Photo By Spc. Alicia Clark | Janet Lucas-Riley, chief, Soldier Readiness Center discusses a soldier’s readiness...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. – The Soldier Readiness Center at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., provides an invaluable service to units preparing for an overseas deployment through the Soldier Readiness Process.
SRP is an annual process that gives the soldier a status on their deployment readiness and the unit commander an idea of what the unit needs for a mission.
“It’s used by commanders to assess what missions his or her unit can or should accept to assist the Army in its total picture,” said Sgt. 1st Class Burt Benjamin, senior human resources non-commissioned officer, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, I Corps.
For command groups, SRP can help identify specific needs that require attention prior to the unit’s deployment.
“It identifies the ones who can be deployed and the ones who cannot,” said Benjamin. “It also shows the commander how many personnel he will need to request for an upcoming mission.”
The center also provides services that soldiers cannot get any other place.
“SRP is the only place that can provide a few of the necessary services such as theater specific immunizations and Eagle Cash Card activation prior to deployment,” said Maj. Robin Baker, director of human resource officer, Joint Base Garrison.
Soldiers at JBLM begin the process with the personnel section at their units during an annual SRP check. Soldiers receiving overseas orders for deployment go through the process 180 days prior to their latest date of arrival overseas and again 90 days preceding that date.
“The SRP is an annual process,” said Benjamin. “However, you can receive a second SRP if your unit is identified for deployment within that window.”
Prior to arriving at the SRC, unit personnel NCOs must prepare a packet for each individual completing the process.
“There is a lot of preparation and coordination to get a unit the size of I Corps ready for SRP,” said Benjamin. “It includes everything from compiling soldier data necessary for the process, creating a master list to utilize available time slots against the correct number of personnel, to getting all the SRP packets prepared and ready.”
The SRC processes around 200 soldiers a day. Each SRP section is responsible for a different part of the process.
“The process is designed to give the service member everything they need to have looked over before a deployment,” said Maj. Marlowe Gilmore, SRC officer in charge. “We take a look at everything from medical, to a family care plan, to legal to make sure the soldier and their families are taken care of while they are deployed.”
The process performs a readiness check on multiple areas to ensure each deploying soldier is prepared to perform their Soldier tasks in a deployed environment.
“SRP is not designed to fix issues,” said Gilmore. “It is designed to ensure soldiers are physically and mentally fit to handle the rigors of deployment. It’s about the mind, body and soul of a soldier.”
For command groups, SRP can help identify specific needs that require attention prior to the unit’s deployment.
The medical section checks the soldiers’ current immunizations, profiles, mental health and provides the necessary vaccines that are pertinent to the area of operations where the soldier will be.
“The medical process can take as little as 45 minutes depending on the needs of the soldier,” said Staff Sgt. John Bratton, assistant medical non-commissioned officer in charge, SRC.
SRP ensures that soldiers are prepared to deploy with their unit and that they meet the readiness standards set by the Department of the Army.
“The DA has medical and other standards that each soldier must meet prior to deploying,” Baker said. “It’s good to have an objective pair of eyes to look at the process and ensure that Soldiers are capable to deploy,” said Baker.
| Date Taken: | 02.17.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 03.08.2011 19:41 |
| Story ID: | 66702 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 404 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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