https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/reduced-physical-and-mental-toughness-in-today-s-force-how-as-leaders-are-you-combating-this <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>As I progress in my career and have the opportunity to lead as well as mentor more soldiers and NCO's, I find myself observing a trend that I believe many other leaders are seeing also. This trend is the reduction of physical and mental toughness that I believe has slowly deteriorated over the last decade. For instance, receiving young soldiers fresh from OSUT that cannot pass the APFT, and also having soldiers becoming increasingly more reliant on other people to accomplish basic tasks. This seems to be increasing as time goes by, and I would like to see how other leaders combat this and what efforts do you take to turn this behavior around? Fri, 31 Oct 2014 14:24:17 -0400 https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/reduced-physical-and-mental-toughness-in-today-s-force-how-as-leaders-are-you-combating-this <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>As I progress in my career and have the opportunity to lead as well as mentor more soldiers and NCO's, I find myself observing a trend that I believe many other leaders are seeing also. This trend is the reduction of physical and mental toughness that I believe has slowly deteriorated over the last decade. For instance, receiving young soldiers fresh from OSUT that cannot pass the APFT, and also having soldiers becoming increasingly more reliant on other people to accomplish basic tasks. This seems to be increasing as time goes by, and I would like to see how other leaders combat this and what efforts do you take to turn this behavior around? SFC Private RallyPoint Member Fri, 31 Oct 2014 14:24:17 -0400 2014-10-31T14:24:17-04:00 https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/reduced-physical-and-mental-toughness-in-today-s-force-how-as-leaders-are-you-combating-this?n=304717&urlhash=304717 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>This really is a cyclic issue. Current problems relate to the need to fill ranks during the surges. Numbers, numbers, numbers. Recruiters dropped standards, MEPS dropped standards, BCT and OSUT dropped standards, and quantity over quality became the norm. GIGO. You can not forge a quality weapon from substandard steel. If the people that are trained to forge them, can't in the time they got them, chances are, they can't be fixed.<br />The force drawdown is the fix, provided the way congress insists on screwing vets over impacts recruitment of quality (probably will). CW2 Joseph Evans Sat, 01 Nov 2014 05:46:04 -0400 2014-11-01T05:46:04-04:00 2014-10-31T14:24:17-04:00