The U.S. Army has launched Operation Wildcat Rising, an experiment testing whether Army Reserve drill sergeants can help rapidly expand basic training capacity in the event of a large-scale conflict. Conducted this summer at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, the initiative placed dozens of Reserve drill sergeants into a single basic training cycle to assess their ability to maintain standards while increasing throughput.
The Army confirmed the experiment’s purpose is to prepare for a potential future fight requiring a rapid expansion of trained personnel, according to a news release from the service. Officials described the effort as a springboard for a larger initiative next year, with findings intended to refine a wartime training model that could be deployed if recruitment pipelines face unprecedented demand.
Key Findings and Next Steps
Col. Matthew Horning, commander of the 1st Brigade, 95th Training Division, stated that drill sergeants involved in the exercise reported the experience was “worth several traditional rotations.” Horning added that the Army will now “take what we learned, give our formations the preparation time they need and refine the model for the next phase.”
Maj. Gen. Michael Dougherty, commander of the 80th Training Command, emphasized the experiment’s focus on training recruits for combat readiness, stating in the release: “Basic Combat Training is step one, and we have to get that right.” The Army did not provide additional details on the outcomes of the experiment beyond these statements.
How the Army Plans to Scale Training
The Army’s current approach relies on active-duty drill sergeants to lead basic training, with Reserve personnel historically deployed individually to fill gaps in active units. Operation Wildcat Rising tested a different model by assigning a Reserve formation under its own leadership a larger share of the training mission, according to the Army’s description.
Officials framed the experiment as a response to the potential strain on training bases and instructors in a major conflict. The Army has not specified the exact number of recruits the Reserve could train or the timeline for scaling up, but the initiative suggests a shift toward leveraging Reserve capabilities more broadly in wartime scenarios.
The Role of Reserve Forces in Wartime Training
The Army has long utilized Reserve personnel to supplement active-duty training, but this experiment represents a more integrated approach. By testing a formation-level deployment of Reserve drill sergeants, the Army is evaluating whether Reserve units can operate independently to meet urgent training demands without compromising quality.
The experiment also highlights broader questions about military readiness and force expansion, as the U.S. faces evolving global threats that may require rapid mobilization. While the Army has not detailed the specific metrics used to evaluate success, the initiative underscores a proactive stance on preparing for potential future conflicts where traditional training pipelines may be insufficient.
Background: The Need for Rapid Expansion
The U.S. military has not faced a recruitment surge of this scale in decades, and basic training facilities are designed to operate within predictable parameters. The Army’s experiment suggests a recognition that wartime scenarios could demand a fundamental rethinking of how recruits are trained, including the potential for Reserve components to take on larger roles in foundational military education.
No timeline has been provided for when the Army might implement a full-scale version of the model tested in Operation Wildcat Rising. However, officials indicated that refinements will begin immediately, with the next phase contingent on the lessons learned from this summer’s exercise.