The Army Numbers Game

[Snowden]

June 13, 2005
The Army Numbers Game

The Army's inability to recruit enough new soldiers to sustain its worldwide commitments is already serious, is becoming alarming and poses a real threat to the future of America's all-volunteer military. That should be ringing bells in the Congress and the country and creating intense political pressure to address the underlying problems. They range from intolerable strains on morale and readiness as a result of having too few troops in Iraq to absurd and offensive policies that limit the Army's ability to make full use of its female soldiers and openly gay men and women wanting to serve their country.

The requisite political energies aren't likely to be mobilized, however, if the Army keeps massaging monthly numbers to conceal the extent of the shortfall. In May for example, the Army originally hoped to send 8,050 new soldiers to training camps. Early in the month, as it became clear that new enlistments would not provide anywhere near that number, the target was dropped significantly, to just 6,700. Even that lowered target, it turns out, was missed by a whopping 25 percent, with only about 5,000 new recruits entering boot camp.

As of May, fewer than half the training slots at the Army's five major training centers were filled. Even if enlistments spurt temporarily during the summer, as the Pentagon now desperately hopes, it is hard to see how the Army expects to train the 80,000 new troops it will need this year to maintain its authorized strength. There has also been a troubling fall-off in educational levels and skills among the most recent recruits. Re-enlistment rates so far have held up, helped by tax-free bonuses, but there is concern about retaining troops as well. Last month new Army rules made it harder to discharge soldiers for pregnancy, drug or alcohol abuse, or poor fitness.

Instead of managing its recruitment numbers and playing dangerous games with quality standards, the Army needs to level with the public and Congress about what it will take to meet the nation's defense needs and restore the health of a volunteer force that has served America well.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/13/opinion/13mon3.html?th&emc=th

[BrianK]

Originally Posted by Snowden

[font=Comic Sans MS]June 13, 2005
The Army Numbers Game


As of May, fewer than half the training slots at the Army's five major training centers were filled. Even if enlistments spurt temporarily during the summer, as the Pentagon now desperately hopes, it is hard to see how the Army expects to train the 80,000 new troops it will need this year to maintain its authorized strength. There has also been a troubling fall-off in educational levels and skills among the most recent recruits. Re-enlistment rates so far have held up, helped by tax-free bonuses, but there is concern about retaining troops as well. Last month new Army rules made it harder to discharge soldiers for pregnancy, drug or alcohol abuse, or poor fitness.

Instead of managing its recruitment numbers and playing dangerous games with quality standards, the Army needs to level with the public and Congress about what it will take to meet the nation's defense needs and restore the health of a volunteer force that has served America well.

Looking at another thread where employment of teens is in jeopardy the low recruitment numbers ought to put even more of a strain on finding a job. Lower recruitment means more job seekers.

For the perspective employer if the army decided to stop playing games with quality standards. That would leave businesses with what? And teens with what?

Add to the picture a thread where Bill Gates was concerned about how education was falling behind in preparing youth for the more complex or technology based jobs of tomorrow.

Then a the part of this picture is foreign competition, outsourcing to compete. Closer to home jobs going to illegal immigrants, part time work going to seniors that need additional income to survive.

Not at all shaping up to be a good time to be young and not to bright. Even bright could find it difficult in the coming years. No big mystery the war in Iraq is having an effect on the numbers. Any one want to bet the Army will be swamped with volunteers and be VERY selective once the war is to the point of having a presence as we do now in Japan & Germany.