I find this whole topic very interesting. I was in the Army Infantry from 93-97'. I couldn't see even trying to make the transition to minimal shoe running during that time. I'm not so sure about the Air Force or Navy, but I would have wrecked myself if I tried to transition. You show up for PT in the morning and you do what they tell you too. So if you show up wearing minimal shoes for the first time and are told you are doing an 8 mile run, you can't say "but I'm trying to build up my milage gradually". Nope....you're doing 8 miles. It would have been a recipe for injuries for me.
It can be very difficult for It can be very difficult for soldiers trying to make the transition. When I first started I was running in traditional shoes for pt and running barefoot at night and then they allowed us to wear VFF to pt for a short while and I was already conditioned enough to be able to handle what ever they threw at us. Once I started running in my VFF my soldiers wanted too also. Knowing my soldiers, I knew that most of them would not make as dedicated of an effort as some other soldiers to safely and completely transition, so I would regulate what days they could wear them and traditional shoes. I also tried to put out a pt sheduele for a whole week so they knew what to expect and what footwear to use. I am happy to report though that none of my soldiers experienced any injuries while I was monitoring and controlling thier transition and pt sheduele.
I hated doing organized PT I hated doing organized PT because I never felt like I got anything from it other than tired. I was in the 82d from 94-97 and I did plenty of running there. So much so that when I pcs'd to Monterey I didn't really enjoy doing it anymore. Then once I joined the national guard I only ran 4 miles a year.....two PT tests worth! I was in BNCOC a few years ago and as usual, the 1SG of the school house always wanted to go on "short" 5 mile runs at a rather quick pace. I've never had a problem passing my PT tests, but I could never keep up on those company runs. Now, I'm still not sure I could keep the same pace as them, but I know I could out distance any of them.
