Don't forget the Meals on Wheels ...
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."
No, it will be murdering-queer "morals".
relevant to a non-war-going force
If they aren’t being prepared for war what are they being prepared for?
Bow to political correctness Bullshit. Good way to get more men killed in battle!
Why Not a medal for showing up? Remember they took the black berets from the Rangers and handed them out to everyone.
I was horrified to hear, not long ago, that basic trainees were given cards to hand to drill instructors if they felt they were being too hard on them. Like cards handed out in soccer matches. I am not kidding.
Lower those standards boys.
Who needs a strong army anyways?
What we really need to do is stroke everyones ego.
That will keep up all safe from whatever boogie man
ping
and, Thursday’s are Kiss a Queer’s Ass Day
$#!+ flows down hill.
Wow, a 16k march. I do a 16 mile hike on my birthday, and I'm 61. My usual walks are 7 miles in 2 hours. Lately, the last mile's a bit of a strain, but that's typical for August, it was 104 yesterday.
I was never a runner, and I quit the day I left the Army. I enjoy my walks, one can clear their mind with your favorite music, or enjoy The Concerto of Deliverance in its entirety (Atlas Shrugged, Part III, Chapter 6).
The Army did the same exact thing in the Carter years. 12 and 25 mile road marches. Mandated from on high. Everyone in uniform walking down the road four times a month. Why? To retreat from the Warsaw Pact post haste while mech and armor units died in place to cover the rout to Bremerhaven and Rotterdam.
Accepting perverse behavior in all forms would be my guess. Remember our military will no longer be about killing people and breaking things (hat tip to Huckabee). Instead it will be about inclusion of all people regardless of their beliefs.
Thank you for posting this article on the new US Army basic training.
Getting politics out of the military would do wonders, too.
We were trained under the guidelines that served our Army under Gen.George Washington/ the the distinguished character of Patriot it should be our highest glory to laud the more more perfect character of Christian — es verdad—my bad We were Catholic/Protestant/ Jews/ or nothing at all then. ....Nowdays its a queer force out there.
From what I understand pre-WWII basic training wasn’t all that rigorous or emotionally trying.
It became so after initial battlefield experience indicated that a lot of soldiers/Marines froze up and/or never fired their weapons. 10% of the soldiers were doing 90% of the killing.
Training was changed to condition soldiers/Marines to respond to orders instantly and to fire their weapons at the enemy.
War will not care that we are more sensitive, it will kill us without mercy. Then, they will be reappraising why soldiers/Marines freeze up and won’t engage the enemy.
More correctly “The National Defense Service Medal”.
All who serve honorably during a designated time period of which a “national emergency” has been declared.
(defined by Secretary of Defense)
My soldier son has his dad's ethics and morals as his own. I'm damn proud of him.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.