They may be Fat, Lazy, and Undisciplined but they are smart

[marksiwel]

http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/plug ... on/1395045" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Basic training is about to get more advanced. And recruits can thank games for that.

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."

[boomerang]

[surprise_i'm_armed]

So as long as these fat, lazy, undisciplined American
soldiers run into Muslim fanatics whose X-box skills are
not cutting edge, I guess America can win? :-)

SIA

[boomerang]

So as long as these fat, lazy, undisciplined American
soldiers run into Muslim fanatics whose X-box skills are
not cutting edge, I guess America can win? :-)

SIA

Most assuredly. They shall indeed PWN teh N00BS.

[The Annoyed Man]

Most assuredly. They shall indeed PWN teh N00BS.

Leeeeeroyyy Jeeeeeenkiiiiiiiiins!!!

[cougartex]

Great, glad to see more physical training.

[marksiwel]

Great, glad to see more physical training.

http://www.cleveland.com/nation/index.s ... my_dr.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
FORT JACKSON, S.C. - New soldiers are grunting through the kind of stretches and twists found in "ab blaster" classes at suburban gyms as the Army revamps its basic training regimen for the first time in three decades.

Heeding the advice of Iraq and Afghanistan combat veterans, commanders are dropping five-mile runs and bayonet drills in favor of zigzag sprints and exercises that hone core muscles. Battlefield sergeants say that's the kind of fitness needed to dodge across alleys, walk patrol with heavy packs and body armor or haul a buddy out of a burning vehicle.

Read the rest of the article, seems to be a good idea.
next get rid of Marching, it's a waste of time

[Fangs]

If America built robots that function very similarly to the characters in Halo or COD and were capable of being controlled by an xbox controller without lagging, then the bad guys would be in for some serious hurt.

I'm pretty good at video games. My room mate and I would consistently beat people for money in Halo 2 (never lost a game on a LAN network). But I've run into people on xbox live who made us look like we were deaf, dumb, and crippled by how badly they beat us. Now those are the people I would want defending this country with those billion dollar robots.

Am I just too nerdy?

[davidtx]

If America built robots that function very similarly to the characters in Halo or COD and were capable of being controlled by an xbox controller without lagging, then the bad guys would be in for some serious hurt.

I'm pretty good at video games. My room mate and I would consistently beat people for money in Halo 2 (never lost a game on a LAN network). But I've run into people on xbox live who made us look like we were deaf, dumb, and crippled by how badly they beat us. Now those are the people I would want defending this country with those billion dollar robots.

Am I just too nerdy?

Stay tuned, they are on the way - except they'll be autonomous.

[The Annoyed Man]

next get rid of Marching, it's a waste of time

It might seem like it, but a soldier needs to be trained for all likely possibilities they will encounter on the battlefield, including all your vehicles blown up under a hostile airspace. Then you have to march. And you have to do it carrying all your weapons, ammo, food, and water. You better be able to march, in good order over long distances, without falling out. Your life will depend on it.

All that marching in training serves two functions. It continues the individual's drilling as part of a team, helping to build esprit de corps, and it conditions them for covering long distances on foot, heaven forbid the unthinkable happens. Maybe it's not such a waste of time?

[DONT TREAD ON ME]

next get rid of Marching, it's a waste of time

Marching teaches you discipline. It teaches you to work as one, as a team, an idea that is foreign to the youger generation of Americans.

It is also used at ceremonies and is a very big tradition in the military.

[The Annoyed Man]

Who is that blister? Is that for real?

[RugerP345]

Most assuredly. They shall indeed PWN teh N00BS.

Leeeeeroyyy Jeeeeeenkiiiiiiiiins!!!

Ahh yes TAM i like your WoW ref. fellow Azerothian perhaps?