Depending on the MOS, the AIT covers 20 percent to 100 percent of critical tasks. At the unit level, first-line leaders, normally noncommissioned officers in supervisory positions, are responsible for providing initial training in the critical tasks not covered in AIT and refresher training in the tasks taught during AIT.

Meaning of "MOS Qualification"

Army data indicates that about 73 percent of Army Reserve and National Guard soldiers are "qualified" in their jobs. This statistic, however, relates only to the percentage of soldiers who hold the MOSS called for by the duty positions to which they are assigned. Also, one should not infer from this statistic that these soldiers are qualified to perform all their job duties according to Army standards. trained in their units in the critical job tasks not covered in AIT, and they may or may not have received adequate refresher training at the unit level. The Army does not collect information on whether soldiers have been trained in all critical job tasks.

The soldiers may or may not have been

Reservists May Be Less Skilled

Than the Army's Data Indicates

Although, overall, the Army's MOS qualification data indicates that about three fourths of its reserve soldiers are qualified, we found that there are many occupational specialties in which 59

percent or less of the assigned soldiers have the MOSS called for As shown in table 1, in the Army Reserve,

by their duty positions.

133 occupational specialties were in this category.

Table 1: Percentage of Personnel with Appropriate MOSS for Their Assigned Occupational Specialties (December 31, 1987)

According to Training and Doctrine Command officials, for nearly one third of the Army's more than 350 occupational specialties, AIT provides training in less than 80 percent of the critical job tasks soldiers need to learn to be fully qualified. Further, we found that a large number of reservists work in occupations in which they are taught less than 60 percent of critical job tasks during AIT. As shown in table 2, these occupations include positions requiring repair capability for equipment such as the Bradley Fighting Vehicle and the Abrams Tank.

Table 2: Examples of Occupations in Which Soldiers Are Trained in Less Than 60 Percent of Critical Tasks During Advanced Individual Training

Accordingly, a considerable responsibility rests with Army Reserve and Guard units to provide initial training in tasks not covered during AIT. Refresher training at the unit level is equally important because, as noted in studies conducted by the Army Research Institute, skill degradation occurs rapidly if initial training is not reinforced. According to the Institute, soldiers must have both initial school training and subsequent individual training at the unit to become and remain proficient in critical job tasks.

An Army official estimated that, under the best of

circumstances, it would take about 1 year, or an additional 38 training days, beyond completion of AIT to fully train a reservist. The official stated, however, that in actual practice it takes much longer to complete this training because of (1) other demands made on available training days, such as administrative requirements, personnel matters, and equipment maintenance, (2) the limited availability of equipment and training facilities, (3) the lack of qualified trainers in some units, and (4) new training requirements that evolve from changes in a unit's equipment or mission.

The Army Does Not Know How Many Reservists

Are Proficient in Their Jobs

Although the Army has a means--the Skill Qualification Test-

to evaluate the overall proficiency of its soldiers, only a relatively small number of reservists take the test.

Consequently,

Of those

the Army has no overall data on reservists' proficiency. reservists who did take the test during fiscal year 1987, slightly less than two thirds passed.

The SQT is currently the Army's only objective means to assess soldiers' qualifications. The test evaluates a soldier's proficiency in a sample of critical job tasks drawn from Soldier Manuals for each occupational specialty. Each active duty soldier is required to take an SQT annually; however, reservists are

required to take the test only once every 2 years. The 2-year

interval for reservists was established in recognition of the

limited time available to reserve units for training and subsequent skill evaluation.

In fiscal year 1987, 74 percent of the Army's active duty soldiers took the SQT. In the Army Reserve and Army National Guard, however, only about 32 percent of the soldiers required to take an SQT for their MOSS did take the test. Consequently, the Army lacks proficiency data on nearly 70 percent of its reservists, or about 334,000 soldiers. During a prior GAO review, unit officials told us that participation in the SQT was lacking because of inadequate command emphasis. They also said that reservists lacked incentives to take the test.

For the 156,000 reservists who did take an SQT during fiscal year 1987, about 65 percent passed the test. In comparison, about 92 percent of the 450,000 active duty soldiers who took the test during the same period passed.

ARMY INITIATIVES TO IMPROVE

RESERVISTS' SKILLS

Over the past several years, the Army has conducted numerous studies on the training of reserve soldiers. The two most notable involved (1) a May 1987 task force established to find solutions to