Ranger Training Procedure

The purpose of this inquiry is to determine whether there is a need for Ranger training in the United States Army, and if so, why the Army continues to staff such training below minimum safe levels. Fifty-six Ranger students have died while in the Ranger Training Program since it was instituted in the 1950s. Four of these students died in a single incident in Florida in 1995. The investigations following the deaths of the four students identified certain minimum safe levels of training staffing necessary to prevent the reoccurrence of such an incident. The National Security, International Affairs, & Criminal Justice Subcommittee ("the Subcommittee") of the Government Reform and Oversight Committee ("the Committee") has all investigative oversight responsibility of the Department of Defense in the House of Representatives. The Subcommittee will commission this further inquiry.

The National Security and International Affairs Division ("NSAID") handed in its final report to the Subcommittee on the 1995 Ranger training incident on February 25, 1999. The report concluded that the Army has never in the 5 years following the incident met the minimum staffing levels necessary to ensure the safety of Ranger students. Consequently, the Subcommittee is concerned that the safety of Ranger training students cannot be ensured. Under such circumstances, the Subcommittee feels an obligation to question the

. . .
into the incident. This investigation concluded that several problems contributed to the students' deaths, including, most significantly, the loss of important lessons learned about safety controls built up over the years and shortages of personnel. The investigation made 27 recommendations, 9 people in the chain of command received administrative letters of reprimand, and 3 of the 9 were relieved from their positions for cause. As of May 10, 1996, Fort Benning had implemented all of the 27 recommendations made in the report. These changes included a comprehensive review and revision of administrative and tactical Standing Operating Procedures, and a new predictive water level, rate, and temperature system that is tied to local and national agencies. Battalion personnel were brought up to authorized strength, a new communication system was added, and training lanes, briefs, and risk assessment worksheets were revamped. The Brigade also improved command and control by revising its procedures to move training exercises outside high-risk areas of the swamp, eliminate discretion to deviate from planned exercise locations, and incorporate the latest guidance on training safety. Evacuation procedures were revised and rehearsed,
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Ranger Brigade, Training Brigade, Division DOD, Fort Benning, Training Battalion, Army DOD, Interestingly Brigade, Operating Procedures, Authorization Act, Rangers Subcommittee, ranger training, national security, staffing priority, ranger brigade, security international affairs, international affairs, 1999 report, security international, ranger students, national security international, training brigade, fort benning, international affairs division, staffing priority ranger, ranger training brigade,
Approximate Word count = 3487
Approximate Pages = 14 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Ranger Training Procedure