by Rory Walkinshaw

Created on: March 17, 2009

The primary issue the US Army should be addressing, in addition to Iraq and Afghanistan, is whether it is adequately preparing American's men and women for combat in these hostile environments and, indeed, in any future war. Is Army Basic Combat Training (BCT) long enough, tough enough, and thorough enough to prepare soldiers to survive in a kill or be killed situation? The simple fact is that this country is simultaneously fighting two wars. Agree or disagree, that is how it is. And the US will continue to fight armed conflicts, conventional and unconventional, in the future. In preparing America's military, training tops the list. Or it should.

Without training, soldiers are ineffective, whether they are fighting in Iraq against insurgents, Afghanistan against the Taliban, or as part of a NATO coalition against a (potentially) hostile and resurgent Russian Federation. Without tough, hard, realistic training, soldiers cannot do their job. America already experienced the consequences of training that was too short and too soft during the Vietnam era, where basic training was a joke at around 8 weeks and Advanced Individual Training too brief as well. The result was that US troops performed with motivation, discipline, and zeal during the opening act (1965-1967), but then faltered during the later years of the conflict. After the Tet Offensive, discipline in the Army rotted and collapsed. Drug problems, racial issues, fragging, and the corrosive effects of the Black Power movement devestated a once proud fighting force. The determined soldiers that fought during the battle of Ia Drang and Operation Masher/White Wing were replaced by an Army wracked by low morale and combat refusals. Worst of all, the degradation affected even once-elite units like the 101st Airborne Division.

Are things better today? Perhaps. Certainly Army BCT and AIT have undergone tremendous changes since the Vietnam era, have been improved, and incorporate more innovative and productive training methodologies. The result? Things are better, but the system is still broken and inadequate. Take this for example: a US Army recruit who has chosen the 11B (Infantry) specialization as his MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) must learn a mind-boggling array of techniques and equipment to be effective at his job. The rifleman's job is to close with a destroy the enemy in close combat. He must be an excellent marksman with his M4 rifle and he must operate and be familiar with an entire plethora of

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