How HARD is Each Boot Camp in the U.S. Military?

The beginning of every enlisted career in the United States military starts with what is called boot camp or basic training. Fresh recruits enter as civilians and undergo a transformation to be able to work in their respective military branch. Because the US military has six branches, there are several different forms of boot camp or basic training that people go through. Although the training they receive might have the same fundamentals, what they endure and what they learn will be very different. With that said, why does the US military have boot camp? What goes on during that training? And what does it take to get into each of the six US military branches? We're going to answer all those questions for you, and much more. What's up guys, I'm Veteran Vinny, the voice behind General Discharge. Sit back and relax as I go over the basic training for the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Space Force. This is Every US Military Boot Camp Explained. Before I jump into each of the US military's individual boot camps, I'm going to briefly explain the purpose behind it all. Anyone who joins the US military, whether they're enlisted or officers, undergoes some sort of entry-level training. At its essence, boot camp or basic training is designed to give each recruit the basic skills they need to be enlisted members of the US military. Boot camp both breaks down and builds up recruits, and makes them unlearn their civilian lifestyles and ways of thinking and gets them to adopt those suited to the military. This isn't to say that someone's military experience is going to be what it's like in boot camp, because it's quite the contrary. But the whole point of boot camp is to get the recruits used to some stressors that they may experience during their time in service, and to ensure that they have a basic grasp of the fundamentals so they are best prepared to excel. And because each military branch has their own specific mission and purpose, their basic training is going to be tailored to meet those needs and objectives. And let's be real here, anyone who's served knows that life inside the military is much different from the civilian world, so having a boot camp just makes sense. When people go to boot camp, they're gone for months, and if something goes wrong, like identity theft, they're not exactly in the best position to fix things. But if they're using Aura, today's sponsor, they wouldn't have to worry about that. This year has seen a number of high-profile data breaches, raising serious concerns about personal information security. Dell suffered a breach that exposed 3.9 million customer records. And most alarming of all, just a few months ago, National Public Data announced that they had suffered a major breach potentially impacting every American. 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You can go to our link Aura.com slash General Discharge to try 14 days for free. That will be enough time for Aura to find out if any of your personal data is exposed. Don't let people exploit and profit off your private information. Again, that's Aura.com slash General Discharge for your 14-day free trial. Links in the description or pinned comment below. Or you can scan the QR code on screen. Now back to the video. With that brief overview over with, let's kick things off with Army Basic Training. Army Basic Training, often referred to as BCT, is a 10-week-long course that comes in four phases. Depending on a prospective soldier's MOS, their training can be longer if they undergo one-station unit training, or OSUT, but we're not getting into that here. The location where people go to BCT largely depends on their job or what area they're joining from, and can be at Fort Moore, Georgia, Fort Jackson, South Carolina, Fort Leonardwood, Missouri, or Fort Sill, Oklahoma. The four phases of BCT are referred to as the Yellow Phase, Red Phase, White Phase, and Blue Phase, because America. Yellow Phase consists of the first two weeks of BCT. Here, recruits will start to adapt to Army life and learn about discipline, teamwork, Army programs, traditions, and more. They'll go through all of the fun onboarding procedures and administrative stuff, and get introduced to physical and tactical military training, as well as build teamwork through obstacle courses. In the second phase, the Red Phase, they will train to handle weapons and equipment, and learn other hands-on aspects of being a soldier. Additionally, they will receive basic hand-to-hand combat training and life-saving skills, and practice what they've learned thus far during their first field exercise known as the Hammer. For the third phase, the curriculum centers around training with a rifle and mastering how to work effectively in small teams. They'll expand skills of basic rifle marksmanship, maintenance, and target engagement, learn how to prioritize multiple targets, and further develop hand-to-hand combat skills, and complete a two-day, two-night field training exercise known as the Anvil. And for the fourth and final phase, recruits will learn how to handle more advanced weaponry, such as machine guns and grenades, and will apply everything they've learned so far in a culminating multi-day field exercise called the Forge. It's also important to note that throughout these phases, they receive CBRN training and go through the gas chamber, get land navigation training, learn about patrolling, securing and defending a position, drill and ceremony, fireteam formations and assaults, communications, reporting intelligence, and much more. And lastly, to make it through basic training, recruits have to pass the Army Combat Fitness Test, which consists of three rep-max deadlifts, a standing power throw, hand-release push-ups, sprint-drag-carry, a plank, and a two-mile run. Once soldiers graduate from basic training, they will undergo two additional phases of training known as Advanced Individual Training, where they will learn the job skills required of their MOS. With Army Basic Training