“The Navy appreciates the strong support from our Army partners,” said Nowell, according to his written testimony. “Our Army partners at Fort McCoy helped us protect our accessions pipeline and ensure the well-being of new recruits in a critical time. We are truly grateful for the support of every member of the Fort McCoy team.”
Nowell’s testimony occurred two days before the Navy’s Recruit Training Command (RTC) officially vacated its restriction of movement (ROM) site at Fort McCoy May 14.
Safe completion of ROM is important to the continued flow of personnel through the training pipeline. Shutting down training creates gaps in the fleet, preventing personnel from transferring from their commands.
RTC had been directing incoming recruits to Fort McCoy after initially using local-area hotels for ROM.
In fiscal year 2020, even with COVID-19, 39,768 recruits crossed the RTC quarterdeck, 768 more than the service’s goal of 39,000 recruits.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, more than 50,000 recruits have trained at RTC, the Navy’s only boot camp.
Boot camp is approximately eight weeks and all enlistees into the U.S. Navy begin their careers at the command. Training includes physical fitness, seamanship, firearms, firefighting and shipboard damage control along with lessons in Navy heritage and core values, teamwork and discipline. More than 40,000 recruits train annually at the Navy’s only boot camp.