RSP - Blue Phase

Final Preparations for Basic Combat Training

Blue Phase is your final drill prior to shipping to Basic Combat Training (BCT). During this weekend, you’ll cover all the final details that have to be taken care of before you leave, including:

  • Fitness Assessment or APFT
  • Inspections/In-Ranks and Stand-By
  • What Every Trainee Wants to Know About Basic Combat Training
  • Resilience Training (three of three)
  • Final Preparations for BCT (Before Basic Combat Training)
  • Final Preparations for BCT (At Basic Combat Training)
  • Final Preparations for BCT (After Basic Combat Training)
  • Pre-Shipper Brief and Counseling

You’ll be able to get a jump start on BCT by reviewing the following Blue Phase information about what to do before, during and after BCT.

Before BCT

Prepping for Basic Combat Training requires mental preparedness, as well as support from your Family. It’s important to know what to bring and what to leave at home. You’ll also want to be sure your personal affairs—like any bills, legal, household or child custody matters—are in order, and that your Family and employer are informed about your BCT dates and details.

Know what you’re allowed to bring and what you’re not. See What to Bring to Basic Training  for a  checklist of what you’ll need to pack. All of your personal belongings must be able to fit into one medium-sized gym bag—so make sure none of that space is taken up by anything that will get confiscated at BCT.

Settle all personal affairs before heading off to BCT. Take care of unresolved legal or financial matters that could prevent you from finishing your training or even get you sent back home.

Tell your employer about BCT. If you have a job, tell your employer that you’ll need to be away from work—and for how long—and do it now. Employers need to make plans, too.

Take care of your bills and finances. Take care of any car payments, charge accounts, rent or mortgage payments and any other financial matters in advance. Make sure you tell your Family what they need to know to handle bill payments in your absence. Expect it to take up to four weeks to get your first paycheck.

Update contact information. Make sure all emergency contact information is correct and up-to-date.

Provide for child custody. Make any childcare and custody arrangements as soon as possible—your children are too important to wait until the last minute.

Pass along Family Support Group (FSG) information. The Guard offers information, resources and support to your Family when you get to BCT—be sure to give your Family your FSG handout. 

Communication rules: You cannot receive phone calls at BCT, but you are required to call your Family within 72 hours of your arrival. Your Family can use the Red Cross or the IADT Coordinator for emergencies, and can send mail and care packages. However, there are no visits permitted during BCT until Graduation Day.

At BCT

BCT is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that will test you mentally and physically. You’ll arrive at Reception Batallion as an unseasoned recruit attending orientation briefings and medical exams, then transition through combat skills and fitness training into a Soldier and Warrior, at your best.

Zero Day
• Amnesty Brief: When you arrive, you'll be told what you can and cannot have at Reception Battalion; this will be your last chance to get rid of any prohibited items without being penalized.
• Military Recordkeeping: With the paperwork you brought with you, you'll set up the medical, financial and personnel records that will last for your entire military career.

Day 1
• Pay Station: After getting up at 0530 and eating breakfast in the chow hall, you'll go to the Pay Station to receive your ID card.
• Smart Cards: You'll also be issued a Smart Card for BCT expenses, which is deducted from your first month's pay ($250 for males, $350 for females).
• CIF (Central Issuing Facility): Here you'll get your uniforms and your TA-50 (field gear—your web belt, alice pack, canteen, helmet and vest [LBV]). Your civilian clothes will be returned to you when you ship to AIT or return home.
• Medical Exams: You'll take a general medical exam, including a blood test. Females will have a blood test for pregnancy, and then a regular blood test on Day 2.
• Briefings: You'll be briefed on the G.I. Bill, SGLI (Servicemen's Group Life Insurance) and the Reserve component. You'll also have a "Moment of Truth" briefing, in which you need to disclose any obligations you haven't dealt with.
• General Orientation: This station will introduce you to some Army basics, such as the chaplain's role; the Red Cross; the UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice); Company policies; and managing your personal affairs.
• PX (Post Exchange): If you don't have items you need for BCT, you'll be able to buy them here. During inprocessing, your feet will be evaluated for the proper type of running shoe. If you are told to purchase new running shoes, you will buy them at the PX.

Day 2
• Vaccinations: You'll get six vaccination shots: measles, mumps, diphtheria, flubicillin, rubella and smallpox.
• Vision and Dental Exam: You'll have a general vision checkup, along with a dental exam (including X-ray). At the dental exam you'll be issued a protective mouth guard, which you'll use during certain BCT training exercises.
• Personal Affairs Division: Here you'll review your personal affairs, and verify that everything is complete. If anything remains unresolved by the time you get here, it can be a real showstopper, so make sure you've settled your affairs before you get to Reception Battalion.

