Speaking of the entitled generation....

[Homeslice]

Not surprising....


Army changes basic training to deal with gamer generation
by Ben Silverman

In an interview with Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, NPR reports that the U.S. Army is altering its basic training program for the first time in 20 years, in part to better train recruits weaned on video games.

"This isn't a decline in our recruits; this is a decline in our American society in terms of their physical capacity," Hertling told NPR. "It's just a softer generation."

Hertling goes on to explain that while new soliders are "advanced in terms of their use of technology," they're perhaps "not as advanced in their physical capabilities or ability to go into a fight. So we're taking that into consideration as well in doing this holistic review of how we do training."

So what's in store for new recruits? Hertling says the new basic training regimen will focus more on teaching recruits essential combat skills, from the use of "weapons, knives, bayonets, [and] sticks" to hand-to-hand techniques like punching, kicking, and martial arts. His aim is to better prepare them for the potentially grueling physical experience of serving in unfriendly environments.

That includes an added emphasis on discipline, which Hertling contends just isn't what it used to be.

"We certainly have a generation that is not as disciplined when they enter the military," he said, adding that while the new generation has "what they believe is a form of courage or discipline, it's not what we expect of a soldier in very tense and difficult situations."

The news comes just weeks after the Pentagon announced plans to fund new research into using games to train soldiers. The Army in particular has had a healthy working relationship with the games industry; its freely-distributed first-person shooter America's Army has enjoyed great success as a recruitment tool.

While Hertling isn’t enamored with their physical prowess, he believes new soldiers with a background in games do offer one distinct advantage.

"They're different. They have a technology edge. I think they're smarter than any generation we've ever had before," he said. "They certainly ask a lot more difficult questions."

[Dave]

more pt and combatives aint a bad thing at all.

[Adeptus_Minor]

I still think we need to go back to training with swords.

[CrazyKell]

In reading that article, very little had to do with gaming specifically.

He's not wrong, it's just misleading.

[Cutty72]

Originally Posted by Dave

more pt and combatives aint a bad thing at all.

I agree.
And bring back wall to wall counseling, and get rid of "stress cards"

[Amber Lamps]

Originally Posted by CrazyKell

In reading that article, very little had to do with gaming specifically.

He's not wrong, it's just misleading.

Well I'm not sure where the entitlement is... I'm not sure that people are necessarily softer either.I think that the people that they recruit now are hard, ghetto kids but the guys they want might be the softer, more intelligent suburban kids whom may be somewhat weaker.

[Quick281]

Ignoring the owned signs, I didn't see much about entitlement.

[smileyman]

Give me all the 18 to 25 yr olds you can. I will protect my old ass by letting them clear IEDs and act as human shields for my generation, who grew up hard and now are so broken down we can't get outta the way!



This was just sarcasm take it as such.

[fatbuckRTO]

Originally Posted by Amber Lamps

Well I'm not sure where the entitlement is... I'm not sure that people are necessarily softer either.I think that the people that they recruit now are hard, ghetto kids but the guys they want might be the softer, more intelligent suburban kids whom may be somewhat weaker.

The "ghetto kids" I've seen in the military are some of the whiniest bitches this side of the East Side. They may be good for recruiting numbers, but they count fuck-all for mission accomplishment. Most of the time they're a detriment.

That said, this new crop of suburbanite plush toys aren't much better, they just don't have mouths as big.

[Homeslice]

Originally Posted by CrazyKell

In reading that article, very little had to do with gaming specifically.

He's not wrong, it's just misleading.

It's only misleading if you don't put 2 and 2 together. The more time someone spends indoors, surfing the web, IM'ing, and playing video games, then it's likely they're not spending as much time outdoors or at a gym, exercising.

Is it proof? No, but the fact that the people in this article have noticed a drop in recruit fitness seems to back that up.

You could say "well in the old days people watched a lot of TV", but they still do that in addition to all this other stuff. Plus, kids seem to prefer socializing thru the computer rather than in person anymore. They would rather IM someone than walk a quarter mile down the street to hang out with them.