Do you believe our current Basic combat training needs to be revamped?
Basic Training
Training
That, and finding a method of instruction that caters to the new generation. They're immersed and surrounded by technology. That's the majority of these kids' interaction with the world. Implement something. I understand it's ultimately the unit's responsibility to expound upon their knowledge, but they just aren't getting it when they show up. They're not retaining anything. Something needs to be adjusted.
I went to Fort Benning for BCT (2007). We had several felony-waiver guys in my platoon, so we got smoked on a daily basis because someone screwed up somehow. Profiles? If you were on profile for too long, or too many times, you went away. The Drill Sergeant told us on the first day that he was going to break us and those who survived would graduate. He stayed true to his word- 11 of the original recruits weren't on the graduation field at the end.
As for training, we received some of the best Infantry-centric training there is. When we were in the field and had down-time, the engineer tape came out and we did room-clearing drills. We learned bayonet combat. We did the bayonet assault course. We did the grenade assault course. Was it all necessary? I think so. If I am ever called on to kick in a door and clear a room, I am confident that I could function adequately. The one bit of training I think was unnecessary or incorrect was the convoy live-fire. No one sits in the back of a soft-sided truck and fires like that. On both of my deployments, the standing order was that nothing short of an MRAP was leaving the wire. So take out all that training and get to the ranges more often. 4 days out of 9 weeks is NOT enough to develop and hone marksmanship skills.
Overall, we should be looking at the USMC training that they do at Parris Island and San Diego for their boot camps. I have yet to hear from Marines that their training was lacking or did not prepare them for their jobs. Their training theories make sense. All Marines are Riflemen first. All their Officers go through The Basic School, so all Officers know what the Infantryman down in the mud is going through. Their capstone to Boot Camp, the Crucible, is a 72 hour constant action field exercise. At the end of the Crucible, every Marine really values their Eagle, Globe, & Anchor insignia. Can we in the Army say that we value our "U.S." and branch insignia equally at the end of Basic Training? I honestly doubt it. So, the Army should look to the USMC for effective and relevant basic training requirements.
The thing that I found concerning about his experience was the fact that 20-25% of his class failed either BRM or the APFT (which I guess isn't even a full APFT anymore)
coupled with the large degree of freedom the trainees were allowed (they got privileges in basic that my company in 1992 didn't get until well into AIT)
Now I understand things change, and we had soldiers that we had to whip into shape or coach at BRM to bring them up to standards, but I our Drill's would have gone thermonuclear on us..... (and we would have earned it).
I am just at a loss for words, I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation. At least I hope. Anyone have any input on this?
Yes sir. The Army is well, not so much the Army anymore when you talk about BCT. I always tell my privates there is BCT and then there is the real Army. The real Army PT Test is 60 points per event and not 50. In the real Army 350-6 does NOT exists. And if you don't know what 350-6 is I would encourage you to look it up. You will find most of your answers there.
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google