APRIL 9, 2024 — As part of its ongoing efforts to increase the quality of individuals entering basic training and provide additional opportunities to serve in our all-volunteer force, the Army expanded the Future Soldier Preparatory Course at Fort Moore, Georgia at the end of March 2024.
The Army has suspended the option for recruits with an ASVAB score between 31-49, or CAT IIIB, to volunteer to attend the FSPC, but Fort Moore will continue to train the current population of contracted CAT IIIBs while transitioning to training recruits with an ASVAB score between 21-30, or CAT IV.
Fort Moore will also immediately transition two additional companies to train CAT IV recruits.
There will be no change to the FSPC structure at Fort Jackson, and all recruits going through the fitness track of the FSPC will continue to train at Fort Jackson.
TRADOC assesses that the Army’s readiness depends on a quality all-volunteer force. We will invest in America’s young people so they can meet our standards, because the Army is unparalleled in its ability to unlock a person’s full potential. Through the Future Soldier Preparatory Course, the Army will provide focused academic and fitness instruction for those who have the desire and ability to achieve the Army standards.
With over 18,000 graduates, the FSPC continues to highlight innovative Army programs designed to ensure we have the quality recruits needed to fight and win our nation’s wars. As the Army has stated in the past, we will not sacrifice quality over quantity, we will not lower our standards, we will invest in America’s young people so they can meet our standards.
The FSPC pilot program stood up in August 2022 to help America’s youth overcome academic and physical fitness barriers to service and meet or exceed the Army’s accession standards.
Both tracks of the course have a 95% graduation rate. Students in the academic track have increased their test score by an average of 17 points, and those in the fitness track lose an average of 1.4 percent body fat each week.
“We are incredibly proud of our cadre for helping our recruits meet or exceed the standards expected of every Soldier,” said Lt. Col. Brian Canny, commander of 1st Battalion, 46th Infantry Regiment, 197th Infantry Brigade, the unit that oversees the academic portion of the FSPC at Fort Moore. “With these refinements, and given ongoing resources for this training, we will continue to help more young men and women qualify to serve in America’s Army.”
The Army will continue to assess and scale the FSPC based on the demand and resources needed to ensure we are successfully preparing and building quality recruits.
By Jonathan Dahms