Recruit training
From Free net encyclopedia
Template:Limitedgeographicscope Image:BasicCombatTraining.jpg
Recruit training is the initial indoctrination and instruction given to new military personnel, typically in the enlisted ranks. Officer trainees undergo a much longer program, either in an officer training academy or in ROTC (in the United States) at college level, since warfare has become much more complex and technological than in the past.
A camp specifically devoted to this purpose is known as boot camp, after the heavy, often pinching (and soon blistering) footwear that is part of the new combat uniform issued to recruits there; also, in past parlance, new recruits were called "boots" by their instructors. The term is also used for the general training period they spend there before they get to their own combat or other units, where besides refresher courses they may also be given more job-specific training.
Contents |
Overview
The process has been described by Canadian military historian Gwynne Dyer as a form of conditioning in which inductees are encouraged to partially submerge their individuality for the good of their unit. Dyer argues that this conditioning is essential for military function because combat requires people to endure stress and perform actions which are simply not present in normal life.
The nature and extent of this conditioning varies from one military service to another. Some systems of training seek to totally break down the individual and remold that person to the desired behaviour. Other systems attempt to change the individual to suit the organization, whilst retaining key elements of the recruit's personality. The differences between the two approaches are often subtle. Image:Drill sergeant screams.jpg
Standard uniforms are issued and male recruits may have their heads shaved in order to make their appearance as uniform as possible. Females are not permitted to have shaved heads, but are required to have their hair at an appropriate length. The haircut is one method intended to increase cohesion. Recruits are generally given a service number. Even some military personnel have said training is a mildly traumatic experience intended to produce a bond by shared experience. (See capture-bonding.) It has been said that a significant part of boot camp is psychological. The reasoning seems to be that if a recruit cannot be relied upon to obey orders and follow instructions in routine matters--be they folding one's clothing, standing at attention, paying proper attention to hygiene--it is unlikely that he or she will be reliable in a combat situation, where there may be a strong urge to disobey orders or flee. The recruit who cannot work as part of a team (the unit) and comply with the routine tasks of boot camp, therefore, is more likely to place oneself, one's comrades, and the mission in jeopardy. The training regularly includes physical fitness, and instruction in military courtesy, tradition, history, and uniform care and wear.
Violence in Recruit Training
Many movies, such as Full Metal Jacket depict recruit training as an exercise in belittlement where the recruits are belittled by a patriarchal authoritarian drill instructor. Throughout history drill instructors were allowed to physically strike recruits and play psychological mind games with recruits. In recent years many modern military forces forbid drill instructors from striking recruits, though enforcement of this varies and recruits who report this sometimes place themselves at risk of retaliation.
Supporters of violent recruit training claim that, since there is no way to simulate the stress one has in combat, the only way to determine who cannot handle the stress is from the traditional recruit training. The supporter's contention is that if a recruit cannot handle an open fisted slap then he will not be able to handle the stress of combat where soldiers are being killed and not lightly slapped.
Opponents contend that violent recruit training does nothing positive for the recruit or the military, and that there is no correllation between violent training and the stress in combat, since the violence in training comes from inside the troops (your own are hostile towards you), while violence in combat situation comes outside, from the enemy side. At worst it may lead into deep distrust on the superiors and comrades-in-arms, and even into fragging incidents.
Another aspect is that the function of violent training is solely to create an atmosphere of fear; the superiors are to be obeyed not because of respect, but because of fear of punishment. This was especially true in the 19th century. The Prussian military maxim was the private must fear more his corporal than the enemy; the fear of punishment and atmosphere of fear of the own superiors was there to overcome the fear of enemy. In the past punishments like execution by firing squad were common means of keeping discipline. This can best be summarized by Leon Trotsky: An army cannot be built without reprisals. Masses of men cannot be led to death unless the army command has the death penalty in its arsenal. So long as those malicious tailless apes that are so proud of their technical achievements — the animals that we call men — will build armies and wage wars, the command will always be obliged to place the soldiers between the possible death in the front and the inevitable one in the rear.
