The US military famously operates under the motto, “The more you sweat in training,
the less you'll bleed in war”.
Its boot camps thus reflect that ideology, and overall, it sports some of the most difficult
basic training that recruits anywhere in the world face.
While most nations have basic training, or boot camps, for new recruits, few take the
time to as thoroughly indoctrinate new recruits and weed out bad ones as the US does.
And with good reason, with the cost of fully training and equipping a soldier running in
the hundreds of thousands, and supporting that soldier costing as much as 1.4 million
during war time, it is imperative that anyone who is not a good fit for service is drummed
out as quickly as possible.
Yet of the five services, what is the toughest boot camp of them all?
Today, we're gonna dive into boot camp for all five US military services and find out.
5.
Air Force
The Air Force has long been derided as the 'chair force' by the other services, yet without
these armchair warriors, soldiers, sailors, and marines would find themselves at the mercy
of enemy aircraft, without communications due to enemy hacking and jamming, and all
but blind to the movement of the enemy.
The Air Force prides itself on one thing- being the most technologically advanced fighting
force on the planet.
It's air and space assets are legendarily cutting edge, and no military service anywhere
on earth fields as much advanced technology as the Air Force.
With its focus on technology, the Air Force focuses its basic training on discipline and
focus.
Every single Air Force recruit has had the words “attention to detail” drilled into
their heads, and for good reason- when you're working on a multi-million dollar aircraft,
or a space asset that costs tens of millions of dollars to launch, a single loose bolt
or misplaced nut can destroy the asset and jeopardize the mission.
Because of the massive amount of combat data that the Air Force is responsible for, and
the sheer importance of its air and space assets, a lack of attention to detail can
jeopardize battlefield success in a way that no other branch can match.
Air Force basic training consists of eight and a half weeks, and as any other branch
starts with the infamous buzzcut haircut.
You'll be saying goodbye to your luxurious locks of hair, and hello to a freshly buzzed
head.
From there you will focus mostly on academics, with classes on topics such as the Law of
Armed Conflict, Self Aid and Buddy Care, Leadership, Nuclear Biological and Chemical Training,
and Joint Warfare.
This doesn't mean that you'll be exempt from the infamous physical training of other branches,
and you can expect an hour of morning exercise starting at 0500 hours every day, followed
by a long day of drill and classes.
4.
Coast Guard
The US Coast Guard is often overlooked, yet it too is a vital branch of the US military.
The mission of the Coast Guard is all in the name, they are responsible for policing US
maritime claims, and this can mean everything from regulating ship traffic in and out of
some of the world's busiest seaports, to chasing drug smugglers across the high seas.
In wartime the Coast Guard is also called upon to supplement the US Navy, and is primarily
responsible for safeguarding American shores while the Navy projects power overseas.
Yet you might be surprised to find out that the Coast Guard has often seen combat, and
it was an American Coast Guard vessel that spotted and fixed the location of the infamous
German Battleship Bismark and sealed her fate during World War II.
During peacetime the Coast Guard is also who you'll be calling for if your ship runs into
problems while far from shore, and there are few jobs in the world more dangerous than
that of Coast Guard rescue divers- specially those that operate in the infamous Bering
Sea in Alaska.
Coast Guard training is meant to prepare you for the realities of living in a ship, which
means living in close quarters with a dozen or more people.
Teamwork is number one in the Coast Guard, and their training is focused on teaching
recruits to resolve interpersonal conflicts and cooperate to achieve the task at hand.
Coast Guard trainees must also be prepared to man Cutters and Destroyers, during both
peacetime and wartime patrols, and thus their training prepares them for service on warships
of different sizes.
Lasting 8 weeks, you'll be immediately thrust into team-building exercises.
In Week two you'll start your physical training, starting by running a mile, and then begin
training to pass your swimming assessment.
You'll eventually be required to jump off an elevated platform into icy cold water and
swim 100 meters and then tread water for five minutes without a break in order to pass your
training.
The rest of your weeks will focus on learning how to navigate the world of the US military,
as well as classes in basic first aid and- you guessed it- teamwork.
3.
US Army
The Navy will get you there.
The Air Force will keep you safe and crush the enemy from the sky.
The Marines will kick open the door.
But when it comes time to win a war, it's the US Army you call on.
The US Army trains for one thing and one thing only- how to fight and defeat the largest
militaries in the world.
The original grunts, Army soldiers operate the vast fleets of tanks, armored vehicles,
attack helicopters, and artillery that make up the world's most powerful fighting force.
Army Basic Training lasts ten weeks and is focused on building individual self-discipline
and turning civilians into soldiers capable of holding the line against everything from
enemy infantry to heavy armor.
Basic Combat Training is thus divided into three phases, Red, White, and Blue, each phase
meant to evolve the competency of the recruit on their way to becoming a soldier.
In Red phase you'll learn how to operate as a team by being given impossible tasks meant
to encourage teamwork.
You'll also receive classroom training on military etiquette and topics such as race
relations to fully integrate soldiers into the active army.
You'll be doing extensive parade drill meant to instill strict discipline, as well as daily
PT to continuously improve your physical fitness.
