Army's Test Comparing OSUT with Two Station Training

Congress directed the Army to conduct a test comparing one station unit training (OSUT) with two station training to determine whether two station training could produce qualified soldiers as economically as OSUT. The Army designed a test, scheduled to begin late in 1978, which would compare a 12-week OSUT program with a 13-week two station program to train infantrymen. The course of instruction for the two station program contains 38 more hours than the OSUT program. The difference between the length of the two programs automatically introduces a cost bias in favor of OSUT. A more useful test and one more in consonance with congressional intent would be a comparison of the 12-week OSUT program with a program of equal length at two stations. The Secretary of the Army should redesign the test to compare similar programs of equal length.