US Army considers reinventing basic training for Gen Z, with less aggression, screaming and yelling
Could the days of screaming at new recruits during boot camp be over?
The US Army may think so as it reportedly looks into reinventing basic training for the new generation of recruits.
Command Sergeant Major Scott Beeson, the top enlisted leader at the Army's Center for Initial Military Training (CIMT), told Military.com in an interview, "all that stuff is slowly going away".
"It's just dignity and respect"
The reported change follows substantial changes in the US Army's physical training.
Recruits may endure less screaming at boot camp but the new training would make the fitness and marksmanship requirements far more demanding.
"The naysayers who we were initially fighting against didn't believe this new way of doing things," Command Sgt Maj Scott Beeson said.
"Gentler isn't the right way to say it; it's just dignity and respect. People desire structure, and we're trying to give it to them.
"We're just not being ***holes when we're doing it," he added.
The revamp is also driven in part by the US to appeal to the next generation (Gen Z) that is reaching enlistment age.
"This generation is very intuitive," Major General John Kline, Commander of CIMT, told Military.com.
"I think that they can see whether somebody is authentic or not. So if (drill sergeants) are putting on some sort of facade, they'll see right through it."
Staff Sergeant Krista Osborne Osborne, a US drill sergeant, told Military.com that she was initially too aggressive with new recruits and quickly found they were turned off by the approach.
"The aggression, screaming, yelling, the excessive physical punishments... they're not receptive to that at all," she said.
In July, a British Army fitness instructor suggested the body positivity movement is promoting obesity and making new British Army recruits soft.
Lance Sergeant Farren Morgan, a physical training instructor for the Coldstream Guards in Westminster, London, insisted youngsters need to stop pretending it is "OK" to be fat.
The fitness instructor fears that unhealthy lifestyles could affect decision-making in the field and leave soldiers exhausted.
Lance Sergeant Morgan did highlight that it was just his opinion and that, regardless of the state of the new recruits, the Army has rigorous training and vetting procedures that mean all serving members end up in tip-top condition.
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