The American Legion also agrees with the reports recommendation that calls for tougher standards. This is not intended to diminish the quality and capability of today's servicepersonnel, but rather identify an issue that could have severe consequences on the battlefield if not revisited. The fundamental mission of basic training is to indoctrinate recruits. This mission must come first and must not compete with other agendas. The nation's security and more importantly, the lives of young American men and women are dependent upon this initial training.
Basic training needs to be realistic, difficult and demanding.
Boot camp is a short but extremely important period of time to test an individual's physical and mental toughness. The Marine Corps, like the other services of yesteryear, has also repeatedly demonstrated that equal opportunity for women can be maintained in separate gender training centers by returning to all-female companies with female drill sergeants and officers which report to female battalion and brigade commanders. In separate gender basic training, drill instructors and officers provide a strong positive role model of the same sex without distractions of sexual attraction. Female trainees can see female role models not only in control of them and their unit, but also positively interacting with their male counterparts. In short, female trainees come to realize that they too, can become assertive leaders that play an important part of today's military.