The idea of going through military basic training sounds daunting. Images of intense physical exercise, early wake-up calls, and anything and everything that would throw you out of your comfort zone come to mind. Yet the idea of going to war is even more daunting, which is exactly what the United States Army had in mind when designing its training camp intended to equip new recruits for combat.

At the end of last year, however, big changes were made. Drill sergeants are ordered to yell less. Privates are given more sleep, more food and more personal time. These changes are being implemented in all the Army’s basic-training camps. Why?

These new tactics reveal the Army’s growing concern about its dwindling numbers of soldiers. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Army’s switch to a more gentle approach is an effort to graduate more recruits (February 15). Rather than having the attitude of “you better meet my standard or else,” drill sergeants are encouraged to mentor more and do all they can to assist in meeting the Army standard.

The official title of the Army’s boot camp is Basic Combat Training (bct). The key word in the title is combat. The nine-week program is intended to turn civilians into soldiers. But the new softer approach has some drill sergeants wondering if recruits will graduate from bct as prepared for war as they should be.

An important aspect of boot camp and what has diminished in the soft approach is the psychological training. Basic training teaches soldiers to perform their duties in stressful and frustrating conditions. The idea is that drill sergeants weed out the weak and transform civilians into tough, high-quality soldiers. After all, if soldiers cannot handle the stress of screaming drill sergeants, how will they be able to handle the stress of screaming bullets?

But in an effort to attract and graduate more recruits, drill sergeants keep stress in the camp at a lower level.

Not only does this new approach affect psychological training, but physical training as well. The physical fitness and marksmanship standards are kept the same for graduating, but the training process is still physically less demanding. Take running for example. The amount of running privates do at bct has been cut by more than 60 percent in the past three years. The reasoning behind this is more recruits have never received physical education or played sports, and the Army doesn’t want to cause injuries. Instead, privates spend more time stretching.

Another revealing story in the Wall Street Journal deals with one of the final boot-camp exercises one company commander had his privates undergo. The troops traveled in a convoy and were “ambushed” by enemy fighters. The drill sergeant ordered a counterattack. But before any of the troops jumped out of their truck, as they would in actual combat, they waited about 10 seconds until someone placed a ladder on the rear bumper so they could walk down the ladder one at a time. The jump would have been five feet—but the company commander felt it was more important to avoid spraining any ankles than to simulate a more realistic scenario. When asked if his soldiers were as disciplined and tough as their predecessors, the company commander replied that he couldn’t tell (ibid.).

Just as harmful is the Army’s decision to abandon a drill sergeant’s recommendations for recruits. The Army will no longer expel recruits based on a drill sergeant’s opinion of a recruit’s discipline and moral values. Army officials rely strictly on the written standards, even though a drill sergeant could offer good insight on the character of a private.

All of these newly implemented measures have been successful in keeping more recruits. However, some Army officials question the quality of soldiers produced through the new process.

That concern may be obvious—but step away and look at the bigger picture for a moment. The problems the Army faces are extant in almost every aspect of American society. Standards and expectations have dropped in our culture of relativism. From an early age, Americans are praised for minimal effort rather than being pushed to excel. Simply put, America has gone soft. The effects have reached even one of the greatest strengths of the country—its military.

In biblical terms, America has lost the pride of its power (Leviticus 26:19). Before long, it will lose its actual power as well. In the most perilous times this world has experienced, the Army is lowering its standard and making basic training easier in order to recruit more people. Paradoxically, now is the time America needs battle-ready, tough soldiers the most. Isaiah 3:2 warns of a time when the U.S. and Britain lack the “mighty man” and the “man of war.” That time is now, and more and more evidence is making this clear.