Day 3
• Eyeglasses/Insert Lenses Provided: If you need glasses, they'll be made on site. You'll receive two pairs of glasses, plus insert lenses for your protective mask.
• Photos, Yearbook, BCT Video and Ring: You'll be photographed in military uniform for the yearbook. At this station you may opt to purchase a yearbook, BCT video or graduation ring in advance.

Days 4-5
• Final Processing: If everything is complete, you’ll get assigned to a unit and ship on Day 4. If you missed anything for any reason, you’ll do it on this day and then ship on Day 5. Before you ship, you’ll clean the barracks, get your ID tags and stencil your name on your bags.


Phase 1 (Red Phase)—“Shakedown”
When you get off the bus from Reception Battalion, you’ll be told to line up your bag in a certain way to see if you can follow instructions. Then you’ll be ordered to empty your bag. If anything contraband falls out, this will be your first opportunity to see a Drill Sergeant go ballistic.

Phase 1 (Red Phase)—Training (Weeks 1-3)
The goal of your Phase 1 training is to begin your transformation from a confused volunteer to a confident Soldier. During these first three weeks, you’ll get a thorough introduction to the following:
• The Army’s core values, traditions and ethics
• Assembling, disassembling and caring for your M16
• The Nuclear-Biological-Chemical (NBC) chamber
• Security and dispersion discipline
• Hand-to-hand combat and guerilla exercises
• Barracks inspections
• Running, tactical daylight marches and fitness training

Phase 2 (White Phase)—Training (Weeks 4-5)
Phase 2 focuses on developing your combat skills, with special emphasis on weapons and physical fitness training. This time is also spent honing your self-discipline and teamwork. Here’s a rundown of what you’ll cover:
• Basic Rifle Marksmanship (BRM)
• Hand-to-hand training
• More barracks inspections
• Continued study of Army values, ethics and traditions
• Night training and more fitness training
• Additional weapons training: machine guns, grenade launchers and mines
• Map and compass reading

Phase 3 (Blue Phase)—Training (Weeks 6-9)
The final phase of BCT builds your individual tactical training, increases your leadership skills and self-discipline, and improves your understanding of teamwork. These three weeks are spent on the following:
• Rifle-range practice, including a Night Infiltration Course
• Guard ethics and standards, with continued study of Army values
• A Field Training Exercise on bivouac, where you’ll be tested in first aid, camouflage, setting up positions and taking cover
• The End of Cycle Test (EOCT)—an all-important test of 212 tasks, which you’re required to pass before graduating from BCT
• The Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT)—you must pass in order to graduate from BCT

Graduation (Week 10)
The final week of BCT is about Soldiers and their Families. After you finish the final training events (one week of field training and a 15-kilometer march back to the post), you'll receive a day with your Family to catch up on your recent experiences—and you'll have plenty. The next day, you'll be graduating, before moving on to your next phase of training (usually Advanced Individual Training, or AIT).

Make no mistake about it: BCT is incredibly hard. But the results are worth every single one of the challenges. Here are some tips to help prepare you.

Know the chain of command: It’s not just a line of authority; it’s a communications mechanism. Know the “food chain,” and you’ll know the right person to turn to when you need guidance. Make sure you review rank and forms of address before you ship; you’ll need to know them at BCT. Remember, when in doubt, promote!

Understand your Drill Sergeant: All Drill Sergeants have one thing in common: they’re some of the best NCOs in the Army. Drill Sergeants have had 300 hours of highly specialized military instruction and have mastered every skill they teach you. They will push you hard to succeed. But nobody cares more about your success than they do.

Know about performance counseling: At the end of each phase of your physical training, you’ll be evaluated on a scale of 0 to 3 for Teamwork, Motivation, Appearance, Attitude and Performance. Since every action, large or small, tells the Army about your leadership qualities, make sure you follow all the rules, no matter how unimportant they might seem.

Learn what the National Guard TRADOC Liaison does:
TRADOC is the Army’s Training and Doctrine Command. Its mission is to recruit, train and educate Soldiers and to groom leaders. TRADOC operates schools and centers at many Army installations. The National Guard TRADOC Liaison is there to help you with concerns such as:
•    financial issues
•    trouble contacting your Family
•    emergency travel arrangements
•    paperwork problems
•    personal or medical issues that the chain of command can’t help you with
If you ever need to contact the National Guard TRADOC Liaison, do it through your chain of command. Never go directly to the National Guard TRADOC Liaison yourself; your Drill Sergeant will make an appointment for you.

