Navy recruits will complete 10 weeks of boot camp in 2022, rather than the eight weeks that has been the standard.

The additional two weeks of Basic Military Training at Recruit Training Command aboard Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois, will be devoted to the completion of a “Sailor for Life” module that targets the conversion from civilian to sailor, according to Capt. Dave Hecht, a spokesman for the chief of naval personnel.

“This will focus on character development through lessons in mentorship, small-unit leadership, professional and personal development and advanced Warrior Toughness,” Hecht said in an email to Navy Times.

A few other changes in training and personal development are also slated for the new year.

That includes expanding the Warrior Toughness training that recruits go through during boot camp to the entire fleet. First introduced to recruits in 2018, Warrior Toughness is designed to help sailors perform in stressful situations and is based on concepts originally developed by Naval Special Warfare.

“The fleet-wide campaign will ensure all Sailors benefit from the psychological skills and character development needed to maximize their performance in challenging environments,” Hecht said.

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Additionally, the Navy is growing the Navy Leader Development Program in 2022 so that commands have qualified facilitators to teach the course, rather than conducting it via mobile training. These facilitators will receive training from the Naval Leadership and Ethics Command so they can go back to their individual commands and teach their fellow sailors.

Each command needs at least two qualified facilitators, who must be chiefs, senior chiefs or master chiefs, to lead the course.

The Navy is also poised for the United States Naval Community College to kick off its naval studies certificate courses.

The pilot program for the community college launched in 2021, and the second round is expected to introduce a five-course naval studies certificate to accompany a 60-credit-hour associate degree. These students, who will take the courses online, will have the option to select concentrations in military studies, nuclear engineering, cybersecurity, aviation maintenance technology, logistics, and other subjects.

The Naval Community College is partnering with Arizona State University in summer 2022 to launch its military studies associate degree program, and is likewise partnering with Minnesota’s Alexandria Technical & Community College in the fall of 2022 to kick off its nuclear engineering technology associate degree program.

A cybersecurity associate degree is also in the works and is expected to launch in the fall of 2022.

The second round of the pilot program will be conducted in four phases, and is expected to enroll approximately 5,000 Navy and Marine Corps students, along with 500 Coast Guard students. The final phase is scheduled to kick off in January 2023.

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