"The Army's new basic training: More tests, peer evals coming Oct. 1"

Army Times — Mon, 28 Sep 2015 09:22:48 -0400

From: Army Times

Basic combat training gets tougher Oct. 1, when the Army rolls out a battery of tests mandatory for graduation. These aren't written tests, but trials in the field. Soldiers may be asked to load and unload an M249 machine gun, treat an open chest wound or use their rifle as a bludgeon.

Also new: peer evaluations and a 16K ruck march with a time limit as part of the final test.

“We looked at making training a little more rigorous,” said Thriso Hamilton, a training specialist for basic combat training at Victory College, Fort Jackson, South Carolina. “We wanted to add an increase in Army values and discipline, a renewed focus on physical fitness, and updated rifle marksmanship training.”

With tougher standards, officials also expect more failures and an increase in recruits getting "recycled," and having to re-take portions of the course.

The changes to basic come as the Army transitions from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Command Sgt. Maj. Dennis Woods, the senior enlisted soldier for the Center for Initial Military Training.

“During the course of the war, since we already knew where we were going, we were building soldiers who were ready to deploy at their first unit of assignment,” Woods said. “Now we’re moving back to an Army of preparation, so we’re building soldiers who are ready to think at their first assignment.”

New tests

The 10-week basic training consists of three phases: red, white and blue. The red and white phases each are three weeks long; blue phase is four weeks.

The Army has brought back "phase testing," which means soldiers will have to pass a test at the end of every phase before they are allowed to move on. The last time the Army featured phase testing in basic training was prior to 2004, Hamilton said.

Trainees have “always been evaluated by the drill sergeants, but with the phase testing, we’ve added key training events that soldiers will be assessed on,” he said.

Performance failures could mean soldiers would have to spend more time to complete basic training, Woods said.

Soldiers who can’t successfully meet the standards can be recycled, he said. Trainees also can be recycled for character or conduct issues, he said. The Army is "unchained from the 10-week model," Wood said, and "we intend to see a few more [recycles] through phase testing."

Soldiers can still can be discharged for failure to adapt or indiscipline.

“Those who repeatedly make the same mistakes, we’re going to discharge them," Woods said. "Those who meet the standards will graduate. Those who don’t meet the standards won’t. What this gives the force is assurance that the quality of what’s coming through [training] is there.”

Sometimes, a group that works together well will pull along the weakest person on the team, he said.

“What we’re expecting is individual mastery of these skills,” Woods said. “Sometimes if you get too tight on a team, they carry you across, and when that individual gets to their first unit of assignment, they can’t do the job.”

At the end of the red phase, soldiers must successfully complete four out of five tasks in order to move on.

The soldiers’ company commander chooses the five tasks, and they could include evaluating a casualty, performing a functions check on an M16 or M4, reciting the Army values, and demonstrating knowledge of military time.

“They’ve got to get through that gate to get to white phase,” Hamilton said.

Those who pass the red phase will earn a patch, a newly created incentive for soldiers.

“To signify he’s passed that particular gate,” trainees will receive and be allowed to wear the Army patch, Walthes said. The Army patch can be worn until a soldier moves on to his or her unit in the force. It's the same patch worn by soldiers assigned to Army headquarters, including Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley.

With this addition, successful trainees can earn something at the end of each phase. Soldiers already earn the marksmanship badge for white phase, and the beret at the end of the course.

At the end of the white phase, soldiers must successfully complete seven out of nine tasks in order to move on.

Tasks could include qualifying on your weapon, throwing a live grenade, and completing a tactical foot march.

“The rigor increases as they progress through the course,” Hamilton said.

In the blue — and final — phase, soldiers “take all the skill sets they’ve learned and they’re evaluated on their performance by moving to the field,” said Jim Walthes, the chief proponent for basic combat training.

The phase culminates with a 95.5-hour field training exercise, Hamilton said.

Soldiers must then complete 18 out of 20 tasks in order to graduate, he said.

“This is called the end-of-cycle test,” he said, adding that it is in addition to the field training exercise.

The near-10-mile road march, which may be incorporated in the final exercise, is a new addition to basic training. It also is a requirement for graduation, Walthes said.

“If you don’t complete the 16K, you won’t graduate,” he said, adding that the march must be completed in less than six hours.

This addition means soldiers are now required to complete four road marches — a 4K, 8K, 12K and 16K — throughout the 10-week basic training.

Other required training includes a weapons immersion program and a combatives course on rifle fighting techniques.

The idea is to teach soldiers how to use their weapon as a less-lethal option, where “they may use their rifle as a striking weapon with a smash to the face or a jab with the barrel,” Woods said. “But you can also use it to block and push.”

The Army also will introduce peer evaluations, a tool that has long been used in Ranger School and the military academies, to basic training, Woods said.

"We're applying some of that to basic training as a method for helping the young soldiers see themselves," he said. "What it also does for us is it gets to the character issue. The people you work with, they'll know more about what you're doing than the instructor or drill sergeant will. This helps us uncover those who are half-stepping or are spotlight Rangers."

The peer evals likely will be conducted at the squad level, and it could happen during every phase or more sporadically throughout basic training, Woods said.

'G.I. Joe starter kit'

The revisions have been in development for at least a couple years, officials said.

Hamilton, who is part of the team responsible for the program of instruction throughout basic, said the Army also reduced theater-specific training and updated the culminating field training exercise at the end of basic training.