covered, let's move on to Navy Boot Camp. Navy Boot Camp is ten weeks long and held exclusively at the Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Illinois. During these ten weeks, civilians will be transformed into sailors who are ready to join the Navy and learn their specific job. Navy Boot Camp kicks off with Processing Days, better known as P-Days. This is a week of dealing with the fun admin procedures, medical examinations, immunizations, gear issues, and of course, guys get the mandatory haircut. Then, the recruits meet their Recruit Division Commanders, or RDCs, which are the Navy's version of Drill Sergeants. Weeks two and three is where the real stuff begins. Recruits begin attending classes and conduct physical training. They must pass a swim test, begin learning naval history, military customs and courtesies, start standing watch, and then participate in a simulation of a shipboard emergency. Weeks four to six are where things start to get a bit more hands-on. Recruits still attend class, but they will also begin training with lots of actual equipment. They'll learn knot tying and line handling, firefighting techniques, receive firearm training, and go through the gas chamber. Week seven is where they must pass evaluations of most of the things they learned, ranging from drill, firefighting, weapons, physical training, and personal and uniform inspections. And at week eight, weeks of training are put to the test during Navy Boot Camp's final training exercise called Battle Stations. Here, recruits are tested in a variety of shipboard scenarios that require the sum of their knowledge and ability. Battle Stations is a final test to determine if the new recruit is ready to join the fleet. Upon the completion of Battle Stations, recruits don their Navy ball caps for the first time and are no longer considered recruits. They are now sailors. Weeks nine and ten consist of preparing the sailors for their follow-on training for their jobs, which is called A-School in the Navy, as well as their graduation ceremony. Lastly, all recruits must pass the Navy Physical Readiness Test, or PRT, which consists of max push-ups in two minutes, a forearm plank, and a mile and a half run. With Navy Boot Camp covered, let's move on to Marine Corps Boot Camp. Marine Corps Boot Camp lasts for 13 weeks, which makes it the longest boot camp of the U.S. military's service branches. Not only is it the longest boot camp, but it is often seen as the most difficult of the boot camps, and you'll soon find out why that is. Marine Boot Camp happens in two locations, which are either at San Diego, California, or Parris Island, South Carolina. The place recruits go generally depends on where they're enlisting out of. If they're living on the West Coast, they'll most likely go to San Diego, and East Coast, Parris Island. Marine Boot Camp starts at the infamous Yellow Footprints. That's where all hell breaks loose, and the fun begins. At Marine Boot Camp, recruits do not use the words, I or Me. They will speak in the third person, saying things like, this recruits, these recruits, you get the deal. The first person vernacular no longer applies here. Marine Boot Camp is broken down into four challenging phases, each one serving their purpose in building a United States Marine. These phases will push recruits to their physical and mental limits to test their resilience and enable growth. Phase 1 starts with Receiving Week, which consists of the usual beginnings of a boot camp, such as admin, medical exams, gear issue, and haircuts. Then recruits move on to conduct an initial strength test, the Marine Corps Martial Arts program, pugil sticks, learn about weapon safety, and start close order drill. For Phase 2, recruits will undergo combat water survival, additional physical and combat conditioning, do more martial arts training, and receive lots of academic classroom instruction. This is where the Marine Corps wants them to begin developing their resolve and gain confidence. Phase 3 is where things start to get even more intense. They'll learn the fundamentals of marksmanship, where before they start shooting, they'll go an entire week learning about their weapon without firing it. They also receive basic warrior training and field skills like land navigation, patrols, and the like. This phase culminates with one of the most famous parts of Marine Boot Camp, known as the Crucible. The Crucible is a 54-hour, grueling event that tests recruits with everything they've learned thus far. They will be food and sleep deprived, all while doing over 45 miles of marching. The Crucible event pits teams of recruits against a barrage of day and night events requiring every recruit to work together to solve problems, overcome obstacles, and help each other along the way. The obstacles they'll face include long marches, combat assault courses, a leadership reaction course, and the team-building warrior stations. It is a rite of passage for everyone who becomes a Marine. Once recruits complete the Crucible, they receive their Eagle, Globe, and Anchor, or EGA for short, and are now considered a full-fledged United States Marine. And then Phase 4 comes the easy stuff. It's essentially an administrative phase that sends Marines to their follow-on training, which can be the Infantry Marine Course or Marine Combat Training. Marines get their final uniform issue, do their final PFT and CFT, and have their graduation. The Marine PFT, which, big surprise here, is also considered the hardest of the US Military PT tests, and consists of max pull-ups, a plank, and a 3-mile run. With Marine Boot Camp covered, let's move on to Air Force Basic Military Training. Air Force Basic Military Training, known as BMT for short, is 7.5 weeks long and is located at the Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. During BMT, civilians are transformed into both Airmen and Guardians, and if you're not familiar with what a Guardian is, that's a member of the Space Force. Since the Space Force is in the Department of the Air Force, and it has only existed