Clear You Mind to Clear the Way: Mental Preparation

摘要

Engineer route clearance missions require hours of planning and preparation. Some of this preparation occurs each time a unit gets a mission and is part of the standing operating procedure or troop leading procedures. Some of the preparation is role-dependent: a .50-caliber gunner must check headspace and timing, a robot operator must check the functionality of the cameras on the robot, a squad leader must ensure that his squad has adequate water and food, and a Buffalo driver must conduct operator level preventive maintenance checks and services. Each member of a route clearance team is responsible for a different task to prepare for each mission. However, the one aspect of preparation that is easily overlooked when there are so many other tasks to complete is individual mental preparation—the ways that team members prepare themselves mentally to be in the right mind-set before leaving the base. The purpose of this article is to help Soldiers develop a mental preparation routine, integrate it into mission preparation, and consistently establish the right mind-set as they leave base to clear routes.