New Air Force recruits reporting to boot camp in October can expect more time spent working out and a new series of field events that simulate deployments to combat zones.

“Physically, it’s going to be tougher,” said Col. Bill Ackman, commander of the 737th Training Group, which oversees Air Force Basic Military Training, or BMT. “That being said, we are also giving them the tools to recover the resiliency piece, both mentally and physically.”

Daily exercise time will increase from 60 minutes to 90 in the new BMT, as recruits prepare for a capstone event that simulates a deployed environment, Ackman told Task & Purpose at the Air & Space Forces Association’s annual conference in National Harbor, Maryland.

The first 848 trainees will begin “BMT 2.0” on Oct. 7 at Lackland Air Force Base i

See Full Page