A description of the harsh training can be found in Mulcahey's Meatheads, a novel.
Training topics
Recruits are instructed in "drill": to stand, march, and respond to orders in an unquestioning manner. Historically, drills are derived from 18th-century military tactics in which soldiers in a fire line performed precise and coordinated movements to load and fire weapons. Although these tactics are now obsolete, drilling performs a psychological function, by inculcating the response to commands and training the recruit to act unhesitatingly in the face of real combat situations. It can also serve a role in leadership training. Combat situations include not only commands to engage and put one's life in danger, but also commands to disengage when military necessity so demands. Most military commentators say that this conditioning is essential for military function, because without it a military unit would likely disintegrate under the stress of combat and degenerate into a mere armed mob. According to Finnish Army regulations, the close-order drill serves four functions:
- is essential for the esprit de corps and cohesion for battlefield
- gets the recruits used to instinctive obedience and following the orders
- enables large units to be marched and moved in an orderly manner
- creates the basis on action in the battlefield
Critique to drill is that it is a fairly inefficient method of training, based on behavioristic method, which does not enable the subjects to learn anything by heuristics, and can be used only to instil very simple and trivial things, like series of movements, therefore consuming resources from combat and weapons training.
Recruits are usually subjected to rigorous physical training, both to prepare for the demands of combat and to weed out the less able or insufficiently motivated. This also builds morale for the remaining recruits who have met the physical requirements.
Army and Marine recruits are trained in basic marksmanship with individually-assigned weapons, field maintenance of weapons, hand-to-hand combat, physical fitness training, first aid, protective equipment usage, and basic survival techniques. Navy training focuses on water survival training, physical fitness, basic seamanship, and skills such as shipboard firefighting, basic engineering, and signals. Air Force training includes physical fitness training, military and classroom instructions, as well as field training in basic marksmanship, firefighting, first aid, and protective equipment usage.
Canada
The Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Navy, and Royal Canadian Air Force were unified into one service, the Canadian Armed Forces (or simply "Canadian Forces") in 1968. Until the mid-1980's, when the air and naval "environments" had distinctive uniforms back, all personnel wore a dark-green uniform with Army-derived ranks. A unified training system was also devised that remains in place today. Most noncommissioned CF recruits are trained at Canadian Forces Base St-Jean, Quebec, the exception being some "direct entry" courses into combat arms battleschools. After basic training, personnel are trained in the specialty of their "environment". Members of the Maritime Branch undergo a five week sea environment training course and members of the Land Forces Command undergo a 10 week field training course.
Reservists are trained in a similar fashion but Reservists unlike their regular forces counter-parts have two options. One is to take a five month (Feb-June) Weekend course which is done every other weekend at a local armory or take the three week summer course, following Basic Training the reservists go off to Soldier Qualification which is another three week summer or three weekend course. High School Students have a third option, they may opt for Co-operative education with a local unit (units may or may not have a co-op program similarly, schools may or may not offer Military Co-op), and unlike other Co-Op placements the student is paid the regular salary for basic training.
Israel
- Main article: Tironut
The recruit training of the Israel Defense Forces (called tironut in Hebrew) varies depending on the unit, where virtually each unique unit completes a different training course. Recruits are certified as riflemen after the completion of the training, where Rifleman 02 is the easiest and least demanding level (for non-combat units), whereas Rifleman 07 (for infantry) is much more difficult. Every combat corps and some combat support and non-combat ones have their own training base for the recruit training, while most non-combat units train in all-army bases for the certification of Rifleman 02.
