All the information contained in this book was up to date when it was sent to the printer. Carefully reading this book and preparing in advance before you begin your service will greatly increase your chances of surviving and thriving in any branch of the service during your training.
Because I follow these issues on a daily basis, I am well aware that basic training is in a state of transition. Complex modern warfare (very different than WWII, the Korean War, or even Vietnam), and a new operations doctrine, have prompted the Pentagon to change the way it turns civilians into combat warriors. Some of the proposed programs are being tested now in select places and others will be implemented in the near future.
According to a high-ranking general, the changes are limited to the training base for now (that would be you, the civilian entering boot camp), but over time they will probably be shifted to operational forces. The Army Times puts it this way: “Taken together, the impending, current and future changes represent the largest overhaul of initial entry training since the end of the Vietnam War four decades ago.”
These changes are demanded by the current operational environment, which the Pentagon describes as one of “persistent conflict.” As anyone knows who has served in Iraq or Afghanistan, “fighting today is very complex and multidimensional, requiring initiative and adaptability at all levels.”
This makes the importance of basic training—and preparing for it physically and mentally—even more important. The Army and other branches are now seeking recruits who are not only able to pass physical tests, but understand specific tasks, live the training values instilled within them, and appreciate what it means to be part of a combat team.
As of this new edition (2013), the new initiative, called Outcome-Based Training, has been tested at Forts Jackson and Benning in Georgia. These testing grounds play an important role in the development of other programs that may alter in profound ways how the Army, in particular, trains new soldiers. Faster immersion into training, more work with weapons, and better physical fitness training are all on the agenda.
The primary objective of Outcome-Based Training is to transform volunteers into successful military personnel “who can contribute to mission accomplishment in their first unit of assignment.”
Let me end this Afterword as I began it. All of the information contained in this book will serve you well in basic training for any branch of the service. Having a good appreciation for how to prepare to enter the service, and then doing so, is critically important to a good experience.