Training " a measure of dedication

utelore

Junior Member
VIP Professional
Training " a measure of dedication in all army's and paramilitary units of the world.

My training from just personal experience was 14 weeks basic and advanced training for a M1A1 Abrams crewman 19/Kilo in the U.S army. This included basic combat skills, drilling and of course the operation of the MBT.

In my current profession in a mid size county police force for the training is 16 weeks then another 12-16 weeks on the streets or Jail with a "FTO" field training officer for a total of 30+ weeks of training for your average police officer in the U.S
I have to shoot and qualify every 90 days and have mandatory practice in between. I use a Glock .40 and 1911 .45 also Remington 870 shot gun and M-4 carbine.

I would like to delve into the area of training for the PLA and PAP with "what is" the proper training for a professional military man.
 

Norfolk

Junior Member
VIP Professional
As I understand it, the PLA recruit receives 2 months basic training before formally joining his unit and receiving 4 months' OJT for his occupation there; basic training used to be 3 months, but that was before the term of service was reduced from 3 years to 2 in 1999.


When I was in the Canadian Army, all regulars received received 10 weeks' recruit training followed by their occupational training: for an Infantryman, 17 more weeks was added, and the standards included a 10-mile march in full kit in under two hours followed immediately by passing a shoot out to 300 m. An Armour Crewman received 8-10 weeks' occupational training, as did an Artilleryman; a Field Engineer received 23 weeks' occupational training, plus 3 weeks' driver training. This was on a 3-years contract for regulars.

Since then, things have changed, because the 10 weeks' recruit training amounted to little more than a glorified socialization course, so now everyone must receive 13 weeks basic military training followed by 10 weeks soldier's training; then they receive occupational training. For infantrymen, this is now 10 weeks' tacked on to the 23 weeks' of combined basic- and soldier-training. And it's still done on a 3 year contract; it really should be 4.

On the two-year engagement that the PLA uses, and with only 9-10 months of the year avaiable for unit training, and with 4 months of that dedicated to in-unit individual training, there's just not enough time to do what Commonwealth Armies do. The PLA would have better soldiers even by just returning to the 3-year engagement; 4 would be better. But it's not how the PLA works.

Fascinating post Utelore.
 
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King_Comm

Junior Member
VIP Professional
That's a lot of training, as a reserve artillery signaller, I have only being to 6 weeks of basic training, 1 week basic communications training, 3 weeks gunnery training, and am going on to a 5 week specialist communication course next year, however, the regulars still get the 13 week basic and 6 week gunnery training.
 

Gollevainen

Colonel
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Registered Member
Just out of curiosity, how much of the overall servicetime is extensive training and how much there is this "laying around in the barracks and extendening your..."??
 

bd popeye

The Last Jedi
VIP Professional
Golly, in the US military no time is added to an enlistment because you are in training or sitting in a barracks. As an example if you sign up for three years you do three years ..unless there is an "operational hold" put on you. One reason would be an requirement to finish a deployment. The US Army is doing this nowadays. They have another name for it.

Back in 1971 when I joined the USN "boot Camp" was 9 weeks.(it's 8 weeks nowadays) After that a sailor attended an "A" school or "P" school. A schools are intensive in one rating. The lenght of study is usally 4 weeks to 20 weeks depending on your rate. P schools are just the basics..about two weeks to six weeks.

In many cases sailors are sent directly from Boot Camp to a ship or in some rare cases a shore station.

After boot camp I was sent to Avation Fundementals P school in NAS Jacksonville FL(2 weeks). Then I attended Mechinacal Fundementas school at NATTC Memphis TN(5 weeks). After that it was to CVA-67.:D

I added it up and while in the USN I attended approxmately 13 months of total schooling in my 20 years of Naval service. ..Oh I forgot to add in Damage control and Firefighting schools. Which sailors have to attend several times duting a career. That's at least another month.
 
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chino

Just Hatched
Registered Member
In Singapore, BMT (Basic Military Training) is 3 months.

Since we are a conscript army constantly short of manpower, we also accept those that are less medically-fit - espcially referring to those that have a weight problem.

...

During my time, the overweight guys are put into the same companies as everyone else, and they suffer greatly.

A fellow platoon mate of mine was overweight when we were all 18-yr old raw recruits. He had a hard time being picked upon by instructors and other platoon mates. He was much more fit by the time the 3-month BMT was over.

I met him again when we were 30-yr old reservists and he retained his fitness all these years. He was now my SAW gunner. After suffering as a obese recruit among non-obese guys, he never wanted to be fat again.

Another really obese and out of shape guy I knew became a real tough SOB boxer for the unit.

I think compulsory military service is great. It really made men out of a lot of us.

...

Obese recruits are now put in special "fat companies" and their BMT is stretched out to 5 months or something, humanely, to give them more time to adjust to get into shape.
 

