[SLB]

The rumor mill has many of the services doing co-operative training. They will share the specialized training missions. Currently the USMC and Army do that with tankers and artillery. There can be spinoffs in the area of medical training, engineers and several others. The personnel administration needs to probably remain seperated, but finance responsibilities are close to the same.

Rummy has said he will totally reorganize the way the military does business. Might be he is on the track to doing so.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Good point, but it's so disconcerting - why, Portsmouth New Hampshire was the first place I ever went to the brig in the navy. It's like a historical site or something ;0)

[donozark]

Yes. USMC Engineers train with Army at Ft. Wood. Chemical Corps/MPs,etc. moved there as well. However, I just haven't had anything concrete about Ft. Sam being closed. $$ is being spent on rehab as we speak. Of course it is in a city which complicates things for field training, other than nearby Camp Bullis, which may be in a city now. On the other hand, a large city would offer much in the way for medical training.

[xzins]

Rummy has said he will totally reorganize the way the military does business.

No problem with sharing similar training. There's no sense in having 2 tanker schools, for example.

I would object to "joint" basic training. I think Marine or Army basic, e.g., is entirely different than navy or AF.

There's no overcomable reason that some functions cannot be joint. Chaplain, lawyer, nurse, psych, and doctor can be joint. It'll be harder with medical. There are differences in the type of wounds one would receive in a ground unit as opposed to an air unit. You might want "specialists" in the medical field.

I'm a retired Chaplain, by the way.

I can see a purple suit for Chaplain, medical, legal, counselor, etc. I can even see them being outside the rank structure.