NIACT Training - Ft. Jackson, SC
We arrived NIACT Saturday—New Year’s Day. Navy Individual Augmentee Combat Training (NIACT) is an Army-run training for Navy sailors who are deploying to the CENTCOM region (Afghanistan, Iraq, Horn of Africa, Kuwait, etc.). This is where we learn some of the core essentials needed for operating in theater. In essence, the army teaches us how to be soldiers. Therefore we call this NARMY training.
There wasn’t much to report on this day except that we didn’t get our luggage until later that night. We were issued our bed linen and then assigned to our barracks.
These are open bay barracks with 20 bunk beds, but luckily we only have 15 people in our barracks so it’s not that bad. The first night was the worst. It sounded like nearly everyone snored, but thankfully that was only for the first night. Now we only have one guy who snores loudly and I think I can mostly sleep through his noise.
One thing about NIACT. The army runs training VERY differently from the Navy. Army will train in bulk, so there’s a lot of what they call “white space.” White space is the time that you’re just sitting around waiting for the next activity whether it’s chow, a class, or an exercise. They are aware of the difference and warn us not to come here thinking we’re going change things. There’s a reason for their madness. Plus, you can’t change 200+ years of tradition. Just sit back and relax. I take my kindle with me and read during the down times. Regardless, the training is top notch, and like all training, you get what you put into it. Pay attention, ask questions and you’ll learn a lot.
