The Harder Line in Training

[unhappycamper]

The Harder Line in Training
Military.com | Air Force Magazine Online | February 06, 2008

Army, Navy, and Marine Corps recruits used to call the Air Force the "chair force." That's because airmen did just six-and-a-half weeks of basic training, compared to eight in the Navy, nine in the Army, and 13 in the Marine Corps.

That's changing, though. Starting this year, Air Force basic training jumps to eight-and-a-half weeks, the longest it has been since Eisenhower was President.

For some time, USAF has been preparing to begin tougher training with a goal of instilling warrior core values. The new wrinkles coming in the fall of 2008 are in some ways an extension of that service goal. The changes are a direct result of the Air Force's experiences in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other hot spots.

The extra time in training isn't about transforming airmen into dogfaces, officers say. It's about giving Air Force recruits more hands-on experience in learning such crucial skills as battlefield first aid and defending a base.

The harder line in training has already taken root. These days, recruits are issued demilitarized M-16 rifles at the start of boot camp. Come fall, they will spend a week in an austere environment that emphasizes old-fashioned warrior values.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,161500,00.html

[DrDan]

1. sounds to me like a shift of giving combat-related training to all new recruits,

versus only those headed into combat zones.

They are all headed there anyway, might as well make the change - probably more efficient.