Nobody is sending anyone anywhere "untrained." Not implying that you said that, but the author gives the impression that they're taking recruits, dressing them up, and sending them on patrol in Sadr city the following week with a Petraeus handbook.
The point is, once trained on the basics, which gives a better environment to learn "tough, realistic" training--an Army base, or a real war?
A pilot always has to solo for the first time, eventually.
A high-rise construction worker has to step out on the 34th floor eventually.
Which pilot do you want to fly with? Which construction worker do you want walking near you on a beam?
The one that's been through "tough, realistic" training for a year....or one that's been in the real world for 3 months?
Training is an on-going process. It goes on at home and it goes on in theatre.
Sinetimes training can be counterproductive. The First Cav came over in 2004 with the attitude that they didn't need to learn from the troops they were replacing. Immediately some of them ran into a big ambush. OJT can be hard, especially if your leaders have their heads up the a....