The basic training program of instruction needed to be updated, said Sgt. 1st Class David Stover, the 2013 Drill Sergeant of the Year who was a member of a working group involved in the review.

“Some of the lesson plans were outdated, we were teaching old doctrine,” he said.

For example, landmine lessons were too focused only on Iraq- and Afghanistan-specific threats, when a broader lesson is more effective, Stover said.

“We don’t know where the soldier’s going to go. We don’t know what the soldier’s going to encounter," he said.

A drill sergeant at Fort Jackson for 14 months before moving on to the Drill Sergeant Academy for a year, Stover described the new basic training as the “G.I. Joe starter kit.”

“You go to the store and buy the doll, and you buy the add-ons later,” he said. “We wanted to create the basic soldier.”

The Army has also removed some "redundant tasks" and reordered programming in the training, Woods said.

This includes tasks that were specific to preparing soldiers for deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan, such as personnel recovery, cultural training and convoy training.

Walthes said he hopes soldiers who undergo basic training under this new program of instruction will emerge “very committed to Army values, the profession and the warrior ethos the Army has.”

He also expects an increase in basic soldier skills, discipline, physical fitness, resiliency and ethics, Walthes said.

Woods said the goal is to increase the quality of soldiers as they enter the Army.

“Whenever the Army gets smaller, the quality of individuals needs to be higher,” he said.

http://www.armytimes.com/story/military/careers/army/enlisted/2015/09/27/new-basic-training-more-tests-peer-evals-coming-oct-1/72753466/

The Army's new basic training: More tests, peer evals coming Oct. 1

Beginning Oct. 1, new soldiers entering basic combat training will be required to pass three tests and tackle new mandatory tasks to graduate.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 28 at 2015 9:25 AM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 28 Sep 2015 09:25:15 -0400

This seems to be a pretty good idea. Not only learn the skill in a classroom setting, but be tested on it randomly in the field! Excellent move, in my opinion.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 28 at 2015 4:50 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 28 Sep 2015 16:50:31 -0400

What I find interesting and funny is the mandatory 16K roadmarch. When I went thru Basic in 93 we had to complete a 3, 5, 7, 10, 12, 15 and 20K roadmarch. All of these were GO/NO GO. And if you weren't part of these marches, you better have had a good reason.

Response by SPC Kortney Kistler made Sep 29 at 2015 9:02 AM

SPC Kortney Kistler — Tue, 29 Sep 2015 09:02:32 -0400

The peer evaluations might help root out those "fucks" that somehow manage to pass everything. You keep running into those same types of people throughout your career and wonder how did this person ever make rank? They obviously passed the classes, but they just don't get it. They're the like those kids that become cops in their home town and uses it to settle problems from grade school.

These are the same people who end up at battalion and keep moving certain peoples paperwork to the bottom of the pile or file it in the trash. They relish the fact that they have control over peoples lives.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 21 at 2016 11:55 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 21 Mar 2016 11:55:24 -0400

We did alot of this back in 1992 at Lenordwood, you had end of cycle testing, then the field test etc. They watered down basic back during enduring freedom to get more troops thru quickly now they are going back to some of the old standards. I know as a corporal I workd bct at Knox and marksmanship was 2 tries, you fail you get remedial training and one more chance, you fail it is recycled. In 2005 I was NCOIC for range 17 and basic got 3 days to shoot and I cannot tell you how many times they were allowed to shoot for qualification. I had one female shoot 9 times on afternoon still a no go.

Response by SGM Erik Marquez made Dec 8 at 2017 9:43 AM

SGM Erik Marquez — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 09:43:06 -0500

And then we have the inside knowledge of those that have worked in the BCT environment and know what this "With tougher standards, officials also expect more failures and an increase in recruits getting "recycled," and having to re-take portions of the course." means.

It means keep retesting them on the SAME test over and over again until they pass, passing on the same marginally capable Soldier whose ability to learn a task is abysmally slow and takes an excess amount of time and supervision as before this harder testing was instituted.

Im all for tougher standards, more testing, but unless the Service has the balls to say, Sorry, your just not good enough and support the company, BN, BDE commanders in this..excepting "mission" will not be met sometimes we will have the same quality level showing up to the units as we did before this "harder" BCT. Army BCT is designed not to fail, commanders are encouraged to not let SM fail, and they are punished for having a percentage higher than X fail......Fix THAT and you will get higher quality SM in the unit after BCT and AIT (or OUST)

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Dec 8 at 2017 1:05 PM

SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 13:05:59 -0500

They need to go back to the old ways from the '70s.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 8 at 2017 1:10 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 13:10:48 -0500

I don't know how far it was - but we had to do 3 ruck marches to graduate in 2004. I think this is a good thing. I didn't touch a 249 til I got to my first unit and got assigned it. We carried them in the field exercises. But I don't think we ever loaded them or fired them. We did do first aid. They still had us do the bayonet course then too.

Sounds like an improvement. Make it tougher. It shouldn't be easy. No one should come out of basic with PTSD like I've heard. I shouldn't hear my DS friends talk about how their hands are tied dealing with recruits.

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Jan 18 at 2018 6:30 AM

SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth — Thu, 18 Jan 2018 06:30:55 -0500

Good sounds like they're return to the same type of training we had in the '70's.

Response by SSG Kenneth Ponder made Mar 31 at 2020 11:38 AM

SSG Kenneth Ponder — Tue, 31 Mar 2020 11:38:57 -0400

Recycle twice after that send him home