Recruit division commanders, known as RDCs, are the drill sergeants of the United States Navy. Before they train Navy recruits at boot camp, future RDCs must graduate from Continuation School, or C School, at Naval Station Great Lakes near Waukegan, Illinois, about 40 miles north of Chicago.
Business Insider spent four days at RDC C School to see how recruit division commanders are trained to instruct the next generation of sailors.
RDCs distinguish themselves from other Navy personnel with a red rope they wear around the left shoulder of their uniforms. They're responsible for training and mentoring Navy recruits during their time in boot camp.
During the 13-week C School course, RDC students learn how to motivate recruits, inspect their barracks, and lead them in physical training.
Although the Navy fell short of its recruitment goals in 2023, the branch shows no signs of dialing down the intensity recruits face during basic training. However, RDCs also learn how to implement the Navy's Warrior Toughness program, which provides recruits with tools to cope with the stress they experience during boot camp.
Business Insider spent four days at RDC C School to see how recruit division commanders are trained to instruct the next generation of sailors.
RDCs distinguish themselves from other Navy personnel with a red rope they wear around the left shoulder of their uniforms. They're responsible for training and mentoring Navy recruits during their time in boot camp.
During the 13-week C School course, RDC students learn how to motivate recruits, inspect their barracks, and lead them in physical training.
Although the Navy fell short of its recruitment goals in 2023, the branch shows no signs of dialing down the intensity recruits face during basic training. However, RDCs also learn how to implement the Navy's Warrior Toughness program, which provides recruits with tools to cope with the stress they experience during boot camp.
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00:00 [shouting]
00:07 These aren't new recruits in Navy boot camp.
00:11 [shouting]
00:15 They're future Navy boot camp instructors in training.
00:19 [shouting]
00:26 Soon, they'll be the ones doing the yelling.
00:29 Oh, no, no, no, no, no.
00:31 [shouting]
00:34 Known in the Navy as Recruit Division Commanders, or RDCs,
00:40 they're training to be the equivalent of Army drill sergeants
00:44 or Marine Corps drill instructors.
00:46 Once we're fully straight, make sure you extend.
00:49 Aye, aye, sir.
00:52 According to the Department of Defense,
00:54 the U.S. military is struggling to meet its recruiting goals
00:58 in every branch except the Marine Corps and Space Force.
01:02 In 2023, the Navy missed its target by nearly 7,500 new recruits.
01:08 You're a tough guy, aren't you? Do something. Do something.
01:11 The Army responded to its recruiting problems
01:14 by changing its approach in basic training,
01:16 ending a tradition known as the shark attack
01:19 and instructing drill sergeants not to yell at recruits as often.
01:23 Drill sergeants aren't cussing at soldiers anymore.
01:25 If you got to use that language to get somebody to do something,
01:29 you are not relevant in our Army anymore.
01:31 But the Navy is not dialing down the intensity during its training.
01:36 Get off my desk now! Get off my desk now!
01:40 We're not lowering the standard.
01:42 We're bringing people up to the standard.
01:43 That's where I think we have some really exciting opportunity
01:46 that we can hopefully make even more grounded.
01:49 Intense training like this remains at boot camp,
01:52 but the Navy is giving recruits a new tool to teach them how to cope with it.
01:57 Inhale. Two, three, four, five.
02:03 All future enlisted Navy sailors receive basic training here
02:08 at Naval Station Great Lakes near Chicago.
02:11 It's also where Navy boot camp instructors are trained.
02:15 Left, left, left, left your right leg out!
02:19 Left, left, left your right leg out!
02:22 Navy recruits spend 10 weeks in basic training.
02:26 Recruit Division Commanders train for 13 weeks at C-School,
02:30 from which about 400 new RDCs graduate each year.
02:35 The misconceptions are that we spend our day basically yelling all the time,
02:41 and it's not.
02:42 There's a time for that, but we're also mentors.
02:45 We're also teachers.
02:47 We're sometimes mom and dad.
02:50 While the first three weeks of C-School focus on curriculum,
02:54 the second phase of training gives them the experience
02:56 of working with actual recruits.
02:58 Just watch. Just watch.
03:00 I got my left hand.
03:01 We have different motivational tools that we utilize to get recruits up to speed,
03:06 and in order for the RDCs to properly and effectively use these tools,
03:11 they must first experience it themselves.
03:13 C-School.
03:17 Attention.
03:18 You have 30 seconds to hydrate. Go.
03:20 One of the tools is known as ITE, or intensive training exercises.
03:25 Your first exercise will be push-ups.
03:28 An intense series of exercises that can last for up to 40 minutes without a break.
