What To Expect At MCT — Everything You Need To Know About Marine Combat Training

You just graduated boot camp. You flip the bird to your respective depot as your bus departs the gates, ready for bigger and better things. You’re a Marine now, and you’re ready to get treated like it. Yeah, don’t hold your breath.

What Is MCT?

Marine Combat Training is a three to four week course attended by Marines with a non-infantry MOS. It builds on the combat training you’ll get in boot camp. You’ll learn more about patrolling, how to better use your rifle, how to operate a radio, how to camouflage yourself — as well as recognize people who have camouflaged themselves — but most of the training that goes on there is mental.

You’ll live primarily off of MREs, short for Meals Ready to Eat, during your time at MCT. MREs are small packages of preserved food that provide enough calories for you to function in the field. They can actually be pretty good if you can get creative.

MCT is all about simulating combat stress, so there will be many days when you’re unsure when your next meal is. On top of that, you won’t be getting more than a few hours of sleep each night, sometimes none at all. You don’t really exercise much, either.