Before deploying Soldiers board the plane to go down range, they have a long list of items to take care of. From finances and filling out a will to ensuring they are physically ready to deploy, each Soldier has individual needs to meet before they leave hearth and home.
Installation Management Command has made Soldier and civilian readiness its number one priority, according to the IMCOM Campaign Plan, and it takes care of readiness using Soldier Readiness Processing.
On Feb. 17, 45 Soldiers in 4th Platoon, 554th Military Police Company, stationed in Stuttgart, went through the first phase of the SRP at the Panzer Fitness Center. The platoon is set to deploy to Afghanistan with the 172nd Infantry Brigade this spring.
The SRP provides each service member with a checklist to ensure that his or her personnel requirements, training, financial, family and spiritual needs, among others, are met before deploying.
In the first phase of an SRP, garrison organizations including Army Community Service, dental and health clinics, legal center and the chaplains’ office, set up in one location specifically for Soldiers in the deploying unit.
There, Soldiers receive screenings and immunizations, and fill out a will and power of attorney.
An SRP “brings you one step closer to deployment,” said Sgt. Keith Appleton, who is deploying with 4th Platoon, 554th MP Co.
It also keeps troops focused on the upcoming mission, according to 1st Lt. Jacqueline Uhorchak, 4th Platoon leader.
The SRP helps Soldiers complete what needs to be done before deploying, so that they aren’t worried about these issues while down range, she said.
No one likes to think of the worse that can happen, but scheduling appointments at the legal station for a will or power of attorney was the most popular for her troops, Uhorchak added.
In the Stuttgart military community, the U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security oversees readiness military activities for all five installations.
“The SRP is making sure the Soldiers’ personal affairs are in order,” said Moses Burrell, USAG Stuttgart DPTMS plans and operations specialist.
With no dedicated facility to host the SRP, DPTMS takes the SRP services to the customer when and where a unit commander chooses, Burrell said.
In the past three months, DPTMS has supported approximately 200 service members, Burrell added.
All Soldiers must complete the SRP annually, whether or not they are scheduled to deploy, Burrell said. In addition, a deploying unit is required to complete a pre-deployment process, or PDP, 30 days prior to deployment. DPTMS supports both SRPs and PDPs. Soldiers go through the same process during reintegration.
The entire readiness process is a cycle, which IMCOM uses to ensure that Solders and families are taken care of before, during and after a deployment.