Be aware of the actions taken against Soldiers: If serious problems arise with a Soldier, the Army may take administrative actions. These can include performance counseling, extra training, the withdrawal or limitation of privileges, Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) actions and—in severe cases—punishments ranging from oral reprimands to a court martial. In extreme cases, the Army will separate the Soldier from service.

BCT is a rite of passage—it's not a just a challenge, but a privilege. BCT will build you up and change your life: Your body will be slimmed down, firmed up and filled out. You'll be mentally sharp. You'll have built qualities and values in yourself that you never knew existed until BCT.

You'll be part of an incredible team: You'll break down barriers and build bridges. You simply won't be the same person you used to be—you'll be a WARRIOR.

You'll gain the skills that will keep you alive in the field: Don't cut corners—you can't afford to skimp on any of your Soldier's skills. Executing a skill or a tactic properly will make the difference between life and death, both for you and for those you may be trying to save. BCT is the time to learn those skills properly.

After BCT

Once you've finished BCT, life in the military really begins. You'll learn what to do with your paperwork, move into Advanced Individual Training and begin studying your Military Occupational Specialty.

After you complete BCT, you’ll be going to Advanced Individual Training (AIT), where you’ll study the specialty you signed up for when you enlisted.

At most posts, at the very end of AIT you’ll be given your training record to hand-carry back to your RSP. Do NOT lose this training record! In many cases, this paperwork is irreplaceable. If you lose the paperwork, you lose the proof of what training you’ve completed—and there’s no way of getting it back.

Save your training record and hand it in immediately when you get back to your RSP.

Whether you go right after Basic Combat Training, or after your phase two RSP training, you’ll eventually be going to AIT after BCT. In all likelihood, unless you’re in One Station Unit Training (OSUT), your AIT will probably be at a different post than your BCT.

At the time you leave for AIT, you’ll have graduated from BCT and will have been trained for every Soldier’s primary responsibility—being a combat rifleman. While you are at AIT, you’ll learn your secondary area of responsibility, or what we call your Military Occupational Specialty (MOS). Upon completion of AIT, you will be MOS Qualified, or MOSQ.

Types of MOS
You can study over 150 specialties at AIT, including:
•    Electrical skills, like aircraft electronics and working with meteorological equipment
•    Medical skills, like serving as a Clinical Specialist or Nurse’s Aide
•    Administrative skills, like Human Resources Specialist or Public Affairs Specialist
•    Engineering skills, like working in construction, site survey or computer-aided design

By the way, these skills will make you a lot more valuable in the civilian job market, too—and can lead to more bonuses, more raises and more satisfaction in your career!

Changing your MOS is discouraged

Keep in mind that you made the decision about what area to specialize in when you enlisted. Unless you become physically or academically unable to do that MOS, you won’t be able to change your MOS. There’s a good reason for this. The Guard has programmed you into a training seat for the job you chose, so changing your MOS will keep some other Soldier from getting the job he or she chose.

Once you return to your State as an MOS Qualified Soldier, if you’d still prefer a different specialty, be patient. Opportunities may arise to change your MOS at the request of your chain of command. If not, there will always be an opportunity to change your MOS when it’s time to reenlist. For the most accurate and up-to-date information on this, contact your recruiter—or after you return from AIT, ask your unit retention NCO.

Leave between AIT and Battle Handoff

When the straight-through Soldiers complete AIT, there will be some leave time before Battle Handoff (that’s when you’re assigned to your units). The Army will provide return transportation home, or you can opt for a cash settlement for privately owned vehicle (POV) travel—but you must request the cash option at least one week before you graduate from AIT.

For Split Training Option (STO) Soldiers, the year between BCT and AIT is an exciting time. During this time you’ll be trained as leaders—that is, you’ll be groomed as Junior Cadre, and you’ll help RSP leadership with new recruits. Because you’ll have the accomplishment of going through BCT under your belt, younger Soldiers are going to look up to you—even though you may not be much older than they are. You’ll also look like a Soldier.  

Along with that higher status comes a certain duty. A lot more will be expected of you than ever before, and certainly more than what’s expected of the new recruits. You won’t be able to get away with as much as when you were an STO 1 Soldier. You'll have been through BCT, and so you'll be held to the code of behavior and conduct of the U.S. Army that you learned there. You’ll be expected to behave as a fully trained and qualified Soldier. You’ll be living the seven Army Values in your daily life—whether you’re standing in front of a new recruit, an officer or anyone else.  And you’ll feel good about it!

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