Photo By Sgt. Samanatha Whitehead | Staff Sgt. David Immler, a recruiting and retention noncommissioned officer with the...... read more read more
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri National Guard has implemented new physical testing for recruits before they leave for basic combat training, helping guide recruiting decisions and better prepare recruits for their future careers.
The new Occupational Physical Assessment Test, or OPAT, is made up of four events that test both upper and lower body power, muscle strength and aerobic capacity. The test includes a standing long jump, seated power throw, strength deadlift and an interval aerobic run.
The test is being implemented along with another physical test – the High Demand Physical Tasks, or HDPT – that recruits take during advanced individual training and must pass prior to graduating, said Staff Sgt. David Immler, a recruiting and retention noncommissioned officer with the Missouri National Guard Recruiting and Retention Battalion.
“The OPAT is a way to determine the physical aptitude of Soldiers prior to them getting to their active duty training site,” said Immler. “Between the time they enlist and when they actually ship to basic training, we give them this test to determine the likelihood that they will be successful in the HDPT when they complete AIT.”
The required scores on the test are different based on the recruit’s selected military occupational specialty. Careers are divided into three categories based on physical demands of each job: moderate, significant, and heavy, said Immler.
The battalion sent Immler and Staff Sgt. Nicholas Grabel, the Recruit Sustainment Program coordinator for Detachment 6 in Jefferson City, to the Texas National Guard’s 136th Regional Training Institute in Austin, Texas, in March to participate in training and preparation for the implementation of the test, said Immler.
“The National Guard Bureau trained two people from every state,” said Immler. “Missouri sent one RSP coordinator and one recruiting and retention NCO. We went through hands-on training and demonstrations of the four events and how to set them up.”
Immler and Grabel have been traveling to different RSP locations in the state to administer the test as well as to train other Soldiers in recruiting how to give the test to new recruits, said Immler.
Besides serving as a readiness indicator for recruiters, new Soldiers can use the test as a physical training tool, said Master Sgt. Dominic Butel, the battalion’s operations noncommissioned officer in charge.
“Initially it’s going to be an eye-opener for some. For others it will be a good prequel to the APFT and HDPT,” said Butel. “It also helps us to reassign Soldiers to an MOS that is a better fit for their level of fitness.”
Recruits must pass the test before they leave for basic or they will be assigned to a different occupation for which they can pass the standards, said Butel. Many Soldiers will have time to adjust their training to meet the standards for the job they want.
“Individuals who want to have a certain MOS may realize that they’re not physically at the standard they need to be,” said Butel. “They can use their OPAT results to adjust how they train or workout. The recruits can take individual goals away from this test.”
Incoming soldiers will be tested during the red phase of the Recruit Sustainment Program, said Immler.
“We’re working to get everyone who already has a basic training date tested before they ship out,” said Immler. “And moving forward the process will be a little smoother and be part of the recruits’ time in the RSP.”
While it is too early to see the long-term results of the new testing, the battalion sees the OPAT as an opportunity to gain insight for recruiters and new Soldiers, said Butel.
“It will be interesting to see how it helps Soldiers’ performance in the long term,” said Butel. “I think it will be a good indicator for both the military and our recruits.”
| Date Taken: | 08.19.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 02.14.2017 11:15 |
| Story ID: | 223496 |
| Location: | JEFFERSON CITY, MO, US |
| Web Views: | 222 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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