There are approximately 10,000 Sailors serving in IA billets, split equally between active duty and Reserve components. The majority of IAs receive orders to Central Command in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“We’re obligated to make sure our Sailors who are helping support the ground forces of the Marines and the Army have the correct understanding to be able to deal with their environment and be effective in accomplishing their mission,” Gove said.
Enter Fort Jackson and its cadre of Army drill instructors. Under the watchful eye of TFM Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Doug Snyder and the commanders of Alpha, Bravo and Charlie Companies, instructors and students alike must in many ways discard what they have been taught since their respective recruit training to effectively train and be trained.
“The biggest obstacle for Sailors is the shock of being a land-combat Soldier,” said Alpha Company Commander Army Capt. Jim Hulgan, who will help deliver roughly 3,700 trained IA trained Sailors to battalion commanders this fiscal year. “In some cases they pick it up easily, in others they don’t. We use some of the Sailors’ own jargon and try to relate the training to something they are more familiar with. In the Army we turn civilians into Soldiers, but that’s not what we’re doing here.
“First, we introduce them to Army tactics and doctrine so they become familiar with how the Army does business on the ground and understand what the Soldiers are doing so that they can provide effective help,” said Hulgan. “Second, they get a sense of confidence that they can actually do the missions they are being sent to do.”
But the road Sailors have to travel to get there is not easy. From the moment they hit Fort Jackson, the pace is fast and intense. Sailors arrive with nothing but the shirts on their backs and are immediately indoctrinated into the Army atmosphere. It begins with the uniform issue, either desert camouflage or the Army’s new combat uniforms, and Interceptor Body Armor (IBA). The ensemble is then completed by the Rapid Fielding Initiative, which includes the new Advanced Combat Helmet, infantry combat boots and Wiley X Goggles.
From that point on, the drill sergeants have the primary goal of putting the IAs into the mindset of a Soldier. The combat training scenarios are designed to teach Sailors critical thinking skills so they are more adept decision makers, especially in high-stress and crisis situations. That means, among other things, getting Sailors familiar, comfortable and as proficient as possible with the various weapons they will use in theater.
In addition to providing weapons training, the drill instructors push the Sailors to organize and operate as teams. Basic instruction is given in a variety of combat areas, including patrol techniques, communications, land navigation, first aid, MEDEVAC, cultural awareness and urban assault scenarios. The idea is to ensure that if they are in a combat situation, they’ll at least have some of the training to help them react and hopefully keep them alive.
