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DEAR DR. JARGON,
My wife comes home every afternoon from her unit talking about readiness this and readiness that. She says things about Army readiness. She talks about how it’s important to maintain her readiness. She’s used the terms Soldier readiness and unit readiness a lot lately, too.
Now, being that I’m a pretty intelligent kind of guy, I hate to admit hen I don’t know something. Being new around the fort also makes it hard for me to ask someone since we haven’t met all that many people yet and I’m just starting to get tuned into the community here.
However, being that I’m a super supportive husband, I want to do more than just smile and nod at the dinner table when she’s telling me all about her day. I mean, I want to carry on an intelligent conversation with her, but I’m not sure I understand the full meaning of the term readiness and all the ways she’s using it. Somehow I feel like I’m missing the point and the word is just the newest in a long line of Army buzzwords.
Can you help me understand the nuances behind what
readiness means?
Signed,
Super supportive husband of a beautiful Army Soldier
DEAR SUPER SUPPORTIVE,
First, welcome to Fort Riley!
Readiness is sort of a new buzz term, but it isn’t a new concept and it is one that has the attention of leaders at every level. I’ll do my best to explain the term and its importance so you can have more meaningful dinner conversations with your Soldier.
The term is all about how quickly we as an Army can field our assets, or deploy, when needed. So Soldier readiness is about the ability for an individual Soldier to meet all the requirements to be deployable. For example, are they up-to-date medically? Do they meet the physical fitness standards set by the Army for the work they do? Are they proficient at their job? If they are parents, will the kids be in good care when they deploy? The answer to those questions and several more equal their level of readiness.
The same goes for the unit. Is the equipment in good shape? Are the Soldiers in the unit good at working as a team with that equipment? Do they have the number of people and tools they need to do the job? I’m simplifying it a bit to steer clear of confusing you with more Army
jargon. But there are a lot of elements that make up the unit readiness factor.
Those individual and unit factors feed the level of readiness of the entire Army. The success of the Army rests on that of its units. Each unit’s success rests on the readiness of its Soldiers.
I would suggest you ask your Soldier about the specifics that make up her readiness and what challenges she faces. Then see if the two of you can come up with a plan to ensure the things that could detract from her readiness and distract her from her mission are covered.
The simple answer is readiness is a single word that means a lot of things. But what the Soldiers at Fort Riley are always striving for is a higher level than they had yesterday. It is sort of a code word for constant improvement and making sure every person is at the top of their professional game and every piece of equipment is in top
working order.
Also, you don’t say how long you and your wife have been here or if there are other members of your Army family. I hope you are taking advantage of all the offerings through the Directorate of Family Morale, Welfare and Recreation, USO Fort Riley, leisure travel and the attractions in the surrounding communities. Check with Army Community Service for great volunteer opportunities too. Those are great ways to meet other Army families who are also learning to speak Army.
Best of luck,
Doc Jargon
| Date Taken: | 01.13.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 01.13.2022 15:00 |
| Story ID: | 412875 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 62 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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