Buoyed by an increase in recruiting, the Army will expand its basic combat training in October. New units in Oklahoma and Missouri will train as many as 4,000 recruits every year to meet the target of 55,000 recruits this year.
The expanded training is part of a broader effort to restructure the Army to better fight against sophisticated adversaries like Russia or China. The successful Future Soldier Prep Course has helped in boosting enlistments since its creation at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, in August 2022.
The Army has 151 training companies overall, including 15 training companies for the prep course. Due to recruiting struggles, recruits going through basic training dropped in recent years, prompting the need for four new companies.
Fort Sill and Fort Leonard Wood have the infrastructure to accommodate new units. The move to add units is the latest change in what has been a tumultuous time for the Army, which saw recruiting dip and missed enlistment goals in recent years.
