Basic training: not what it used to be

Infantry recruits will no longer have drill sergeants barking orders at them inches from their faces during basic training as the “shark attack” technique, which uses intimidation to establish authority and weed out the weak, is dropped in favor of a new approach.

The Army’s Infantry School at Fort Benning, Ga., said it’s switching from the “Full Metal Jacket,” in-your-face practice to one called “The First 100 Yards,” which seeks to develop mental and physical toughness, instill pride in the infantry, and build trust among recruits and their leaders.

The coronavirus may have hastened the switch, since the pandemic has ended up-close shouting by instructors at basic training. Trainers and recruits in all the services wear face masks and maintain social distancing during basic training, and even Navy special warfare instructors yell through megaphones these days.

[...]

Although the shark attack method was “mean, nasty, and overwhelming,” and a “deeply unpleasant experience, it does serve an important purpose — preparing troops for stressful situation including combat.”

But Fortenberry said the activity “betrays the innate trust between teammates, and worse, betrays the crucial bond of trust with our leaders.”

The new training program, on the other hand, uses physical training to prepare for the new Army Combat Fitness Test and puts recruits through mock exercises, including working with other trainees to move a load of supplies on the fly, just as they might have to do in an actual combat zone, the Army said.

[...]

The new method will allow new soldiers “to realize this journey in the infantry is one that we’ll never take alone, and it is defined by leaders’ willingness to share in the hardship,” Fortenberry said.

  Stars and Stripes

Wow.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.