reserve training to focus intensively on mission-related Mission Essential Task List training and the training of Soldiers to be warriors who are proficient and competent in warrior tasks."
Most National Guard units I know still use the term 'drill'
"In peacetime, armies change slowly and deliberately. Today, that measured approach will not suffice for the Army Reserve at war. In short, change in this time of war must deal simultaneously with both current and future Army Reserve needs."
"Personnel historically have associated the term 'weekend drills' with a preoccupation with administrative duties, he wrote. The term battle assemblies will reflect the intent for Army Reserve training to focus intensively on mission-related Mission Essential Task List training and the training of Soldiers to be warriors who are proficient and competent in warrior tasks."
Most National Guard units I know still use the term 'drill'
(1)
(0)
LTC Stephen C.
Thanks, SSG (Join to see)! I've been retired since '98, so I'm really not up on the latest nomenclature for anything pertaining to the USA, the USAR or the ARNG. It would be interesting to see though, just how much the time spent at a USAR Center has actually changed since the release of the memorandum. The same things still need to be done, and I wouldn't be surprised in the least to find out that what goes on now is essentially unchanged from what was being done prior to 2005. Frankly, I hope I'm wrong. Thanks again for the update.
(2)
(0)
COL Vincent Stoneking
SSG (Join to see) Thanks for this post. I guess I was half right, the term did come the the USAR just about when I did.
(1)
(0)
5
5
0
I prefer to call it "The Reason You Will Have Twelve Days of Work With No Break"
But "Battle Assembly" always sounded like what I did with Legos as a kid.
Someone probably got their star for the idea though.
But "Battle Assembly" always sounded like what I did with Legos as a kid.
Someone probably got their star for the idea though.
(5)
(0)
4
4
0
12 years in the Guard, never heard it called Battle Assembly...it has always been Drill.
(4)
(0)
4
4
0
LTC Stephen C.
CPT Michael Barden, absolutely correct! Totally forgot about that. Inactive Duty Training (IDT)!
(0)
(0)
3
3
0
Once again, Army leaders putting ridiculous window dressing on a non-issue. "Warrior" task training. Battle assemblies. Warrior skills.
What a crock.
I've got an idea. How about we mess around and try training like we fight. Being what we are, not what we'd like to pretend to be.
I am a proud Civil Affairs Soldier. Not Special Forces. Not Infantry. Not even Public Affairs. I have a technical job, and it is difficult to train others to do it. I need all the time I can get to teach my soldiers how to analyze motives, biases and tendencies and give them the tools to problem solve. Anything else is secondary. I would much rather have a unit full of technical experts than crummy infantrymen or barrack lawyers well-versed in the nuggery of AR 600-20. A dirty little secret: Soldiers already know right from wrong. You just need to supervise and enforce. Problems solved.
Can we go and train now?
What a crock.
I've got an idea. How about we mess around and try training like we fight. Being what we are, not what we'd like to pretend to be.
I am a proud Civil Affairs Soldier. Not Special Forces. Not Infantry. Not even Public Affairs. I have a technical job, and it is difficult to train others to do it. I need all the time I can get to teach my soldiers how to analyze motives, biases and tendencies and give them the tools to problem solve. Anything else is secondary. I would much rather have a unit full of technical experts than crummy infantrymen or barrack lawyers well-versed in the nuggery of AR 600-20. A dirty little secret: Soldiers already know right from wrong. You just need to supervise and enforce. Problems solved.
Can we go and train now?
(3)
(0)
3
3
0
I drilled for six years. If at any point it was called a "battle assembly" we would have laughed about the name and made fun of the officers who came up with the name.
(3)
(0)
3
3
0
Maybe we should call it Bob, Joe and the boys getting together on the weekend? Okay, okay, I am just kidding...
(3)
(0)
CPT (Join to see)
I remember the story of the Reserves 1SG who Retired but didn't tell his wife for many months so he could use that "weekend" to go fishing with the boys. It came back to bite him a year later when his wife called the unit to talk to him...
(1)
(0)
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google