Posted on 08/11/2015 3:55:24 AM PDT by markomalley
Most civilians' idea of basic training is embodied in a burly and ill-tempered drill sergeant yelling at young soldiers as they run or do pushups.
Times have changed, said Thriso Hamilton, a former drill sergeant and now a civilian training specialist at Fort Jackson, S.C., one of four sites where the Army's Basic Combat Training is conducted.
The Army recently validated changes to its 10-week Basic Combat Training program that will take effect Oct. 1. The changes, which emphasize fitness and character building while thinning the skills to those most relevant to a non-war-going force, were formulated at Fort Eustis' Center for Initial Military Training.
Recently retired Maj. Gen. Ross Ridge, who stepped down last month as the center's commander, said the changes reflect the service's transition away from the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.
"We needed to change everything, so we went from an Army at war to an Army of preparation, so that we start to produce these professional, trusted soldiers, who can win in this next complex world that we anticipate that we're going to have to deal with," Ridge said in an interview after his change of command.
The Army has been training soldiers for almost immediate deployment — after completing basic and Advanced Individual Training, or job training — upon arriving at their first unit of assignment. There, they learn advanced medical techniques including administering intravenous fluids and how to use weapons that most soldiers — even if they were deployed — don't use. The new curriculum has soldiers learning basic first aid and qualifying with their assigned weapon both with and without the use of optics.
More participation is now expected of soldiers in land navigation. The current system has teams of four navigate to specific coordinates in the field, but testers found that typically only one or two of the group were actually doing the map reading. Soon trainees will practice map reading in pairs.
The Center for Initial Military Training, known as the "front door" of the Army, oversees the training of about 120,000 new soldiers a year. About 11 to 12 percent quit or fail basic training, Ridge said. The goal is to lower that rate.
Most of the attrition comes through the physical demands, because a recruit can't keep up or gets injured. The new program adds an initial fitness test within the first weeks of training to gauge whether some may need more than the 10 weeks to pass a final physical assessment, which has always been a part of basic. Commanders will soon be able to recycle those that aren't ready physically.
The fitness regime will slowly escalate starting with a 4K march, working up to a longer, final distance of 16K — nearly 10 miles.
Alterations weren't only made to what was taught, but how it was taught.
Ridge said emphasis was placed on ensuring soldiers understand why they were learning particular skills and could adapt and emulate them even if the conditions or scenarios change.
James Walthes, chief of the Proponent Development and Integration Division, an element of the center also located in Fort Jackson, went through basic in the early 1970s.
"I remember when I went through basic training, it was 'Do this, do that,' " he said during a recent trip to Fort Eustis. "Where today, it's more of a mentorship program to educate the soldier on why they need to know this."
Hamilton, the training specialist, said they encourage soldiers to ask a lot of questions.
"The mindset changes from just sitting there to actively participating in what is being taught," he said. "Training is where you want to the questions to come from. When they are under a combat situation, it's time to execute."
The course is broken into three phases, named for the colors in the American flag. The red phase, weeks one through three, focuses on character building, Army values and physically fitness. The white phase, weeks four through six, covers individual skills including marksmanship, first aid, navigation and communication. An assessment will now be given at the end of each phase to ensure retention.
The final phase is blue, from weeks seven to 10, which brings everything together with team drills and more complex strategy, such as rules of engagement and law of land warfare. These elements used to be taught at the very beginning, Ridge said, "when there was no context."
"We can teach folks to shoot rifles and to navigate on land, but in order to be a good soldier you have to have a good ethical, moral foundation," he said. "First, I teach you how to shoot, now I teach you how to shoot responsibly. ... Then I start to teach you how to take the skills you learned and think through. Do I shoot at this target or do I not shoot at this target? It builds."
To those who think training is getting easier, all three men say it is becoming more difficult.
"People are too quick to say it's too easy now," Ridge said. "It was just as demanding for me then as I see it is for them now."
And more importantly, it will produce a better soldier, Hamilton said.
"We are producing a very good soldier right now, but we think we're going to produce a better soldier, a more skilled soldier."
Translation, adjust the standards so that everybody will meet them...
…they encourage soldiers to ask a lot of questions…
Translation, remove military discipline and make it so that leftists will feel more welcome. Nothing like being able to question orders, right?
…now I teach you how to shoot responsibly
Translation, only shoot at conservative, Constitution-loving Americans. Don't think about shooting at those peace-loving Muslims.
[NB:] (mind you, making sure that everybody actually learns land nav is a good thing...but otherwise?)
An odd statement, if you ask me. What drives this? Collateral damage? Identification of non-soldier/rebel combatants? (e.g., armed women/children?). Just don't shoot any Muslims?
In looking at some of the discussion about some of the new Federal Agency training targets, I wonder how this "shoot responsibly thing" comes in.
Since they want to do away with the part that breaks down the civilian and builds the soldier, lets just add this curriculum to high school and do away with the standing Army. They are building an Army that won’t fight, so why pay for it.
Oh that’s right...we need it for the social experiments.
Does everybody get a medal just for showing up? That would be really good, because it’s important for soldiers to feel appreciated and have healthy self-esteem.
(must I rally use /s?)
Building the non-war-going force of tomorrow.
Character building? I shudder to think how they define that these days.
Training for defeat.
“........emphasize fitness and character building while thinning the skills to those most relevant to a non-war-going force,”........
I suppose they will tuck each one of them into bed at night too. What a bunch of horse manure. Why even bring the into the military if they can even make it through boot camp? Perhaps using civilians would work better than making soldiers and sailors out of them. Who the hell are these “leaders” who dream up this crap and worse, whose side are they on?
Welcome common core boot camp.
Could be, they are training them to engage militarily with the American people.
I think it’s safe to safe that a powerful US military, one that will be used to protect the interests of the American people and project American ideals, is long gone.
to an Army of preparation, so that we start to produce these professional, trusted soldiers, who can win in this next complex world that we anticipate that we’re going to have to deal with,” .....Oh, Oh. Dissect this statement with your post in mind. I believe we, as Constitutionalists are doomed.
This is a crock. Soldiers need the stressful basic so that they will learn to take orders and act instantly under extremely high stress situations (combat). BCT is not supposed to be a “mentorship” program.
I guess somebody who made this decision has stock in the manufacturer of body bags.
Exactly! They also need to weed out the 11% that crack under pressure.
ya...turning it into daycare will be real effective.....
If it works, do not fix it.
Don’t all enlisted personnel who honorably serve receive the National Service Medal?
If this army is talking ethics and morals it WON’T be your father’s morals. This is another power grab by evil people.
engage the American people? Yup. THAT is where talk of “morals” comes in. Delegitimize and destroy.
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