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The Army plans to cut nearly a dozen mandatory training programs for its Soldiers to make more time available for unit-specific combat readiness tasks, service officials said last week.
The changes will be part of an updated version of Army Regulation 350-1, Army Training and Leader Development, which the service plans to issue June 1.
“The updated regulation marks a significant step toward simplifying training requirements while enhancing warfighting readiness and effectiveness across the force,” the Army said in a statement. “In addition, it will remove administrative burdens and unnecessary distractions, allowing Soldiers to focus on essential warfighting skills.”
It is the first major overhaul of the mandatory training program since 2017, and it cut the length of the published regulation from more than 250 pages to 132.
Sixteen mandatory training items remain in the draft AR 350-1, which the Army made available last week.
Commanders will now have the discretion to shed training in various areas, such as chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear; combat lifesaver, safety and occupational health; Law of War; and Code of Conduct.
The new regulation also scraps the Army’s resilience training and its structured self-development programs, which the service labeled “outdated.”
Gen. Randy A. George, the Army’s top general, has made cutting down the time Soldiers spend conducting mandatory training a top priority since becoming chief of staff in September 2023.
Last year, he ordered a reduction in some 350 hours of annual mandatory online training.
Command Sgt. Maj. Chris Mullinax, the top enlisted member for the Army operations, planning and training, told reporters last week that reducing hours spent on mandatory online training will allow Soldiers to focus on building “warrior ethos” through “tough, realistic training.
“What our Army senior leaders are trying to do is make sure that they have as much time available so that they can focus on those things,” he said.
─ By John Goheen
