Doc Jargon: Stone age still benefits operations planning

Photo By Collen McGee | Doc Jargon, cutting through the jargon that is the U.S. Army.  

FORT RILEY, KS, UNITED STATES

08.01.2023

Story by Collen McGee 

Fort Riley Public Affairs Office

Dear Doc Jargon,

I’m puzzled by the most recent term my son used when he called me. You see, he’s the first one in the family to serve so we don’t have a lot of knowledge about the new lingo he’s been picking up since he joined. The term in question is “rock drill.” I’d love to know what it means for and how it came to be used.

I’m a bit of a history buff and am trying to support him by learning more about the Army and the units he serves with. I love the history of the 1st Infantry Division and have enjoyed learning through my son’s career. I also realize many of our terms come from historical practices — like “turning” the lights on or off came to be because the original Edison light switches were dials.

Any light you can shed on rock drills would be welcome.

Sincerely,
Dad in the dark, under a rock



Dear Dark Dad,

Congratulations on being a first generation parent of a “Big Red One” Soldier. I consider you part of our Army family and am happy to drill down to the origin of the phrase.

The term is actually ROC drill. It’s been spelled out as both Rehearsal of Concept and Review of Concept. It is exactly as your son said — a practice before a mission or training exercise. The idea is to practice concepts of operation and get a little more visibility on where contingency plans could be useful.

However, using the word rock is pretty on target when it comes to the origin of the phrase. The story goes that the first such drill was done on the hood of a vehicle with actual rocks. Today, they can be held on any surface big enough to illustrate the concept of operation. We’ve done them on large tables, big floors and in parking lots. There are even some pretty high-tech virtual reality systems available that give robust level of reality to that concept’s rehearsal.

Anyway, I hope you continue to learn about the storied history of the 1st Infantry Division. Keep up the great support you are giving your son too.


Sincerely,

Doc Jargon

• Date Taken: 08.01.2023
• Date Posted: 08.01.2023 11:07
• Story ID: 450414
• Location: FORT RILEY, KS, US