Basic Combat Training or #BCT is Trainees first exposure to the U.S. Army. Trainees will spend 10 weeks transforming from civilian into Soldier at either Fort Jackson, US Army Fort Sill, U.S. Army Fort Leonard Wood, or U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence before moving on to their Advanced Individual Training! U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command | U.S. Army Center for Initial Military Training

Before they train Army recruits at basic training, drill sergeants must graduate from the nine-week United States Army Drill Sergeant Academy. Insider spent a week at Fort Jackson in Columbia, South Carolina, to see what it takes to become a drill sergeant. The Drill Sergeant Academy has adopted a new strategy where the old days of breaking down recruits with yelling and push-ups have been replaced with a more collaborative and respectful tone. Drill sergeant candidates are taught how to effecti