The History of Basic Combat Training

Basic combat training has its roots in the ancient world.

Basic combat training (BCT) is what soldiers must endure to join the ranks of the U.S. military. Over the years it continues to evolve as more efficient and well-designed training methods are developed. With roots in the ancient worlds of Sparta and Rome as well as modern techniques born from years of research and testing, Basic combat training is the collection of thousands of years of military history filtered through the science of today.

Roots

Basic combat training has its roots in ancient Greece, especially during the reign of Alexander the Great. Alexander's army was one of the most effective armies of the ancient world and that largely had to do with the training it received. Before then, armies were conscripted (and often enslaved) to fight, and victory was typically decided by better weapons or greater numbers. The Greek city-state of Sparta took military training one step further, and created one of the world's first military states, developing drill and training techniques that are still studied today.

All Roads Lead to Rome

Ancient Greece may have inspired the drilling and conditioning that a soldier goes through in basic combat training, but Rome that can take credit for the soldier of one. A Roman soldier's most valuable tool was neither his sword nor his shield, it was his shovel. Roman training techniques for supply, fortification and entrenchment are the basis for much of the classroom instruction given to young soldiers today.

Guerrilla Training

In the early days of the colonial army, military training was haphazard at best, and the soldiers who filled the ranks of what would soon become the United States Army were townspeople, farmers, hunters and tradesmen. The colonial forces relied heavily on the soldiers' ability to outfox the enemy, a combatant that adhered to a rank-and-file, gentleman's war style of combat. Colonial soldiers practiced guerrilla warfare, using fast strikes from cover to ambush and thin out the enemy's ranks. Soldiers were trained in marksmanship, signaling and other skills that were, until then, uncommon for a basic soldier to know. After the Revolutionary War, the American military would become a more standard military, with practices that were standard throughout the western world, but the lessons of guerrilla warfare would remain a part of the skills learned and would enhance the American soldier's repertoire.

Academy

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the profession of military officer became a reality. Military academies become more than just universities of war theory and evolved into training facilities for the leaders of armies and navies. Prussian and French military leaders began the trend, but in 1802 the United States opened the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, and an American institution was born. The school has graduated generals, congressmen and presidents and based on its success the U.S. government opened additional academies, including the United States Air Force Academy and the United States Naval Academy.

Modern Training

Modern basic combat training was developed after World War II, and combines the lessons learned from hundreds of years of military development. Since the 1950s and '60s, the military continues to develop classes, projects and exercises that build not only a soldier's ability to fight but conditions them for confidence and aptitude in situations beyond war, as well. Officers train in military history, military strategy and military theory as well as command and fighting techniques. Education and military professionals work year-round to continue building on the lessons of the past, and basic combat training continues to evolve yearly.

References

• U.S. Air Force Academy: Perspectives in the History of Military Education and Professionalism
• Michael Lahanas: Ancient Greek Military Technology
• United States Military Academy at West Point: About the Academy