for a few years at this point, both branches' initial training is quite similar. But we'll talk about the differences in a bit. For now, let's get into BMT. BMT kicks off with Zero Week, which is a week of in-processing and settling into BMT. This is where gear issue, haircuts, immunizations, and all of that fun stuff that happens in the first week of any Military Basic Training occurs. Trainees will also meet their Military Training Instructors, or MTIs for short, which are the Air Force's version of Drill Instructors. Week 1 introduces trainees to the Air Force way of life, where they will learn customs and courtesies, drills, weapons familiarization, conduct their initial PT assessment, and get settled into their flight. Week 2 turns things up a notch and has them participate in even more demanding drills and training. Week 3 has a lot of classroom work. They learn weapons mechanic application and tactical movement, build up more physical strength, and trainees learn how to conduct themselves both on and off base. Week 4 is the halfway point of BMT, so the Air Force has them start learning the skills required for specific careers, as well as the standards they must live up to in order to join the branch. There's more classroom training, PT, and exercises. Week 5 has trainees prepare for the possibility of combat, where they'll learn how to handle stress, the laws of combat, and what their role is in countering diverse threats to national security. They have progress checks on their drill, weapons training, inspections, and fitness. They'll also learn tactical combat casualty care and conduct the foundational expeditionary skills training test. Week 6 is considered the most intense week of BMT. Here, trainees are placed in a simulated deployment environment, where they will hone their skills through field training and practice intense combat scenarios. This scenario is known as PACER FORGE, which stands for Primary Agile Combat Employment Range Forward Operations Readiness Generation Exercise. That's a doozy. It's a 36-hour culminating exercise where trainees are put to the test with scenarios that are built to provide flexibility, promote information seeking, teamwork, and decision making. And during the last week, Week 7, trainees will have the Airmen's Run in their graduation ceremony. After graduation, everyone goes on to their specific Air Force Specialty Code training. The Air Force's physical fitness test that all trainees must pass to graduate consists of a minute of sit-ups, a minute of push-ups, and a mile and a half run. But what about the Space Force in all this? Guardians will attend the same BMT as the Airmen do, but with the addition of Space Force-specific curriculum. This includes physical training and testing, and 21 hours of instruction covering emotional intelligence, Space Force structure, and senior leader briefings about military doctrine. Who knows if they'll change things in the future, but for now, they pretty much go through the same thing. With the Air Force and Space Force BMT covered, let's move on to Coast Guard Basic Training. Coast Guard Basic Training is 8 weeks in length, and is located at the Coast Guard Training Center in Cape May, New Jersey. Throughout these 8 weeks, civilians are transformed into Coast Guardsmen. It's important to note that while the Coast Guard and the Navy are similar in nature, their boot camps really aren't too alike. The first week of Coast Guard Basic Training is filled with paperwork, intake forms, and all of the fun administrative stuff that no one can avoid when joining the military. Recruits will go through a medical screening, gear issue, and meet their company commanders, which is the Coast Guard's version of a drill sergeant. The second week gets a bit more intensive, where recruits receive swim training, get issued a 9-pound rifle for drills, and start training in the classroom on a variety of Coast Guard topics. During week 3, recruits will begin to dive deep into hands-on training, such as learning about the types and parts of a line, deck seamanship, and different types of knots. Week 4 has recruits take their midterm exam on everything they've learned thus far, a PT test, and will fill out their paperwork where they tell the Coast Guard where they want to serve and what type of unit they want to serve in for their first assignment. At week 5, they will dial in on their drill rehearsal, receive their dress uniforms, and may find out where their official assignment is. Weeks 6 and 7 have more of the same, such as PT, drills, classroom training, and the like. They'll also learn first aid and watch standing, receive firearms training, and will even get to do pugil stick fighting, just like how the Marine Corps does. If they pass their final exam, they can relax a bit for the last week, where it's pretty much preparing for graduation and sending them out to their assignments. Generally, the brand new Coastie's assignments will be as an undesignated seaman or fireman. After they serve some time and find out what career choice is right for them, they'll put their name on the list for advanced specialty training. The Coast Guard PFT that recruits must pass consists of a minute of push-ups, a minute of sit-ups, and a mile and a half run. You just learned what every enlisted service member needs to go through in order to join all six of the U.S. military branches. But what about the officers? They need to go through a boot camp as well, but they have their own. How hard is U.S. military officer boot camp? Lucky for you, we answer that in our video on every officer candidate school. Scan the QR code on screen, or go to the link in the description below to go watch it. Well, that is the down and dirty of what it takes to get through every boot camp in the United States military. If you learned something from this video, make sure to give us a like and subscribe to our channel. As always, thank you for watching. Do you even want to be here? All your friends are subscribing to General Discharge, and you don't even want to be here.