Making Soldiers Fit to Fight, Without the Situps

[bruno]

You know all of this discussion has veered somewhat off the original . Basically from what I can see and read- the Army isn't lessening its PT standards overall and soldiers that are in infantry units aren't suddenly going to have things a lot easier. At the unit level - they are not suddenly allowing guys to have a 30% body fat % nor are they going to stop training. It's a debatable point what the best use of a units PT time is- I happen to believe in long runs as a good method of getting the most out of your physical training time from the standpoint of cardio/ calorie burn and general strength and fitness but it's not the only thing that can be done in a PT program to get that outcome. The 3 part PT test they have now was introduced in 1980 (I believe) and one of the drivers was simply ease of administering the test- you don't need special equipment to practice for it. It's not a panacea nor is it that good a measurement for really testing usable strength so if they have a more workable one: go for it. (Of course the problem with lots of programs in the Army is that what looks workable from the "headshed" isn't necessarily so where the boots hit the tarmac but once adopted it's somebody's sacred cow and gets enshrined as a result. In this case I understand the theory and as an individual responsible for myself only could implement this but I question how an Infantry company is going to find the time and resources to implement an advanced fitness program. You can run a unit for 6 miles in an hour and get a lot of benefit. It's boring- it doesn't perhaps develop all facets of fitness equally but you get a lot out of that hour - I'm not sure how you push 150 guys into a cross fit type program and ensure that all of them are getting much out of it without spending a lot more of fairly precious time.

What I'm most concerned about is the easing up of physical requiremnts to make it thru Basic Training where they are making what in my opinion are mistaken concessions to the level of physical fitness of the average teenager. They get more guys thru this way but they then foist off soft and out of shape soldiers onto the units to rectify. Basically you are spending a lot of a units training time just to get soldiers to the minimum level of shape needed to carry out their part of the company's mission.

 

[bruno]

TPG- I don't know the answer on the contract- good question. My feeling is that this is TRADOC wanting to avoid adding time to basic training to deal with this - so essentially passing the buck. ("Action passed: Action complete" in the time honored staff officers mantra!)

 

[Pima]

My feeling is that this is TRADOC wanting to avoid adding time to basic training to deal with this - so essentially passing the buck. ("Action passed: Action complete" in the time honored staff officers mantra!)

Would you not agree that this creates a larger issue in the AD operational world?

Isn't the General, actually doing what was implied earlier where Scout said this is not about the troops, but the General wanting to make rank by getting as many soldiers through the system?

Post # 2 Scoutpilot

the Army is a largely corporate structure run by people like Mark Hertling who want to make rank. He doesn't care about making tough soldiers. He cares about his evaluation from his boss.

Anyone who has spent a day in the military knows stats matter, and that includes the amount of enlisted member in his command passing the PFT. It doesn't look good for him, if the majority are failing. What looks good is some BS program he created to pass them, regardless if it is practical from an AD operational standpoint!

Here goes his mission statement presented to the CSA

1. Implemented a new PT program to reduce physical injuries for military members. XYZ% reduction in injuries, increasing ABC% of AD members that do not require medical attention from the prior yr.

Sounds great...he has less injured soldiers, and he is saving military money due to less medical attention.

NOTE: Let's not acknowledge the program is not at the Army stds, let's just play the game of Look over there to divert.

2. Implemented a new menu to decrease trans fat intake by X%, increased healthy choices by Y%.

Give it to him for that, but again, what happens when they go AD and their post doesn't have those choices?

3. Utilizing these options, the avg soldier decreased their weight by X amount, while increasing their muscle mass by A%.

Now, anyone who knows the system or ever wrote an OER/OPR, can say they can work the numbers to make this program look like the best gift from God. This is what Hertling IMHO is doing. He was doing what everyone calls CYA. He wanted to sell a BS program because they aren't making the numbers.

Call a spade a spade, and I highly doubt anyone with a brain cell believes the BS he is selling regarding why he has adjusted the PT program. He adjusted it because as a commander his OER reflected the failure rate that is occurring under his command, if he really cared about the troops, his arse would be out there saying, this is the std., can't do it, buh-by! Then again, his OER would show a low retention rate, thus the spiral begins again why he would lower the stds, and in the end it comes down to him!

 

[Mongo]

Folks, please go back and reread the original news article. I don't think it is either stating that things are now easier or that a greater number are failing. What it states is that the Army has hired a couple of experts who have tailored the Basic physical training more to the current type of individual who is less physically fit and more likely to become injured if pursuing the traditional approach. Actually, the new article states that the new approach is just as difficult as the old method. Sounds very proactive to me.