| I just finished watching a show on the military channel about Royal Marines basic training. Apparently attrition is of such a concern that they are looking at ways to reduce the stress so fewer recruits quit.
To hear the Commander of recruit training talk; it brought flash back of the philosophy of US Marine Recruit training back in the Mid 70s to mid 80s..
The push then was to reduce the stress, the party line being there was enough stress already in the training schedule it there was no need for Drill Instructors to add to it.
Modern recruits do not need or respond to such outdated techniques, so they said. I was in the US Marine Corps during this time frame and it was a disaster only turned around when General Gray became Commandant.
This is pretty much seemed to be the line (USMC mid 70s- mid 80s) that the Royal Marine CO was pushing on the show, but for different reasons.
The USMC response was due mostly to political fallout as the result of recruit deaths during training (some admittedly from abuse) that threatened the existence of the Marine Corps. The Royal Marines problem seems to be one of not graduating enough recruits to “sustain the force” which makes it a target of the number crunchers and accountants in London. Everybody knows the Royal Navy would fight harder for an Aircraft Carrier the Royal Marine Commandos in a budget battle.
Is my take on this wrong? Is what is possibly the finest light Infantry outfit in the world entering a period of declining standards? They already have had a woman graduate from the Commando Course, on her third attempt and only after having to repeat the parts of the course she failed in previous attempts.
Are the Paras having the same problems?
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