Battle Stations : an analysis of design, development, implementation, and training effectiveness

Abstract

Since the implementation of the Battle Stations program in July 1996 into the recruit training pipeline at Recruit Training Center Great Lakes, it has received much publicity and many accolades from notable military and civilian leaders. They claim the Battle Stations has advanced recruit training farther and has meet the changing cultural environment of recruits and the Navy better than any other training program in recent history. The Navy also declares Battle Stations as a rite of passage for Sailors, similar to the Marine Corps' recruit training event, the Crucible. This thesis examines the creation, implementation, and outputs of the Battle Stations program to determine its overall effectiveness as a training program as a rite of passage. Literature reviews on instructional systems design and rites of passage were conducted to compare it to the Battle Stations program. As a result, Battle Stations was determined to be questionable as a functional training program with little background research performed on design and implementation rationale, and minimally effective as a rite of passage. The Navy should conduct a formal training analysis utilizing models and criteria presented to this thesis to properly determine what changes should be conducted or even if a Battle Stations-type program is needed to meet the Navy's boot camp concerns.