03:33 Down, down!
03:35 If you come up as a group, go!
03:37 One way up! Three more minutes!
03:40 The Navy says ITE sessions are meant to be a motivational tool.
03:45 This is not a disciplinary tool.
03:47 This is not, "I'm angry at that recruit because he didn't follow my simple instructions."
03:50 This is a tool to use to try to break through that mold,
03:54 whatever they dealt with out in society,
03:56 get to the core of the problem, fix it,
03:58 get them to assimilate and join the United States Navy.
04:01 We need attention.
04:02 All right, Lieutenant Officer.
04:03 You can't tell them, but you can't do it.
04:06 They're going to ask you to do it.
04:08 You better not tell them you can't do it.
04:10 You better give them all the effort that they deserve.
04:13 That's why you're here!
04:15 We want them to understand how difficult this training is
04:17 and also the mindset of the recruit when they're getting yelled at,
04:21 when they're in their face,
04:22 because these RDCs aren't supposed to instruct angry.
04:28 When we were doing ITE this morning, right,
04:30 and the elevated energy levels was all for show almost,
04:35 just to be able to get in their face and have them experience that.
04:39 Find some reason to succeed!
04:40 Stop finding excuses to quit!
04:42 You're going to be the first RDC to pull this car down
04:44 and you can't even do the exercises!
04:46 RDCs conduct the sessions by following the exercises listed on a red card.
04:52 The red card is a list of all the exercises that we can conduct
04:58 as well as limitations on when they can do it,
05:01 proper hydration, all that sort of stuff,
05:03 to make sure that they're doing it safely and efficiently.
05:06 You can't just, you know, somebody getting off the bus
05:08 and go to the ITE car right away.
05:11 We wait for the medical providers to say,
05:13 you know, fit for full duty.
05:15 And once we know for a fact that those recruits are deemed fit for full duty,
05:21 then we can start our training.
05:23 Sir, I am a petty officer!
05:25 Say that every time!
05:26 Sir!
05:27 Say it again!
05:28 I am a petty officer!
05:30 We want them to be calm.
05:31 We want them to be collected.
05:32 And we want them to follow strict guidelines
05:34 to make sure that we don't injure anybody.
05:36 I want to be a better leader.
05:38 Why do you want to be a better leader?
05:39 Because I had such bad leaders.
05:41 And I was just a fireman.
05:44 You got to be able to do this.
05:45 You got to expect your recruits to do it.
05:46 You understand, petty officer?
05:48 I understand, Chief!
05:50 You need to dig deep and figure out why you want to be here.
05:53 Being able to push through tough moments
05:55 is critical to the training at Great Lakes.
05:58 When there's missiles flying at you, you don't want to freeze up.
06:01 To help recruits deal with the intensity,
06:04 the Navy instituted an initiative known as Warrior Toughness.
06:08 Let's go! Let's go!
06:10 Exhale. Two, three, four, five, six.
06:16 The tools that we discuss in Warrior Toughness
06:18 are ways for recruits and sailors
06:20 to disassociate from that stressful situation
06:23 and then perform at that optimum level.
06:26 We need to remember that some of the recruits
06:27 that we're having now, during COVID,
06:29 they were out of school for two years.
06:30 They have not had social interaction
06:32 as much as some of us have had.
06:34 So Warrior Toughness actually kind of helps them out
06:36 with that anxiety and stress levels
06:38 that they're going to be having here in boot camp,
06:39 because boot camp is stressful.
06:41 Take that stress, harness it, use it,
06:44 and push yourself and increase your focus.
06:46 One of the main techniques taught in Warrior Toughness
06:50 is called Recalibrate.
06:51 Recalibrate is a breathing technique
06:54 to slow down your breathing and your heart rate
06:57 and to calm yourself down
06:59 when you're in a strenuous environment.
07:01 Typically, when you're in stressful environments,
07:03 your heart rate is elevated and you kind of lose your mind
07:07 and you get jittery.
07:08 But if you slow your breathing down and try to focus
07:11 and use the, you know, lack of terms, recalibrate,
07:14 it would be better for you.
07:16 Now go ahead and open your eyes.
07:17 The Navy says that since the program
07:20 was implemented in 2018,
07:22 recruits who went through Warrior Toughness training
07:25 saw a 10% boost in on-time graduation.
07:35 Future instructors are evaluated
07:37 on their own physical fitness
07:39 and on how well they teach PT or physical training,
07:45 where the RDCs are held to the same standards as recruits.
07:49 It's really hard to motivate recruits
07:54 that may not be in peak physical shape
07:55 if you yourself cannot be that example
07:57 or set that role for them.
