Holy thread resurrection batman!
This is what happens when you decide to work your way through the topics starting at the back I guess. However I don't want to start a new topic because the argument is current and opinions are valid. However, this topic is 3 1/2 yrs old, and enough time has passed to examine if there have been changes in the system (for better or for worse).
My personal opinion is that physical standards (especially in the Reserves, but not limited to them) are too low, and fail to develop a soldier's fitness to the point where he is fit enough to get the job done in adverse conditions. For example, I'm in the militia myself. I've been on BMQ/SQ, DP1 Arty, DP2 Arty Tech, plus comms/dvr whl. I have NEVER been required to complete the BFT. Nor has PT been evaluated on any course I have been on(N/A on all assessments). This isn't to say we don't do the 45 min in the morning of PT, but it doesn't matter if you fall out or can't do it well. My next course will hopefully be PLQ at some point, where I have recently found out that in the modular format, inspections only occur for certain mods, the rest of the time it's not important. I'm not saying I love to receive c#@k, but I certainly expected plenty of it on a leadership course. On all my previous courses, the pass rate has ranged from 90 - 100%, which I feel is too high, especially for basic courses. I am limited to my own exp since I haven't taught any courses, but I would submit that if that is the case for the majority of basic courses then our training practices desperately need to be re-evaluated, regardless of the political needs placed on recruiting.
Cheers.