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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
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Battle Assembly or Drill. A few thoughts.
- Part of me says toMATo, tomatO. Does it really make a difference what it is called?
- Part of me says that words have meaning. Battle assembly implies a war time Army while assembly implies a peace time Army.
- Part of the answer depends upon what the target audience is for the word(s) used. Are we trying to communicate internal to our Soldiers (getting them thinking prep for war) or are we trying to communicate to external stakeholders such as the Soldier's primary (civilian) employer?
- A final consideration is ease of understanding by all. We make things for difficult to understand if we are changing our words frequently, especially for external audiences who generally do not keep up with our every change within the Army.
- Part of me says toMATo, tomatO. Does it really make a difference what it is called?
- Part of me says that words have meaning. Battle assembly implies a war time Army while assembly implies a peace time Army.
- Part of the answer depends upon what the target audience is for the word(s) used. Are we trying to communicate internal to our Soldiers (getting them thinking prep for war) or are we trying to communicate to external stakeholders such as the Soldier's primary (civilian) employer?
- A final consideration is ease of understanding by all. We make things for difficult to understand if we are changing our words frequently, especially for external audiences who generally do not keep up with our every change within the Army.
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SGT Justin Singleton
Good points all around. I voted "Drill" because as a lower ranking individual, changes in terminology were always made fun of. That said, over time, those changes become the tradition for the next group of young studs coming in. Perhaps the change simply means that it must go through a transition period of everyone hating it until it becomes the next tradition.
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Drill = Tradition and Old School, so it gets my vote (not that I know what I'm talking about ... but I like to vote!)
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I'd never heard of "Battle Assembly" till I got on RP. It must be a Reserves thing.
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COL Vincent Stoneking
It seems to be an USAR thing.
I did drill with the NG, but started BTAs when I joined the USAR.
(It may be a NG thing by now, but I remember asking WTH the BTA was on the calendar when I joined my first USAR unit)
I did drill with the NG, but started BTAs when I joined the USAR.
(It may be a NG thing by now, but I remember asking WTH the BTA was on the calendar when I joined my first USAR unit)
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I'd stick with drill. Or we could always adopt what my Wife calls it. On second thought, let's just stick to calling it drill.
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SSG Christopher Parrish
She has some pretty choice words for *my* involvement in the Texas State Guard. They are becoming less and less as she sees the need that we fill and she is starting to understand my desire to serve.
Most of her frustration comes from the fact that the TXSG Soldier has to provide all of their own gear, uniforms, meals, mileage, and many times PTO from their civilian job to serve. I get myself more involved than some soldiers do because I want to do as much as I can while I can and I feel I have some making up to do since I took an entry level separation from the Army instead of recycling back in '92.
Most of her frustration comes from the fact that the TXSG Soldier has to provide all of their own gear, uniforms, meals, mileage, and many times PTO from their civilian job to serve. I get myself more involved than some soldiers do because I want to do as much as I can while I can and I feel I have some making up to do since I took an entry level separation from the Army instead of recycling back in '92.
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I never liked "Battle Assembly." I used "Drill" well past when we Army Reserve Soldiers were told to stop. It always felt like "BA" was an attempt to mimic something of the Active Component out of fear of looking weak.
That said, for the past few years I've been in the D-IMA program, and in that we use "IDT" (Inactive Duty Training). Every now and then you'll hear "Drill" or "UTA" (Unit Training Assembly), but usually that's in reference to the time-blocks for which we get paid, while the IDT is the duty itself.
That said, for the past few years I've been in the D-IMA program, and in that we use "IDT" (Inactive Duty Training). Every now and then you'll hear "Drill" or "UTA" (Unit Training Assembly), but usually that's in reference to the time-blocks for which we get paid, while the IDT is the duty itself.
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Captain Brian Maurelli, Historically the "Guards", (also a historical name), have always had, drill nights and drill weekends. When will changing everything for someone's whim ever cease?
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I actually wasn't aware it had changed from "drill." I don't have a dog in the fight but I think it should still be called drill.
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Most assemblies are not doing drill nor out in the field except may a couple weekends a year. Most accurate desciption would be "training assembly". Drills has been a more traditional way of saying it when I was in. I think Canada and UK call it Parade!
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I think it should be called drill. Battle assembly is went your get ready to do battle. That's my opinion.
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I think everyone will always call it drill, despite any different title it may be given. I know new Soldiers who look confused when you call it BA, BTA, etc.
Maybe we should just call it something to being the "new" generation into the fold. How does "Call of Duty" sound? I wonder what that would do for recruitment? I am just kidding of course, but I think drill sticks no matter what.
Maybe we should just call it something to being the "new" generation into the fold. How does "Call of Duty" sound? I wonder what that would do for recruitment? I am just kidding of course, but I think drill sticks no matter what.
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