07:58 Ready up.
07:59 Drop.
08:00 Exercise.
08:02 Three, two, one, hold.
08:05 So RDCs coming here, we do have a standard for them
08:09 in terms of physical fitness.
08:10 When we assess them, we assess them to a higher standard
08:13 than is a normal assessment.
08:15 RDC students take the Navy Physical Fitness Assessment
08:18 three separate times during C-School.
08:21 So they're going to do initial on week one,
08:23 then they're going to do a mid-cycle in week seven,
08:25 and then they're going to do their graduation,
08:27 which is going to be week 12, a week prior to them graduating.
08:29 It's the same normal as the fleet standard,
08:31 so it's going to encompass two minutes
08:33 for proper Navy push-ups,
08:34 three minutes and 24 seconds for a plank,
08:37 and then they have their 1.5 mile run.
08:39 Break one.
08:40 On your six pack.
08:41 Come to the ready.
08:44 Exercise.
08:48 Break 90.
08:49 Relax.
09:09 Exercise.
09:12 Max it out.
09:14 Let's go.
09:16 One minute and 30 seconds as a lap.
09:18 Less than 10 seconds.
09:20 Less than 10 seconds.
09:21 Come on, senior.
09:22 Come on, come on, come on.
09:23 Breathe.
09:25 Relax.
09:26 Break one.
09:29 On your two pack.
09:29 In preparation for the final phase
09:32 of the physical fitness assessment,
09:34 RDC students must complete a sustained run.
09:37 Forward.
09:39 At a double time.
09:40 March.
09:44 Today, they have 20 minutes to run 12 laps around the gym,
09:49 about a mile and a half.
09:50 Atlas in three.
09:51 There we go, come on.
09:53 We got less than five minutes.
09:55 Let's go, let's go.
09:55 We can get four laps.
09:56 G-School.
09:58 Halt.
09:58 Come to the ready.
10:00 Exercise.
10:03 Future instructors are also tested
10:06 on how well they can teach PT.
10:08 Your next cool-down stretch will be the hip flexor.
10:11 Start with your left leg out.
10:12 Right leg to the rear.
10:13 Exercise.
10:14 Your deeper stretch is lean slightly forward.
10:17 So our PT is structured to where the students
10:21 are actually learning how to conduct recruit PTs.
10:23 Your next exercise will be calf stretches.
10:27 Exercise.
10:28 You will bring your left foot first.
10:32 So a lot of times you'll hear the instructors
10:36 kind of call the students out.
10:37 In a way, it's not us calling us out.
10:39 It's correcting deficiencies
10:40 and a little attention to details
10:42 that we want the students,
10:44 when they get qualified to be an RDC,
10:46 to instill into the recruits.
10:48 Hands behind yourself.
10:49 You should be feeling this stretch in your...
10:50 Exercise.
10:53 Starting with your feet shoulder-width apart.
10:56 On count one, you will...
10:58 Are you prepared for this?
11:02 Are you prepared, yes or no?
11:08 Yes, sir.
11:08 Demonstrate.
11:10 I am, sir.
11:14 Fall in.
11:14 Someone else step up.
11:15 Go!
11:16 Two minutes of a lapse.
11:23 These two seats are up.
11:30 They need to be down.
11:31 During boot camp, RDCs are tasked
11:34 with making sure the recruits' living quarters
11:37 are clean and organized.
11:39 Yeah.
11:39 These have to be down on the washers.
11:41 Okay.
11:42 Following a strict template
11:44 of where every item should be
11:46 and how it should look.
11:48 Six, two, squidgee, dustpan, two,
11:50 aprons, air gloves,
11:53 box, aero-radiator, brush.
11:54 In this evaluation,
11:57 individual RDC students have 20 minutes
11:59 to find a series of mistakes
12:01 in a recruit dormitory.
12:02 So, the hangers are off.
12:04 They're going to be towards the center compartment.
12:07 Following right behind them
12:09 is an RDC instructor keeping score.
12:11 After the 20 minutes have elapsed,
12:14 students are given their scores.
12:16 The compartment, right?
12:17 You found every hit.
12:18 Out of 31 total points,
12:20 you got 31, so 100%.
12:21 You got to make sure that elbow is tight.
12:24 Pretty much punch yourself in the shoulder.
12:26 What about commander?
12:28 Commander, what is it?
12:29 Starting in week four of C-School,
12:31 students are paired with an active RDC
12:33 and their recruits
12:35 for what's known as the shadow phase.
12:37 You want to look good in front of your family,
12:39 your friends,
12:39 and everyone that's coming to see you guys, right?
