The U.S. Air Force is undertaking its most significant overhaul of Basic Military Training (BMT) in over a decade. The changes—effective April 2024—are designed to better prepare airmen for near-peer conflicts by emphasizing expeditionary operations, drone threats, and combat-relevant skills from day one. This modernization reflects broader shifts in U.S. military doctrine as the Pentagon pivots toward great power competition with China and Russia.
Why the USAF Is Changing Basic Military Training Now
The decision to modernize BMT stems from a growing recognition that future conflicts will demand more technically proficient and tactically agile airmen. According to Lt. Gen. Brian Robinson, commander of Air Education and Training Command (AETC), the goal is to “accelerate change or lose” by aligning training with emerging threats such as unmanned systems, cyber warfare, and contested logistics environments.
While the current eight-and-a-half-week BMT program has long focused on physical fitness, discipline, and basic military customs, it lacked depth in preparing recruits for expeditionary warfare or operations under denied or degraded conditions—a key concern given recent lessons from Ukraine and Indo-Pacific exercises.
“We are not preparing our airmen for garrison life anymore,” said Chief Master Sgt. Learie Gaitan of Second Air Force during a media roundtable on March 25. “We are preparing them for deployment into contested environments.”
Key Curriculum Changes: From Classroom to Combat-Relevant Scenarios
The restructured BMT program retains its eight-and-a-half-week length but drastically alters its content distribution:
- Increased Expeditionary Skills: More time will be spent on field exercises simulating deployed environments—complete with mock forward operating bases (FOBs), tactical movement drills, and chemical/biological threat response.
- Drone Threat Recognition: Recruits will now receive instruction on identifying and reacting to small UAV threats—a nod to their growing role in asymmetric warfare.
- Combat Casualty Care: Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) modules have been expanded to include hemorrhage control under fire conditions.
- Cognitive Resilience & Decision-Making: Scenario-based stress inoculation training aims to build mental toughness under pressure—an area previously reserved for more advanced training stages.
This shift mirrors similar efforts across other branches of the U.S. military that are incorporating Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) concepts into entry-level training pipelines.
A New Capstone Experience: BEAST Evolves into PACER FORGE
The final field exercise at BMT—formerly known as BEAST (Basic Expeditionary Airman Skills Training)—has been replaced by PACER FORGE (Preparing Airmen through Capstone Expeditionary Readiness). This redesigned capstone condenses six days of immersive field training into four highly focused days emphasizing team leadership under stress and combat realism.
PACER FORGE includes simulated deployments where trainees must respond to UAV incursions, execute casualty evacuation drills under fire conditions, and operate within a Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2)-like environment using simplified C2 tools.
This evolution reflects a doctrinal shift toward preparing every airman—not just those in combat roles—for contested logistics chains and distributed operations across multiple domains.
Training Infrastructure Upgrades at Lackland AFB
Lackland Air Force Base—the sole location for USAF BMT—is undergoing infrastructure upgrades to support the new curriculum demands:
- Tactical Urban Environments: Modular shoot houses and mock FOBs have been added for realistic urban operations training.
- C-UAS Simulators: New simulators allow recruits to practice detecting and responding to drone threats using visual cues and acoustic signatures.
- Chemical/Biological Exposure Chambers: Enhanced facilities provide more realistic exposure scenarios for MOPP gear drills.
AETC has also invested in digital learning platforms that allow instructors to deliver scenario-based instruction via tablets during downtime or inclement weather—a move toward blended learning even at the earliest stages of military education.
Cultural Shift: Building Warrior Mindset from Day One
The revised BMT places greater emphasis on instilling a warrior ethos early in an airman’s career path. Instructors—now referred to as Military Training Leaders rather than simply “TIs”—are trained not only in drill instruction but also mentorship models that reinforce adaptability under duress.
This cultural shift aligns with broader USAF initiatives such as Agile Combat Employment (ACE) doctrine which requires decentralized decision-making by junior enlisted personnel operating far from traditional command structures.
Implications Across the Total Force
The revamped BMT curriculum applies not only to active-duty recruits but also affects Guard and Reserve components who train alongside their counterparts at Lackland AFB. Over time, these changes are expected to ripple across technical schools as well—with follow-on courses adapting content based on higher baseline readiness among incoming students.
AETC officials indicated they are already evaluating how these foundational changes could influence officer commissioning programs like Officer Training School (OTS) or ROTC curricula that historically lag behind enlisted training reforms due to bureaucratic inertia.
A Model for Other Services?
The Air Force’s proactive approach may serve as a model for other services grappling with how best to prepare new recruits for multi-domain conflict scenarios involving drones, cyber attacks, space-based assets disruption, GPS denial tactics, etc. While the Army has begun integrating drone awareness into Infantry OSUT at Fort Moore—and the Marine Corps has emphasized littoral combat skills—the USAF appears furthest along in embedding these competencies at entry level across all specialties.
Conclusion: Preparing Airmen for Tomorrow’s Fight Today
This overhaul marks a significant turning point in how the U.S. Air Force conceptualizes readiness—not just through technology acquisition but human capital development starting at day one of service life. As adversaries continue investing in asymmetric tools like drones and electronic warfare capabilities, ensuring that every airman understands battlefield dynamics becomes imperative—not optional.
