If you want to join the U.S. Army, you’re going to have to maintain certain academic and physical standards in order to qualify. This has been one of the issues, among many others, that recruiters continue to face when looking for the next generation of warfighters. However, the creation of the Future Soldier Preparatory Course pilot program in August 2022 aimed to help with these issues. Army personnel loved it and now, a year later, the Future Soldier Preparatory Course is garnering more attention and funding. Ultimately, the big news is that the course is staying after being added to a permanent school. This is related to an effort to open up more opportunities for future Soldiers.
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The Future Soldier Preparatory Course Is No Longer Just a Pilot Program
It started as a bit of a test, and it seems to have passed with flying colors. The Future Soldier Preparatory Course is here to stay after gaining a ton of U.S. Army leadership support.
After getting its start in 2022, the Future Soldier Preparatory Course 2023 became a permanent fixture. This couldn’t have happened at a more opportune time. The purpose of the course is to help grow the ranks of the Army as the branch struggles to hit its recruitment goals.
Recruitment has had many different issues affecting not only the U.S. Army but the military as a whole. The Fort Jackson Future Soldier Preparatory Course is helping create more warfighters who might otherwise be disqualified because of obesity or a lack of academics.
The course became a permanent fixture this October 2023. By doing so, recruiting will receive a boost. This is in part because of the boost the course itself will receive by becoming permanent.
The pilot program was a test. Now that there are positive results, the Army is allocating additional funding and resources to the Future Soldier Preparatory Course. It’s also opening the door for similar prep courses moving forward.
“Our insistence on not lowering the standard to enter basic training means that we have to be ready to remove obstacles for those that want to serve. So, this is a program of record…We’re moving away from (the) pilot,” said the Commander of the Army Training Center and Fort Jackson, Brigadier General Jason E. Kelly.
Paving the Way to Boost Recruitment
With over 10,000 Soldiers going through at least one prep course, the Future Soldier Preparatory Course has enjoyed a graduation rate of 95%. This is an important figure for a branch that was well short, around 15,000 Soldiers short, of its goal to recruit 60,000 in 2022.
When assessing the recruitment pool of 17 to 24-year-old potential Soldiers, less than a quarter of them are believed to qualify for service. Obesity continues to rise, and it’s affecting the U.S. military.
The same can be said for academics. ACT scores have been going down since the early 2010s, and the COVID-19 pandemic also proved to hinder both math and reading skills.
There are two different focuses when it comes to the pre-basic course: academics and fitness. As of June 2023, Soldiers no longer have to choose and can instead take on both for personal development.
However, should the fitness path be necessary, it’s customary to take the academic course first. The idea is that fitness courses may not be beneficial if weight can be lost through routine training. In other words, a dedicated course may not be necessary.
Meeting Army Standards
The Future Soldier Preparatory Course requirements are there to build a framework for Soldiers to meet the standards of the Army. Soldiers can retake the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) every three weeks and must have a qualifying score to go to basic training.
In terms of fitness, potential Soldiers can enroll with 6% more body fat than allowed, 20% to 26% for men and 30% to 36% for women. If they are 2% over the Army standard in time for basic, they can advance and work it off while training there. Each week, you must lose 1.5% of body fat.
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Future Soldier Preparatory Course, Do You Get Paid?
Future Soldier Preparatory Course pay is available for those who enroll. The payment for each Soldier will vary. Right now, it depends on rank and years of experience. This is similar to how other forms of compensation are provided in the Army.
The courses are providing a viable option for filling the ranks without lowering the standard. Having a way to gain compensation while training is the icing on the cake. It’s clear that the investment and success of the Future Soldier Preparatory Course is opening more doors for Soldiers both today and in the future.
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