Starting this month, new enlistees in the Navy will have an extra two weeks added to their basic training to better help them adjust to life in the military.
The new phase will give recruits more training in mentorship, small-unit leadership and advanced “Warrior Toughness” training, officials said.
“We’ve added more leadership and professional development to the basic training toolkit, which sailors can rely on throughout their careers,” Rear Adm. Jennifer Couture, commander of Naval Service Training Command, said in a statement released by the Navy.
“This additional training reinforces character development with a warfighting spirit so our Navy is strong, lethal and ready,” Adm. Couture said.
The Navy has dealt with a number of difficulties in recent years that have been linked to training deficiencies, including fatal ship collisions, fires and suicides. The extra recruit training has been dubbed “Sailor for Life.”
The addition was the result of feedback from the fleet and the work of the staff at Navy Recruit Training Command, officials said.
“Every recruit now graduates with more tools and skills to make them more effective and combat-ready sailors,” said Lt. Cmdr. Katy Bock, military training director at Recruit Training Command.
Accountability and respect are the two hallmarks of the new training cycle, Adm. Couture told The Associated Press.
“We believe very strongly that those types of behaviors are directly impacting our fighting readiness and the performance of our sailors,” she said.
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