United States
Some services present a badge or other award to denote completion of recruit training. The United States Army typically issues the Army Service Ribbon (issued after completion of Advanced Individual Training), and the United States Air Force presents the Air Force Training Ribbon. The United States Marine Corps issue the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor once initial training is complete to signify that the recruits are now Marines. The United States Navy replaces the "RECRUIT" ball cap the recruits have worn throughout training with the "NAVY" ball cap upon successful completion of "Battle Stations". The ceremony at which this takes place, signifying the transition from recruit to sailor, is often a very emotional one as the recruits are both physically and psychologically drained after the grueling ordeal of the final stage of recruit training.
For honor graduates of basic training, both the Coast Guard and U.S. Air Force present a Basic Training Honor Graduate Ribbon. The Navy and Marine Corps often meritoriously advances the top graduates of each division one paygrade (up to a maximum of E-3).
US Coast Guard
Recruit training for United States Coast Guard is held at Coast Guard Training Center Cape May in Cape May, NJ.
U.S. Air Force
The U.S. Air Force’s Basic Military Training (BMT) is six-and-a-half weeks long and is conducted at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, Texas. During BMT, personnel are referred to as trainees until they have completed their fifth week of training, after which they are referred to as Airmen. Trainees receive military instruction (including the Air Force core values, flight and individual drill, and living area inspections), academic classes (covering topics such as Air Force history, dress and appearance, military customs and courtesies, ethics, security, and alcohol/drug abuse prevention and treatment), and field training (including protection against biological and chemical attack, basic marksmanship on the M-16 rifle, and first aid). Following BMT, airmen go to a technical school (or “tech school”) where they learn the specifics of their Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC, which is similar to the MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) in the Army and Marines) or the Navy's NEC (Naval Enlisted Classification) code.
US Army
The U.S. Army has five sites for basic training:
- Fort Benning, Georgia; (Infantry Advanced Individual Training)
- Fort Jackson, South Carolina
- Fort Knox, Kentucky; (Armor, Cavalry Scout Advanced Individual Training)
- Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri; (Engineering, Chemical Warfare and Military Police Advanced Individual Training)
- Fort Sill, Oklahoma; (Artillery Advanced Individual Training)
In the Army, the location recruits are sent to depends on their MOS which they select when they enlist. Female Army recruits go to Fort Leonard Wood, or Fort Jackson, which have gender-integrated training. The follow-up training, called “AIT,” for “Advanced Individual Training,” is usually in another portion of the post.
With some MOSes, the Army has a group of recruits with the same MOS go through the two training phases together as a unit with the same cadre of instructors. This is called “OSUT,” for “One Station Unit Training.” For example, the infantry MOS entails nine weeks of basic training, followed by four weeks of infantry training. A similar program is followed for cavalry scouts and field artillery.
US Marine Corps
U.S. Marine boot camps are at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, and Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, California. All female enlisted Marines go to Parris Island. Men go to either, depending on whether they were recruited east or west of the Mississippi River.
Basic training for Marines is a 13-week long program, which is followed by infantry training which is mandatory for Marines of all military occupational specialties (MOS). This follow-on schooling is conducted at the Schools Of Infantry located at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina (for Parris Island graduates) and Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California (for San Diego graduates). Marines with an Infantry MOS (03XX) are assigned to Infantry Training Batallion (ITB) companies A-D. Marines with non-infantry MOS designations go to Marine Combat Training Batallion (MCT) companies E-H. ITB and MCT are both run by the School Of Infantry, but MCT is a more generalized form of training whereas ITB is MOS specific. After graduation from the School of Infantry, Marines who have a non-infantry MOS will continue on to yet another school for training in their specific job field.
US Navy
The U. S. Navy currently conducts its basic training at NS Great Lakes, near North Chicago, Illinois. However, it had centers at San Diego, CA, and Orlando, FL. Advanced technical training, called A School, is conducted at several other bases, including NTC (Naval Training Center) Great Lakes, Naval Station Norfolk, NAS Pensacola, and NS Groton, depending on the sailor's rating.
References
- USAREC (2003). US Army DEP Guide: Army Terminology. United States Army Recruiting Command. Fort Knox, KY (USA).