RESERVE COMPONENT

The purpose of this article is simple and straightforward: to get the word out on MI course attendance prerequisites for Reserve Component (RC) soldiers. The Army Intelligence Proponent is making every effort to disseminate these requirements through the many means available. We need to stem the flow of RC soldiers arriving for training at the five U.S. Army Reserve (USAR) Total Army School System (TASS) MI Battalions without meeting one or several of the course attendance prerequisites.

Approximately 60 to 70 percent of the students that arrive for in-processing have not had thorough screening by their parent or sending units. This puts an unnecessary burden on the schoolhouse to verify requirements with a very thin staff. TASS MI battalions are checking all prerequisites, not just height and weight, Army physical fitness test (APFT), and prior phase completion (if required). They are drawing the line while maintaining a realistic degree of flexibility toward ensuring a soldier’s suitability to receive and succeed in training. In so doing, they are fulfilling their regulatory roles as accredited training institutions to verify prerequisites. Figure 1 identifies the most critical prerequisites for admittance to RC TASS MI courses that the five USAR schoolhouses offer. The point of contact (POC) for this article is Major Joseph E. Hoellerer, the Title XI Officer; you can reach him at E-mail hoellererj@hua chuca-emh1.army.mil or by telephone at (520) 533-2290 or DSN 821-2290.

Colonel John Craig is the USAR POC and the Chief of the Reserve Forces Office at the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and Fort Huachuca. Readers can contact him at (520) 533-1176, DSN 821-1176, and via E-mail at craigj@huachuca-emh1.army.mil. Lieutenant Colonel Steve Ponder is the Army National Guard POC; his telephone number is (520) 533-1177 or DSN 821-1177 and his E-mail addresses are ponders@huachuca-emh1.army.mil and ponders@aol.com. Their facsimile number is DSN 821-1762 or commercial (520) 533-1762. Their mailing address is Commander, USAIC&FH, ATTN: ATZS-RA, Fort Huachuca, AZ 85613-6000.