Basic Training Brigade tests intensified schedules

Army News Service ^ | Feb. 2, 2004

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

 

Basic Training Brigade tests intensified schedules

FORT BENNING, Ga. (Army News Service, Feb. 2, 2004) -- The Basic Combat Training Brigade at Fort Benning is piloting two programs of instruction that provide more time in the field and focus more on warrior skills.

The “immersion” and “alternate” courses include the original POI from today’s basic training, but add military operations in urban terrain and training with more weapons, without increasing the overall eight-week length of instruction.

The pilot class for the immersion POI started Jan. 29, and the class for the alternate POI picks up Feb. 12.

The new POIs will increase the time trainees spend in the field from three days to 10 days for the alternate POI pilot and to 23 days for the immersion POI pilot. Soldiers will also have classes on more heavy weapons and increase the time spent on the M-249 squad automatic weapon.

“These are weapons Soldiers weren’t seeing before,” said Capt. Robert Olszewski, commander, A Company, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, who is involved in the immersion POI pilot.

“(Soldiers) will be familiar with a lot more weapon systems than other classes, and they’ll get blocks of instruction other classes haven’t before,” Olszewski said. I think they’ll be better prepared when they get to their units, because they’ll have a wider knowledge base.”

The current POI trains 19 of the 40 warrior skills and four of the nine warrior drills. The alternate POI trains 39 of the 40 skills and eight out of the nine drills. The immersion POI trains all the skills and drills.

“Instead of talking about guard duty in the class room and memorizing general orders, we’re adding some more hands-on training,” said 1st Sgt. James Conner of B Co., 2nd Bn., 47th Inf. Regt. Conner is involved in the alternate POI pilot.

“The quality of Soldiers stays the same,” said Capt. Christopher Colster, B Co., 2nd Bn., 47th Inf. Regt. (alternate POI). “We graduate only the top-quality Soldiers; however, their Soldier skills will be a little bit more battle-focused now.

“The current POI was set up to run eight weeks,” Colster said. “Now we’re expanding the training, but still in the same amount of time, so it’s a challenge.”

To handle the increase in training, the companies are increasing the number of drill sergeants from 12 to 16. The additional drill sergeants lower the drill-sergeant-to-student ratio and prevent “drill sergeant burnout,” Olszewski said.

“Right now, I can only speculate attrition rates,” Olszewski said. “(We’ll) see if injury or attrition rates go up; that’s one of the reasons we’re running the pilot.”

The immersion POI calls for a 20-day field problem for the last phase of training, where the Soldiers will continue to receive instruction but in a field environment.

The cadre for both pilot classes trained on their new blocks of instruction for weeks before training began.

“Eventually, this has to go across the board,” Colster said. “The whole way of thinking in the rear echelon has to change, and we’re happy to influence the changing Army."

(Editor’s note: Spc. Brian Trapp writes for the Fort Benning Bayonet newspaper.)

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

FORT BENNING, Ga. -- The Basic Combat Training Brigade at Fort Benning is piloting two programs of instruction that provide more time in the field and focus more on warrior skills.

The “immersion” and “alternate” courses include the original POI from today’s basic training, but add military operations in urban terrain and training with more weapons, without increasing the overall eight-week length of instruction.

...The new POIs will increase the time trainees spend in the field...Soldiers will also have classes on more heavy weapons and increase the time spent on the M-249 squad automatic weapon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Basic Combat Training Brigade
Transforming Citizens to Soldiers

 

Peace through readiness, ping!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Spc. Shane Huffaker  fires an AT-4 anti-tank weapon at a simulated

enemy during training with the Engagement Skills Trainer (EST) 2000.  

EST 2000 is a computer generated training system that will replace the 

Weaponeer, a marksmanship training aid that has been in commission

for more than 30 years. U.S. Army photo by Sgt.1st Class Gary Ogilvie.

       ===========================

No idea whether this pic applies to this story. Cool feature photo at army.mil today. *g*

[serurier]

Thank you very much , thank you send this message .

[Trust but Verify]

Interesting. My wonderful nephew is at Benning right now in Basic Combat Training. I don't know if he is in the immersion program, though. He's Bravo Company, 1/38th.

[davidosborne]

HOOAH Ping...

[ALOHA RONNIE]

.

For...


'We Were Sodliers Once and Young'


http://www.lzxray.com -
(The Website)

http://www.lzxray.com/guyer_collection.htm
(The Photos)

.

[Rik0Shay]

"Follow Me, I am the Infantry"

[blackie]

Peace through readiness ~ Bump!

[Feckless]

Lordy, I still have nightmares about the "red phase" followed by "BRM" ....... and it was Mrs Feckless who was "Under the Hat". I had the easy job, 1SG. At least I could find my way home in daytime.

[radu]

BUMP!

[windchime]

Bump!

[Alamo-Girl]

Bump!

[oyez]

I'm not worthy to even mess cook for these guys.

[archy]

I'm not worthy to even mess cook for these guys.

Hey, it's a cooperative effort. I'll knock the ducks down, you can clean 'em and cook 'em....

[FreedomPoster]

Not going to be much left of that duck! You'll be lucky to find a few feathers.

[archy]

Not going to be much left of that duck! You'll be lucky to find a few feathers.

I don't like ducks that much.

[archy]

No idea whether this pic applies to this story. Cool feature photo at army.mil today. *g*

Wait till they start training with these. You might watch for army.mil articles on the new XM8 family of small arms two. I'm not completely sold yet, but I'm impressed.