12:41 Yes, sir.
12:42 Here you go.
12:43 So, as you can get back.
12:46 RDCs are distinguished by the red rope
12:50 draped over their left shoulder.
12:51 But in training,
12:54 future RDCs wear a blue rope.
12:56 We observed several recruit division commanders
12:59 and RDC students
13:01 conducting training exercises in the ships.
13:05 Today, we were doing a drill inspection.
13:07 That's essentially what they'll do for graduation.
13:11 Well, yesterday when we were practicing
13:13 with Cadet Officer Santiago,
13:14 he told us to do straight with our left.
13:18 Yeah, you're going to do,
13:19 your arm is going to be straight.
13:20 But it's going to be in.
13:23 Like you can move it.
13:24 It's still straight.
13:25 You see my arm is still straight.
13:26 This also serves as an opportunity for RDC students
13:31 to see how best to discipline recruits.
13:34 This will either go smooth for you
13:36 or it can go bad for you.
13:37 Y'all pick and choose right now.
13:39 Understand?
13:41 Yes, Cadet Officer.
13:42 I really don't see anything funny about that.
13:51 You have to let them know that it's okay to mess up.
13:54 There's going to be times where you mess up
13:55 and it's not always a moment where
13:56 you have to yell at them or break their confidence.
14:01 It's more so building their confidence up
14:05 before you even go to that level.
14:06 So I prefer the method of actually training talking points,
14:11 going over that over and over again
14:13 until they're getting comfortable.
14:15 Then after that,
14:16 maybe the yelling might begin a little bit.
14:18 You want to be a flag bearer?
14:20 Because I'm trying to figure it out.
14:21 Right now, that ain't it.
14:22 Let's do it.
14:24 Go through it again.
14:25 Right.
14:26 Hey, let me know if you don't want to be a flag right now.
14:30 Let me know if you don't want to be a flag.
14:32 Because what I see, that ain't it.
14:33 We didn't ask you what you thought.
14:38 You said no thinking thing.
14:40 We don't want to open this plate.
14:41 I don't know how many times.
14:42 Across the hall,
14:44 another RDC student teaches recruits the proper way
14:48 to fold and stow the clothing in their racks.
14:50 Fold each side towards the center.
14:54 It's a challenging experience.
14:55 It is. It's very eye-opening.
14:57 It's very humbling.
14:58 Coming up on my 22-year mark,
14:59 I made chief in 2016.
15:01 But when you come here
15:02 and you have to really get back to the basics,
15:05 it's a bit humbling to see how much those basics have shifted.
15:08 So when you get back to the basics,
15:09 they're not the same basics as they used to be.
15:11 In the Navy, attention to detail is paramount.
15:15 We'll go skivvies.
15:16 In other words, underwear, undershorts,
15:20 whatever you want to call them.
15:21 As you're folding them, you lay it flat.
15:23 I told you.
15:24 Sometimes you will think,
15:26 "It's not important to fold the shirt this way."
15:28 But it is.
15:29 If you don't secure valves a certain way,
15:31 you can cause over-pressurization
15:34 and the piping can burst.
15:35 So you have to know that the attention to detail,
15:38 by following the instruction in place,
15:40 your attention to detail is to shut each valve in sequence.
15:43 Little mistakes can cause big accidents out there.
15:47 Oh, I folded it to the left instead of the right.
15:49 That's going to cause maybe damage in equipment
15:54 or loss of life.
15:57 So we want to get them introduced to it right away
15:59 before they make any major mistakes.
16:02 Because right here, it's a low-stress environment.
16:05 We try to induce stress,
16:06 but there's no real harm or fear of harm coming to them.
16:11 And it's an opportunity for them
16:12 to actually make those mistakes and learn.
16:14 It's a bit of a challenge to feel like a recruit again
16:18 and then to remind yourself,
16:19 "Oh, nope, I have to train.
16:21 "I can't just do the work.
16:23 "I have to show up and train
16:24 "to help others do the work next."
16:27 Good morning, C-School.
16:28 Good morning, Lieutenant Copter.
16:30 Although C-School says it hosts the top 10% of the Navy,
16:34 not everyone who attends the course does so voluntarily.
16:38 I was directed to come to Recruit Training Command.
16:41 I will say that I'm very glad that I received these orders
16:44 because it's been a blast so far.
16:46 Some are ordered to attend the school.
16:48 Yes, yes.
16:49 Hooray!
16:51 But many volunteer.
16:52 I volunteer.
16:54 I volunteer to come here.
16:55 I volunteer to come here
16:56 because I wanted to give back to the Navy.
