Fourth Phase of Boot Camp
The fourth phase was fully implemented in February of 2018.
—USMC photo by Sergeant Jennifer Schubert.
The fourth phase was fully implemented in February of 2018.
This new phase will revolve around mentorship training between the Drill Instructors and their new Marines. The modifications will move the Crucible up one week to allow for a full two weeks of mentoring. The extra mentoring time seems to be an extension of Marine Leader Development (MLD), which was released by The Commandant General Neller on July 28, 2017, in an effort to help Marines achieve personal and professional success.
General Neller insists that the standards for earning the title of Marine have not changed but that there will be a focus on preparing Marines for success as their career's progress. Fourth phase will focus on the 6 F's of Marine Leader Development: Fidelity, Fighter, Fitness, Family, Finance, and Future. While we don't have an exact structure for how the mentorship training will be conducted, these are the topics we can expect to be covered for the 6 F's:
- Fidelity:
- Introduction to Marine Corps values
- Values based leadership
- Customs and courtesies
- Uniformed Code of Military Justice
- Fighter:
- Close Order Drill
- Introduction to fire and movement
- Land navigation
- Offensive combat
- Fitness:
- Physical training
- MCMAP
- Grooming standards and body composition standards
- Uniforms
- Family:
- Domestic abuse
- Finance
- Financial Responsibility
- Future:
- Problem resolution methods
- Boyd's Cycle (OODA Loop)
- Operational stress control and suicide prevention
The Marine Corps has made several changes to adapt to the culture around it. While the length and difficulty of boot camp will not change, the way these new Marines are groomed after the Crucible will change. These new Marines will benefit from early, in depth instructions on becoming an all around Marine that others in the past have not. The hope is that this time of mentorship will lead to more mature, disciplined, and better prepared Marines.
