Initial entry training

United States Army Basic Combat Training or BCT (also known as Initial Entry Training or IET) is the program of physical and mental training required in order for an individual to become a soldier in the United States Army, United States Army Reserve, or Army National Guard. It is carried out at several different Army posts around the United States. Basic Training is designed to be highly intense and challenging. The challenge comes as much from the difficulty of physical training as it does from the psychological adjustment to an unfamiliar way of life.

Basic Training is divided into two parts: Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training.

Basic Combat Training (BCT) consists of the first ten weeks of the total Basic Training cycle, and is identical for all Army, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard recruits.

Advanced Individual Training (AIT) consists of the remainder of the total Basic Training period, and is where recruits train in the specifics of their chosen field. As such, AIT is different for each available Army career path, or Military Occupational Specialty (MOS). AIT courses can last anywhere from 4 to 52 weeks. Soldiers are still continually tested for physical fitness and weapons proficiency, and are subject to the same duties, strict daily schedule, and disciplinary rules as in BCT.

Drill sergeants are the instructors responsible for most of the training that takes place in Basic Training. They accompany recruits throughout the training process, instructing and correcting them in everything from firing weapons to the correct way to address a superior, and are also largely responsible for the safety of recruits. They are recognizable by their distinctive headgear (campaign hats), often called "Smokey Bear" hats, as they resemble that character's round park ranger-style hat.

Most AIT courses have begun using platoon sergeants in an attempt to implement the chain-of-command by having the trainees respect military rank rather than merely recognizing the drill sergeant's hat.

"Battle buddies" generally refer to partners in a combat scenario. However, throughout Basic Training, the term is used to describe a disciplinary principle whereby recruits are generally prohibited from walking anywhere alone. When traveling away from the platoon or a drill sergeant, recruits are expected to travel in pairs, known as battle buddies. Battle buddies are sometimes assigned, or can be chosen by recruits when the need to travel arises.

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