Vehicle operation training is just one aspect of predeployment training.
There are a lot of activities involved in your first predeployment training. The U.S. Army will prepare you for deployment to a hostile area such as Afghanistan and Iraq through a wide range of training exercises. Tasks are divided into two major categories: core and directed mission essential tasks. Field sanitation is an example of a core task and urban patrolling is an example of a mission essential task.
Individual Tasks
You will be expected to demonstrate basic Army skills before deploying, regardless of your specific job. Your core individual tasks include marksmanship, customs and basic phrases, survival skills, first aid and stress management. Stress management has become a more high-profile part of the training because the Pentagon is concerned that long or multiple deployments may be contributing to mental health problems and even suicides.
Collective Tasks
Depending on the type of unit you are in, the collective tasks you train for may differ. Many soldiers will be expected to hone their patrolling skills. Some of the specific topics covered are observing and reporting intelligence to commanders and, in some cases, writing reports. You will also train for mounted or walking patrols. Tactics and procedures for rural and urban patrols will be covered with a special emphasis on identifying land mines and improvised explosive devices.
Specialty Tasks
There are certain Army jobs that require specialized training that the average soldier will not receive, including combat tasks such as combat lifesaving and ordinance disposal. However, there are more mundane tasks that are also important to the Army such as vehicle operator, mail handler and generator operator. While combat training gets most of the attention, the support and administrative predeployment training helps to ensure the smooth functioning of Army units deployed overseas.
Tags: predeployment training, mission essential, will expected
