ARMY BASIC COMBAT TRAINING EXPANDS DUE TO IMPROVED MILITARY RECRUITMENT

The U.S. Army recruiting efforts have been hit with less-than-stellar numbers as of late. This has resulted in a smaller Army Basic Combat Training format, but the call to be a Soldier may be back on the rise. Because the Army is finally starting to make some progress to bring recruiting levels back on track, a more expanded version of the Army Basic Combat Training program is on the table.

Is Military Recruitment Down?

With military recruiting down a lot over recent years, the Army Basic Combat Training has not been as expensive as it once was.

There are several reasons the American Armed Forces are finding problems recruiting new troops, with the majority of younger adults under 30 years of age viewing the military unfavorably.

Among the many reasons why it’s getting harder to recruit for the military are the physical and mental risks that come with service, leaving family/friends, and competition from other industries are all leading the way.

Furthermore, the military lifestyle in general has many recruits uninterested in joining the cause.

This includes how long you must sign up for, moving to new places you might not want to be, and the qualifying process itself.

A more unsavory reason military recruitment is suffering is the potential risk connected to military sexual trauma (MST).

Despite these hurdles, U.S. military recruitment may finally be making a comeback, causing the need for an expanded version of the Army Basic Combat Training once more.

Reversal in Recruitment Causing an Army Basic Combat Training Expansion

Many sources of conflict may bring on the future of warfare, however, the Army finally has its recruitment headed in a positive direction.

As a result, the Army is expanding its basic combat training in October as our nation’s largest fighting force believes it will finally hit its recruitment target.

Thousands of recruits are expected to conduct training in Oklahoma and Missouri as new units with the 2024 recruitment target of 55,000 new Soldiers.

Adding the two new locations for training isn’t just to help with the increased number of Soldiers, but is also part of ongoing efforts by the Army to restructure itself for future conflicts.

Tensions in Europe and Asia continue to demand new approaches and continued attention.

The Army is preparing for new warfare tactics than those seen fighting in the Middle East over the last couple of decades.

Both Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri are receiving two new training companies as more high-tech approaches to war are now in focus.

Army Basic Combat Training Expanding Due to Successful Future Soldier Prep Course

One of the reasons we are seeing an expansion of training is due to an initiative out of Fort Jackson, South Carolina, known as the Future Soldier Prep Course.

The course is helping make a way for recruits who might otherwise fail to enlist by giving them 90 days of training in education and fitness so that more of them meet the standards of becoming a Soldier.

In the two years the Future Soldier Prep Course has been in place, improvements are finally being seen where goals are being met.

Expanding the prep course means 2025 should see a spike and almost 20,000 Army recruits are expected to be a part of the process.

With as few as 23% of potential recruits between the ages of 17 and 24 believed to qualify without getting a waiver, the U.S. military is already at a disadvantage in a way.

From COVID-19 limiting recruitment efforts to backlash because of their restrictions to low-moderate unemployment rates, and more, this reversal in fortune was not easily achieved.

The Army is still being careful as too much change could ruin the good results finally coming to fruition.

For now, more Soldiers are expected, military recruitment is taking the win, and more Army Basic Combat Training opportunities are on the horizon.