The United States Army's Future Soldier Preparatory Course is set to transition from a pilot initiative to a permanent program, in a bid to address the ongoing recruitment challenges faced by the military branch.
The pre-basic training course, predominantly conducted at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, will be established as a permanent institution in October. The early success of the program has been lauded by Army leaders for its effectiveness in attracting more recruits to the service, as reported by Military.com.
Brig. Gen. Jason Kelly, commander of the Army Training Center and Fort Jackson, stated to Military.com, "Our insistence on not lowering the standard to enter basic training means that we have to be ready to remove obstacles for those that want to serve. So, this is a program of record. Next month, that will be true. We're moving away from pilot."
The preparatory course, initiated in August 2022, offers recruits who fail to meet the Army's weight or academic performance standards the opportunity to enlist. The course provides up to 90 days for recruits to achieve compliance with Army standards before proceeding to basic training. To date, 10,260 soldiers have successfully completed the course and transitioned to basic training, marking a 95% graduation rate, according to data provided to Military.com.
The program's success is particularly significant given the Army's ongoing struggle with recruitment, which has been described as the worst crisis in decades. In the 2022 fiscal year, the Army fell short of its recruitment target by 15,000, failing to reach its goal of 60,000 recruits. The trend is expected to continue this year.
The Army is grappling with a dwindling pool of eligible candidates for recruitment, as youth obesity rates have steadily increased over the past few decades, while academic scores have concurrently declined.
The Future Soldier Preparatory Course offers two distinct tracks: one for recruits who do not meet the Army's weight standards, and another for those who have difficulty passing the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test. Initially, recruits were only permitted to participate in one course, but the Army has since allowed applicants to complete both.
Army leaders have hailed the courses as a resounding success. On average, soldiers have improved their ASVAB scores by 19 points during the academic track and have lost an average of 1.5% of body fat each week during the weight standards course.
"Some have never learned how to make good food choices, and don't understand how to have a healthy plate. We're doing it here," Kelly stated. "Same thing on the academic side. Regardless of what you were doing in the classroom back home, we're providing focus, training and investment, so that you can become all you can be."
Upon successful completion of the course, recruits are eligible to choose Army Military Occupational Specialties for which they now qualify. They also become eligible for bonuses and other enlistment incentives, as per the report. Following this, they proceed to further training for their Army careers.
"When I came into the Army, I'd never shot a rifle. I grew up an inner-city kid. I was taught how to shoot when I joined," Kelly shared. "That's how I think about what we're doing here."
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