Mattis moves to refocus military training on ‘warfighting,’ after complaints on ‘senseless’...

Finally a voice of reason.

There was a General who taught at the war college. He testified before congress. He was asked "can the military conduct humanitarian efforts in areas of natural disaster? He answered yes but that is not what we are designed for. Another congressman asked him about conducting medical care operations in areas where populations are at risk. The General gave the same answer "that is not what we are designed for. Questions were ask about road building, water treatment etc. Finally a congressman asked him "we give the military billions of dollars up on billions of dollars a year what exactly do you do?". The General said " we destroy the enemy and seize ground". I have never forgotten that. The military is not a social proving ground.

Yes cause training on alcohol and drug abuse, stress management, sexual harassment and assault, suicide prevention awareness are a waste of the military's time. After all, none of it is an issue or has been a growing issue in the military. The training topics aren't the issue, the amount of time spent is the problem. In 18 years, I watched Safety Stand Down Day become a week long event and having to do the same training bi-annually, quarterly, and monthly all because we react to an incident that occurred. The cover your ass 'CYA' factor of senior leaders is the problem. Warfighting and leadership training also means emphasizing accountability on and off the battlefield, not scapegoating and finger-pointing. The training isn't senseless, it's just done way too often.