Gollevainen

Colonel
VIP Professional
Registered Member
Overweigth is proplem in all rich countries, same here in Finland. In our army, we have medical and fitness test and those determinates ones service class. Normal guys gets A and are trained to combat missions, and those who get B will serve in low key garrison service tasks such as libarians, swimming pool keepers ect. If one gets class C he will be send to home, or into psychological treatment.

But to Popeye, so practically there is some level of training in each day of ones service in US military?
 

bd popeye

The Last Jedi
VIP Professional
But to Popeye, so practically there is some level of training in each day of ones service in US military?

I can only speak for the USN. In my and my son's experience formal training is held about once a week. Usally it is something mundane. However onboard a ship some sort of training drill is held daily. Fire and damage control drills, engineering drills & security drills.
 

Norfolk

Junior Member
VIP Professional
In the Canadian Army, Combat Arms Units normally spent about 2/3rds of the time in Garrison, and 1/3 of the time in the Field. In Garrison, there would be an hour of PT in the morning, followed by ablutions and breakfast, then First Parade at 08:00. After that was over (it could take up to an hour, or only several minutes), everyone would be dismissed to their duties. For those who were on the normal Unit Training schedule, there would be the hours spent in classroom or on short field exercises, or on inspecting and maintaining weapons and kit, and preparation for the next, or clean-up and repair after the last, major Field Exercise. Guys would get Lunch from 12:00-13:00 and go back to work until 16:00. At that point would normally be Final Parade, though there may be another hour of PT, especially in the Airborne.

That schedule was contingent upon a lot of factors though, especially if time was short for getting ready for an operation or inspection, or there was no money for training or operations, or the Operations Officer was not on the ball (or did not have the strong support of the Commanding Officer). In such cases, it was hardly uncommon for Units to sit in Barracks in their Regimental Lines and not be able to do much of anything, except watch TV and drink coffee all day. Weak Unit Leadership or Budget Cuts - or both.:(

There were also those on General duties - all the usual Base Ash n' Trash Tasks, and of course those who were posted somewhere else or on Course. Courses like Basic Para, Driver Wheeled, and Basic Infantry Machine Gunner ran 3 weeks each; Basic Infantry Assault Pioneer ran 5 weeks, and Basic Infantry Reconnaissance Patrolman ran 6 weeks. Advanced courses like Advanced Infantry Reconnaissance Patrolman ran 5 weeks; I'm not sure what Advanced Infantry Machine Gunner and Advanced Infantry Assault Pioneer ran; Freefall Parachuting was 4 weeks, and Infantry Section Commander Course was 14 weeks; Platoon Warrant Officer was I think 3 weeks (?). Basic Sniper Course was 7 weeks, Advanced Sniper I'm not sure. There were other more specialized courses to go on as well - Patrol Pathfinder Course :)nono: ), Ranger Course, French Commando Course, German Para Course, US Bodyguard Course,etc.
 
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Finn McCool

Captain
Registered Member
In the Canadian Army, Combat Arms Units normally spent about 2/3rds of the time in Garrison, and 1/3 of the time in the Field. In Garrison, there would be an hour of PT in the morning, followed by ablutions and breakfast, then First Parade at 08:00. After that was over (it could take up to an hour, or only several minutes), everyone would be dismissed to their duties. For those who were on the normal Unit Training schedule, there would be the hours spent in classroom or on short field exercises, or on inspecting and maintaining weapons and kit, and preparation for the next, or clean-up and repair after the last, major Field Exercise. Guys would get Lunch from 12:00-13:00 and go back to work until 16:00. At that point would normally be Final Parade, though there may be another hour of PT, especially in the Airborne.

That schedule was contingent upon a lot of factors though, especially if time was short for getting ready for an operation or inspection, or there was no money for training or operations, or the Operations Officer was not on the ball (or did not have the strong support of the Commanding Officer). In such cases, it was hardly uncommon for Units to sit in Barracks in their Regimental Lines and not be able to do much of anything, except watch TV and drink coffee all day. Weak Unit Leadership or Budget Cuts - or both.:(

There were also those on General duties - all the usual Base Ash n' Trash Tasks, and of course those who were posted somewhere else or on Course. Courses like Basic Para, Driver Wheeled, and Basic Infantry Machine Gunner ran 3 weeks each; Basic Infantry Assault Pioneer ran 5 weeks, and Basic Infantry Reconnaissance Patrolman ran 6 weeks. Advanced courses like Advanced Infantry Reconnaissance Patrolman ran 5 weeks; I'm not sure what Advanced Infantry Machine Gunner and Advanced Infantry Assault Pioneer ran; Freefall Parachuting was 4 weeks, and Infantry Section Commander Course was 14 weeks; Platoon Warrant Officer was I think 3 weeks (?). Basic Sniper Course was 7 weeks, Advanced Sniper I'm not sure. There were other more specialized courses to go on as well - Patrol Pathfinder Course :)nono: ), Ranger Course, French Commando Course, German Para Course, US Bodyguard Course,etc.

Is this during training or during your term of service?
 
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