Basic Training of Non-Prior Service Personnel in the Reserve Component

The number of Reservists who have never served on extended active duty is growing as a percentage of the Total Force. In the spirit of transformation it is necessary to re-examine the traditional method of providing these non-prior service (NPS) Reservists with accession level training (i.e. boot camp). The traditional approach is inflexible and reflects a Cold War mentality about readiness but the alternatives methods are not clear. This paper, therefore, includes consideration of the Naval Reserve's non-traditional approach to enlisted NPS accession level training and compares it to the traditional approach used by the other elements in the Reserve component and discusses the trade-offs that the Services must make between the two approaches. Reflection on the possible role of the distance learning methodologies used in adult learning on the accession level training process is also included.