text: Chapter 2
  Prioritizing Training
  Do essential things first…. Each commander [must] determine wisely what is essential,
  and assign responsibilities for accomplishment. …Non-essentials should not take up time
  required for essentials.
  General Bruce C. Clarke
  OVERVIEW
  2-1. Prioritizing training acknowledges that units cannot achieve or sustain trained proficiency on every
  task simultaneously due to limitations of time or the availability of training resources. Commanders use a
  prioritized training approach to optimize limited training time and resources to achieve proficiencies based
  on their unit’s mission. To focus this effort, the commander in dialogue with the next higher echelon
  commander determines the priorities for each proficiency (mission-essential tasks, weapons qualification,
  and collective live-fire tasks) based on mission requirements. Similarly, commanders determine and establish
  training priorities in preparation for operational deployments, a combat training center rotation, or daily
  services for installation support. Prioritized training must link to the unit’s mission. Every unit is unique, but
  the fundamentals of shoot, move, communicate, and survive apply to all types of formations and serve as
  the basis for prioritization.
  MISSION-ESSENTIAL TASK
  2-2. A mission-essential task is a collective task on which an organization trains to be proficient in its
  designed capabilities or assigned mission. A mission-essential task list is a tailored group of mission-
  essential tasks. See figure 2-1 for the relationship of the mission-essential task (MET) and the mission-
  essential task list (METL).
  Figure 2-1. The unit METL is based on the unit’s mission and capabilities
  ARMY STANDARD MISSION-ESSENTIAL TASK LISTS
  2-3. Most deployable company level and above units have a standard METL. These are proponent
  developed and approved by Headquarters, Department of the Army. A standard METL reflects the unit’s
  design capabilities. (See the Army Training Network website (ATN) at https://atn.army.mil for more on
  standard METLs.)
  MISSION-ESSENTIAL TASK PRIORITIZATION
  2-4. Due to time and resource limitations, units are rarely able to achieve and sustain fully trained
  proficiency on all METs simultaneously. Commanders therefore prioritize their METs to identify the METs
  that must be resourced and trained to ‘T’ proficiency. Prioritization of METs is based on mission
  requirements (concept plan or operation plan and future expected missions) approved by the next higher