The “GIF” of course is the “Good Idea Fairy”, who has struck with full force this time. When debating the problems that are associated with mandatory training and the resultant time management issues, you know that “mandatory classes on time management” are the only possible result.

But seriously, one thing that plagues military training time is the never-ending stack of “mandatory classes” that are always being piled on. Sometimes there is a new policy and people need to be brought up to speed; I guess that makes sense. But the string-pullers at the top need to exercise some good judgment. Sometimes something happens in a military community or training event of some sort– a training accident, someone falls off a barracks rooftop, or there’s a crime that happens in these settings. Then, we are flooded with mandatory training courses meant to address the issues. They will either be online courses at home or power-point lectures. These eat into active-duty training time but it can seriously disrupt the limited time Reserve and Guard have. Piling more on won’t help, but you know that somewhere, out there, the Good Idea Fairy lurks.