Military vehicles require a lot of maintenance. They are not actually built to the tight tolerances of civilian vehicles, which are designed for relatively light maintenance needs.

This is one of the reasons why a lot of veterans chuckle and roll their eyes at car commercials that advertise products as “military grade”.

Before a military vehicle goes anywhere, even for a short jaunt, you’re expected to do a full maintenance check. You go through a detailed checklist (and you’re supposed to be going through a textbook operator’s manual as you do it) for all your pre-operations checks to make sure the vehicle is ready to operate.

You have a complete list of “before operations maintenance checks” as well as a complete set of “after operations maintenance checks” when you’re done.

But there are also “during operations maintenance checks”.

That part has always filled me with a slight sense of nervousness. OK, sure, it is for those little things you notice while driving– a slight pull to the left or right might indicate misalignment, for example.

But the idea that you’re checking your vehicle for operational flaws and shortcomings while in the driving process has never filled me with a great deal of reassurance.