17:00 I would say I kind of volunteered
17:02 because I wanted to be closer to my significant other.
17:04 And also, I knew that the detailers
17:07 for RDC orders would work with me.
17:11 So I ended up being here and I'm excited about it.
17:16 (indistinct)
17:17 United States Navy arriving.
17:20 (whistle blowing)
17:25 During the curriculum phase,
17:26 RDC students must relearn proper Navy drill techniques.
17:30 A skill many of them haven't used in years.
17:37 Also, our hand should switch to here for about face-changing.
17:41 Drill is mostly used for graduation.
17:43 When families come and see graduation,
17:45 it looks great to them no matter what, right?
17:48 But when we really focus on drill,
17:49 it's because we want to put emphasis on attention to detail.
17:53 What hand is it supposed to be in?
17:54 The left hand, Chief.
17:56 What are you supposed to do with your card, though?
17:58 Eight weeks later, students are evaluated
18:02 on their ability to lead drill in the hall used for graduation.
18:06 Forward!
18:08 Halt!
18:13 As for week 10, for the students themselves,
18:15 they're actually also learning how to do the left turn.
18:17 So the left turn is how the divisions
18:19 enter the entire drill halls.
18:21 They're rendering salutes to the families
18:22 and towards the dais,
18:23 so whoever our distinguished guest,
18:25 in addition to our commanding officer.
18:26 Left turn!
18:27 March!
18:27 A lot of the things you need to remember and know
18:32 is like on what foot that you have to make the call,
18:35 depending on what way you're turning.
18:36 Forward!
18:37 March!
18:37 Passing score is an 80%.
18:41 You're going to take a seven on the sides,
18:43 which end up giving you a seven on the hips.
18:46 So all we're going to do in this class,
18:48 it's going to remediate you, of course.
18:51 Students who fail the evaluation will be retrained
18:54 and have to take the test again at a later date.
18:57 We expect students not to be perfect,
19:00 but to be excellent.
19:01 And that's why the grading standpoint is a little stringent,
19:04 because we expect them to know the ins and outs
19:06 of everything that they have to train to recruit.
19:08 Division, halt!
19:09 I welcome you to the Recruit Division Commander
19:14 C-School Class 380 Graduation Ceremony.
19:18 After completing 13 weeks of training at C-School,
19:21 today, four students are graduating
19:24 and beginning their three-year tour.
19:27 The graduation for RDCs is symbolic,
19:30 changing from blue rope to red rope,
19:31 and it's one of the few opportunities
19:33 that their family has to come on board
19:34 and support them through that process.
19:36 Our newest RDCs will have their aigulette
19:38 pinned by their family members, staff, or guests.
19:41 It marks the end of the blue rope phase,
19:45 where you're not saddled with a ton of responsibility
19:47 to taking on that responsibility to train those recruits
19:50 and to be in charge of their safety and welfare.
19:53 Within the next week or two,
19:55 after I graduate on Wednesday,
19:56 I'll pick up my first division alongside two other RDCs,
19:59 and I'll be able to implement everything
20:01 that I have learned in C-School
20:03 and be able to apply it as an RDC.
20:06 So I'm pretty excited about that.
20:07 There are several perks that come with
20:10 becoming an RDC in the U.S. Navy.
20:13 On your next tour, you get a choice of clothes.
20:16 That may be important for some.
20:18 I know that was a determinant factor for myself.
20:20 You also get free dry cleaning,
20:21 which comes in really handy
20:23 because we're always wearing uniforms all the time.
20:26 RDCs also receive an extra $450 each month.
20:31 It is very common for RDCs coming out of here
20:34 to promote soon after they leave or while they're here.
20:36 We have a colloquialism in the Navy
20:38 that you get pain points for hard jobs.
20:41 The days are long, and we ask a lot of our staff
20:45 in this very critical mission.
20:48 Quit putting on yourself!
20:51 We tend to promote them more,
20:53 not just because they're RDCs,
20:55 but because the body of work
20:58 tends to be of a really high caliber.
21:01 RDC C-School is challenging,
21:03 but it is rewarding towards the end.
21:05 There's going to be times
21:06 when you're going through C-School
21:07 that you want to quit,
21:08 but you just have to remember
21:10 that you came here for a reason,
21:11 and no matter what,
21:15 these recruits look up to you.
21:16 You're the example of the Navy.
21:20 Hold him up! Hold him up! We're giving in! We're giving up!
21:25 How are you going to do this? You cannot do this!
21:28 Stand up straight! Stand up straight! Stand up straight!
21:32 All the way up! All the way up!
21:34 [BLANK_AUDIO]