Unarmed combat and training with pugil sticks will follow, and you'll be introduced to the
basics of the M4 or M16 assault rifle.
Finally you'll culminate with a trip to the gas chamber to learn how to properly protect
yourself during nuclear, biological and chemical attacks.
In the White phase you'll be introduced to crew served weapons such as the M.50 caliber
machine gun and the Mk-19 automatic grenade launcher.
You'll also be spending a large amount of time at the firing range, becoming proficient
with the M4 or M16, and you'll eventually be required to qualify on the weapon by hitting
28 out of 40 targets.
In Blue phase you'll be spending a lot of time out in the field, training to operate
in simulated forward deployed bases and learning basic land navigation.
A highlight of Blue phase will be a field training exercise, or FTX, where drill sergeants
take a back seat and allow the platoon and squad leaders to navigate a combat scenario
on their own, complete with simulated fire.
An unsatisfactory performance here can see you redoing your week of training and denied
advancement.
2.
US Navy
The US Navy operates the most advanced fleet in the world, and as such places high standards
on its recruits.
Rising from the ashes of Pearl Harbor in World War II, the US Navy rallied from that crushing
defeat and destroyed one of the greatest naval powers in the world.
To the Navy it is a matter of personal pride that no enemy ever set foot on the mainland
US, or on the territory of its allies Canada and Mexico.
Its fleets have ensured that any war has always been fought far from home, and its air power
alone is as powerful as that of entire nations.
For the Navy, teamwork and attention to detail both are vital.
Not only must recruits handle the pressures of working alongside hundreds of others in
the tight confines of a modern warship, but they must maintain a level of focus critical
to success while handling the high technology assets of its various ships, subs, and planes-
all while operating far from home and in potentially dangerous seas.
Navy boot camp has a strong emphasis on physical training, and lasts eight weeks all spent
on the chilly shores of Lake Michigan.
Recruits are immediately tested on their swimming ability, and any who fail to pass minimum
standards are sidelined from their training and forced to undergo intensive swimming instruction,
which can add to their overall stay in boot camp.
Physical fitness is vital for the US Navy, specially due to the fact that its sailors
routinely operate in an environment where they could find themselves swimming for their
lives at a moment's notice.
As with the other branches you'll be undergoing many hours of classroom instruction- though
perhaps not as much as the Air Force.
You'll also be undertaking confidence and team-building exercises meant to teach you
to be confident in the face of danger and work together with men and women who were
just recently complete strangers.
You'll undergo simulated shipboard disasters and undergo training on a land-bound training
ship to learn the ins and outs of a war vessel.
You'll also move to the firing range and learn how to operate the M16 or M4 rifle and the
12-gauge shotgun.
One thing that sets navy training apart from the other services is the extensive amount
of firefighting training that you'll undergo.
With fire being a fighting ship's most dangerous enemy, you'll undergo training to extinguish
fires in a variety of situations, as well as how to navigate and escape smoke-filled
compartments.
You'll be expected to keep your cool under pressure, an ability which will be tested
to the breaking point in week 7's Battle Stations drills.
Here you'll undergo 12 different scenarios which will test all of your learned skills
to date, with you and your team being graded on each.
Failure means you will be forced to undergo additional training, and success leads to
graduation.
1.
US Marine Corps
From the halls of Montezuma, to the shores of Tripoli; we fight our country's battles,
on the land as on the sea.
So goes The Marine's Hymn, and highlights the diverse battlefields under which American
Marines have historically fought, and won battles on.
The US Marine Corps is the world's premier expeditionary force, tasked with bringing
heavy amounts of American firepower in a very quick matter, to anywhere in the world.
While it's the US Army that wins wars, it's typically the Marines who kick open the door
to allow them to do so, specializing in amphibious assault operations meant to take and hold
hostile beaches so friendly forces can land and carry the battle inland.
Lasting twelve weeks, Marine basic training is the most physically demanding of the five
services, and this is reflected in the day-one focus on physical fitness.
Split up into three phases, in phase one you'll undergo a very rapid transition from civilian
to Marine recruit, undergoing intense physical training and being introduced to the M16 or
M4 assault rifle.
The Marines believe that “every Marine is a rifleman”, meaning that no matter what
your job ends up being in the corps, from medical to services, or mechanic, you are
expected to maintain proficiency in the M16 and M4 assault rifles, which means a lot of
time spent on the range.
In Phase two you'll undergo further training in hand-to-hand combat, and focus on mastering
your marksmanship abilities.
You'll spend most of your time either at the range or in field training exercises, and
will inevitably end up thrown into a gas chamber for nuclear, biological, and chemical warfare
training.
Phase two will culminate in the Crucible, a 54 hour event where you'll march 45 miles
and be denied food and sleep.
In your final phase you'll undergo swim qualification training, and much like the navy failure here
will mean additional training or a failure to graduate.
You'll also undergo drill and first aid training, as well as classroom training on Marine Corps
history and values.
What do you think is the toughest thing about boot camp- the physical or mental aspects?
Have you ever been through one of these boot camps?
Have you been through boot camp in another country?
Let us know in the comments!
And as always if you enjoyed this video don't forget to Like, Share, and Subscribe for more
great content!