How to Fix It
The Army is in trouble. Recruiting standards have slipped and re-enlistment bonuses are through the roof. Even West Point graduates are departing from the military in droves at the earliest opportunities. These troubling facts were highlighted this week in The Boston Globe and MSNBC.com, as well as on the cover of TIME.
First, let’s talk about West Point. Founded in 1802, its graduates rank amongst the most notable leaders in American history: US Presidents Grant and Eisenhower aren’t even the most famous. (Check out Wikipedia for an incredibly complete list.) People world-wide have depended on West Point graduates for more than two centuries.
That makes it a particularly cruel realization that 46% of West Point’s Class of 2001 exited the Army within 6 months of the earliest opportunity. 54% of the Class of 2000 had left active duty by this January. According to The Boston Globe, “[t]he figures mark the lowest retention rate of graduates after completion of their mandatory duty since at least 1977, with the exception of … three classes in the late 1980s who were encouraged to leave.” According to Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed (West Point ’71), this is because of the rapid “operational tempo” of overseas deployments over the past 6 years.
The Associated Press piece on MSNBC.com suggests that the stress of our operations in Iraq and Afghanistan are causing service members to not re-enlist. Re-enlistment bonuses are now almost 6 times higher than in 2003, costing the Army and the Marine Corps more than $1 billion in 2006.
The authors of the TIME article, entitled “Broken Down,” present a stark look at the current state of the US Army. The piece points out that the Army is understaffed, and that its soldiers are woefully overburdened. It highlights the issue of bonuses, exposes the habit of rushed promotions (“lieutenants can be pinned on as captains after 38 months”), explains that recruiters are only meeting goals because of lowered standards (“recruits from the least-skilled category have climbed eightfold … over the past two years”). There is even a graph illustrating critical shortfalls of midlevel officers.
“Broken Down” dedicates its final 725 words to suggesting “how to fix it.”
Unfortunately, TIME missed an easy way to get another 41,000 troops in the military: repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Additionally, with repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the military could stop firing 2 gay people every day.
It won’t fix the whole problem, but adding tens of thousands of qualified women and men can only help.
- Elizabeth BollesLabels: in the news, Iraq, recruiting
-----04-13-07
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