To keep recruits, US Army boot camp gets revamped.

[Sh0rtbUs]

My reserve unit (inf) just came back from working with a National Guard element of the 10th Mtn Div. They are so far ahead of the Militia in terms of operational experience that we're barely in the same book. The Americans consistently demonstrated a maturity, professionalism, and level of skill that only 'playing the game' for real can produce. Whatever stereotypes we used to have about Americans have to go out the window - they've been at war for five years, and it shows.

Thank you. Bobbyoreo, I think your idea of 'deployment' is a lot different than those you're placing below you. The quote "Only the strong have the luxury of appearing weak" comes to mind (or at least something to that effect). They've been in warzones, simple and sweet. No amount of 'deployments' with your unit for training Ex's, is going to come close to amounting to the experience they have.

The Georgian National Guard have a leg up, period.

 

[tomahawk6]

Top five reasons recruits fail basic. To allow soldiers to drop out of basic without fulfilling their contract is wrong. During the draft days the only way out was to be killed in training. I think it sends the wrong message to kids that if they dont like something they can just quit.

http://www.military.com/Recruiting/Content/0,13898,030206-5-reasons-people-fail-boot-camp,00.html?ESRC=recruiting-b.nl

 

[Bobbyoreo]

"Thank you. Bobbyoreo, I think your idea of 'deployment' is a lot different than those you're placing below you. The quote "Only the strong have the luxury of appearing weak" comes to mind (or at least something to that effect). They've been in warzones, simple and sweet. No amount of 'deployments' with your unit for training Ex's, is going to come close to amounting to the experience they have."

Maybe I didn't make this really clear. I am talking about their basic not the guys that go over into war zones. I've worked with great people in the US army and Marines. I guess I painted them all with the same brush but that is how I saw it and how alot of people saw it. You can ask the first deployment of Canadians into Afgan 2001 about what they saw with 10th MTN in the Mtns. You'll see that our training anit half bad!!!

 

[Bart Nikodem]

Pvt. Angela Holmquest, one of the privates brought in to answer questions, said she worried that basic training had become too easy. "The drill sergeants tell us we are in the low-stress Army. I'd rather be in the old Army.

That was the funniest comment in the whole piece. Yeah, Pvt. Holmquest, basic is super easy now, not like when you did yours in the "old army", 18 months ago.
I thought it was only CF policy to talk about how hard your basic was compared to the slackness of today. Because let me tell you how hard my basic was. We had to get up at.....etc.
All the best
Bart

 

[Noid]

More fuel for the fire:

"Military Candidates Fall Short", Washington Times, Mar. 13, 2006

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20060313-120147-8858r.htm

 

[CougarKing]

Here's a little update to add to this thread: US Army BCT extended from 9 weeks to 10 weeks!

Any thoughts on this, folks?

http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,152237,00.html

Army Extends Basic Training to Ten Weeks
Army News Service  |  By John Harlow  |  October 10, 2007
FORT MONROE, Va. - In early November, Basic Combat Training will expand from nine to 10 weeks at all five Army BCT sites: Fort Jackson, S.C., Fort Sill, Okla., Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., Fort Knox, Ky., and Fort Benning, Ga.

"We're going to do 10 weeks of basic training, starting on Nov. 2," said Gen. William S. Wallace, the commanding general of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. "It will be a pilot during this fiscal year. We're going to do it for the first third of the year. The last 10-wek course will be complete somewhere around the twenty-first of March, and then we'll go back to our normal nine-week basic training for the rest of the fiscal year."
A reason for conducting a pilot program is to see what effect expanding BCT by a week has on Advanced Individual Training , known as AIT.

"We're doing it as a pilot to make sure we understand the second and third-order of effects of doing 10 weeks of basic training," Gen. Wallace said. "We anticipate a surge in our training population during the second half of the fiscal year which we couldn't get around in terms of scheduling," he added.

The expansion doesn't add more tasks to be trained during BCT.

"We are not going to add tasks and I have been very specific -- we are not going to add any tasks," said Gen. Wallace. "What we're going to add is time, and give that time to the drill sergeant so that he can ensure that the individuals have mastered those tasks that they need to master, before they go on to AIT. That is the sole purpose."

As in all of Basic Combat Training, drill sergeants will play a key role in the tenth week.

"We want to make sure we have enough time to review and retrain the things that are required of the Soldiers by the units in the field," said TRADOC Command Sgt. Maj. John Sparks.

"For instance, a Soldier might learn one of the warrior tasks and battle drills in week two or three. By extending BCT, it gives us the opportunity to review those type of skills and retrain and retest them to ensure that the Soldier ... has the kinds of skills necessary to assimilate into his unit."

In the nine-week BCT the Army currently conducts, Soldiers learn 40 warrior tasks and go through 11 battle drills. With a 10-week BCT, Soldiers will be able to refresh on what they learned and also get an extra week of physical fitness training.
"We do need to add a little bit of extra time and give it to the drill sergeant," said Gen. Wallace. "In my judgment, it will provide to the AIT commander a better physically fit, more mature, more disciplined Soldier who understands the tasks to master better than he does right now."

(John Harlow writes for the TRADOC News Service.)