“Everything we do is training,” says MG Haskins, Commander, California Army National Guard, and mentor from my days as an aide.

It’s a pretty strait forward notion. I mean, OF COURSE everything we do is training. If we’re not training we should be executing our mission. However what does that really mean?

To me, it means giving Soldiers ample time to do something they have never done before, and give them time to do it RIGHT. It means planning and executing in a manner that teaches, and isn’t just a “check the block.” It means thinking BEYOND what would be thought of as training, and creating a teachable moment when and where you can. It means conducting AARs, rehearsals, back-briefs, and learning from mistakes so the next time you can be better.

As an officer in our fast paced, deployment filled worlds, does the idea that “everything we do is training” make sense?

Should we ever be in a place where we are not training?

What does this idea/concept mean to you?