Not good, bad or ugly-- revamped basic training

[Hopyard]

The army according to a news story has revamped basic training.

Some of why they are doing so has relevance to us as well, and to topics we sometimes discuss. Part reminds me of some comments Mercop and others have made in a thread here "Unarmed combat and the martial arts."

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Excerpts From: By SUSANNE M. SCHAFER, Associated Press Writer – Tue Mar 16, 5:25 am ET

"They have to understand hand-to-hand combat, to use something other than their weapon, a piece of wood, a knife, anything they can pick up,"

They also want to toughen recruits who are often more familiar with Facebook than fistfights.

The three-star general in charge of revamping all aspects initial training, said his overall goal is to drop outmoded drills and focus on what soldiers need today

Bayonet drills had continued for decades, even though soldiers no longer carry the blades on their automatic rifles.

The general said the current generation has computer skills and a knowledge base vital to a modern fighting force.
But they need to learn how to fight.

"Most of these soldiers have never been in a fistfight or any kind of a physical confrontation. They are stunned when they get smacked in the face,
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All of these have relevance to civilian SD and the folks who think merely carrying will solve their problems.

Some of the lack of skill is the due to the fact that we no longer let boys be boys on the playground, and punish school ground play-fighting.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Janq]

Twenty years too late but late is better than later than late.

Why military training is not more fluid rather than so cemented in dogma by tradition makes little sense to me.
training programs wholly should be reviewed for relevance and function overall at least every twenty years. Even if we know that nothing among the battle field has changed the programs and methods of training still should be reassessed and optimally by independent study.

It is doing our war fighters a disservice to require of them to follow antiquated method and procedure.
We owe our people the very latest and best considering they are putting their very real necks on the line.

$0.02 Street

/Rant

- Janq

[SIXTO]

But, the bayonet drills and others like it taught so much more than fighting with a bayonet.

Also, along the same lines, why am I seeing so many enlisted in uniform that are overweight? Have they done away with weight and PT standards too?

[SamRudolph]

I remember we did a boxing tournament and a pugil stick tournament. I got my butt kicked soundly at both, but getting cracked one in the head is a good wakeup call.

[MitchellCT]

Sounds like they are training to the task, rather than using outdated training and having the individual see if he can adapt on the fly.

How modern...

[Treo]

Originally posted by SIXTO Also, along the same lines, why am I seeing so many enlisted in uniform that are overweight? Have they done away with weight and PT standards too?

There's a war on standards are always a little lax at such times

[Hopyard]

Sounds like they are training to the task, rather than using outdated training and having the individual see if he can adapt on the fly.

How modern...

Yes, it sounds like they are going in that direction. And training to the task is exactly what a number of participants here talk about when they discuss FOF training, obtaining some MA skills, a need for physical fitness (where possible), a need for realistic scenario based training, shoot/don't shoot training.

I brought this topic up here because lots of Mercop's posts and posts by others (as your description of your client) have really hit home.

Most of us have never been in a real fight (as is the case with most of the new enlistees), and training that doesn't somehow compensate for that is needed as much by us as by our soldiers.

[JoJoGunn]

Seems like the military has a dependency upon technology nowadays. While technological breakthroughs for military is great, no amount of it will take the place of good old fashioned physical training.

If the techno-stuff quits working and our soldiers have to scrap it out with an enemy that has little of it, I think they would be in a world of hurt.

The enemy combatants in Afghanistan are a very good example of fighters lacking in technology and are a rough bunch to confront without all the hi-tech.

[gasmitty]

Some of the lack of skill is the due to the fact that we no longer let boys be boys on the playground, and punish school ground play-fighting.

Now THAT is a serious nugget of truth.

American schools have emasculated the males of our species by forbidding any sort of play which resembles normal male aggression. There really is some merit to the old saw "boys will be boys," but apparently that's anathema to today's education administrators.

Title 9 (or whatever number it was) was supposed to offer girls equal opportunity in education and athletics, but instead the pendulum has swung too far in their direction. "Equal opportunity" in the classroom was overtaken by (unequal) promotion of girl's academic success, to the detriment of boys. Standardized test scores bear this out.

*Rant off.*

[MitchellCT]

posts by others (as your description of your client) have really hit home.

Oh, come on. He's really just a big pussycat.

Um...yeah. That's it...

[mercop]

The bayonet course has little to do with using the bayonet. IMHO they should keep it in and bring back WWII combatives.- George

[dukalmighty]

I always liked fat guys in the squad,they were good cover

[Cold Warrior]

After I took my basic Army training, back in 1971, we specialists had no further reason to handle or shoot guns, during or after AIT! Unlike the Marines, everybody was not an infantryman after basic training. This was insane. I finally shot cannons and machine guns after joining the Ohio Army National Guard. We did take bayonet training with our M-16s, during basic training. A drill sergeant looked around before quietly telling us: "If I can't shoot the mutherfu..., uh...hostile enemy person, I'm gonna run."