DaJudge
March 25th, 2008, 03:40 PM
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(http://www.govexec.com/)Armed services having trouble finding qualified recruits
By Otto Kreisher CongressDaily (http://www.nationaljournal.com/about/congressdaily) March 24, 2008
The armed services' struggle to attract the number of young men and
women needed each year to maintain their required force levels is
increasingly handicapped by a hard set of demographic facts that sharply
reduces the pool of potential recruits and by emotional barriers that may
block access to the best prospects.
"We should not lose sight of the fact that, although the youth population is
large, a relatively small proportion of American youth is qualified to enlist,"
David Chu, undersecretary of Defense for personnel and readiness, testified
recently. "It is an unfortunate fact that many in the contemporary youth
population are currently ineligible to serve."
Chu and service officials point out that only about three of every 10
Americans of military age -- generally considered 17 to 24 years old -- can
meet the standards for military service.
In testimony to Congress, Chu cited the grim statistics: About 35 percent
are medically disqualified, with obesity a large contributing factor; 18
percent are barred due to a record of abusing drugs or alcohol; 5 percent
have serious conduct/criminal problems; 6 percent have too many
dependents, and 9 percent scored in the lowest aptitude category on the
enlistment test. Another 10 percent are qualified but considered unavailable
because they are attending college.
That leaves fewer than 5 million potential recruits out of the total of about
31 million Americans of age to serve in the military. From that reduced field,
the services need about 300,000 recruits a year for their active, reserve
and National Guard forces.
The number of potential recruits is reduced by the Pentagon's requirement -
- based on years of studies on what qualities indicate a high probability of
being able to perform necessary tasks and completing a term of enlistment
-- that 90 percent of recruits have a high school diploma, or a GED.
Nationally, 70 percent of young people graduate from high school, with the
averages as low as 50 percent in some urban areas and among minorities.
Military recruiting officials note that many young people with high school
diplomas cannot pass the enlistment tests.
To make the situation worse, access to that limited pool of eligible recruits
often is blocked by opposition from parents, teachers or other influencers,
or by a young person's inclinations. Service leaders say the percentage of
military aged Americans indicating any interest in military service is the
lowest on record.
In the face of these limits, the services are taking extraordinary steps to
meet recruiting quotas. The Army, which must attract about 170,000 new
soldiers this year for its active and reserve force, initiated programs to help
young men or women get their GED or pass the aptitude tests and one that
gives slightly overweight individuals a year after enlisting to meet weight
standards. All of the services provide some waivers for the high school
education requirement or other factors.
Again, the Army has had to use this authority the most, offering three times
as many this year as in 2005. Army Secretary Pete Geren said a study
showed that the 17,000 soldiers brought into Army on waivers have
performed better than the average enlistee.
(C) 2007 BY NATIONAL JOURNAL GROUP, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
(http://www.govexec.com/)Armed services having trouble finding qualified recruits
By Otto Kreisher CongressDaily (http://www.nationaljournal.com/about/congressdaily) March 24, 2008
The armed services' struggle to attract the number of young men and
women needed each year to maintain their required force levels is
increasingly handicapped by a hard set of demographic facts that sharply
reduces the pool of potential recruits and by emotional barriers that may
block access to the best prospects.
"We should not lose sight of the fact that, although the youth population is
large, a relatively small proportion of American youth is qualified to enlist,"
David Chu, undersecretary of Defense for personnel and readiness, testified
recently. "It is an unfortunate fact that many in the contemporary youth
population are currently ineligible to serve."
Chu and service officials point out that only about three of every 10
Americans of military age -- generally considered 17 to 24 years old -- can
meet the standards for military service.
In testimony to Congress, Chu cited the grim statistics: About 35 percent
are medically disqualified, with obesity a large contributing factor; 18
percent are barred due to a record of abusing drugs or alcohol; 5 percent
have serious conduct/criminal problems; 6 percent have too many
dependents, and 9 percent scored in the lowest aptitude category on the
enlistment test. Another 10 percent are qualified but considered unavailable
because they are attending college.
That leaves fewer than 5 million potential recruits out of the total of about
31 million Americans of age to serve in the military. From that reduced field,
the services need about 300,000 recruits a year for their active, reserve
and National Guard forces.
The number of potential recruits is reduced by the Pentagon's requirement -
- based on years of studies on what qualities indicate a high probability of
being able to perform necessary tasks and completing a term of enlistment
-- that 90 percent of recruits have a high school diploma, or a GED.
Nationally, 70 percent of young people graduate from high school, with the
averages as low as 50 percent in some urban areas and among minorities.
Military recruiting officials note that many young people with high school
diplomas cannot pass the enlistment tests.
To make the situation worse, access to that limited pool of eligible recruits
often is blocked by opposition from parents, teachers or other influencers,
or by a young person's inclinations. Service leaders say the percentage of
military aged Americans indicating any interest in military service is the
lowest on record.
In the face of these limits, the services are taking extraordinary steps to
meet recruiting quotas. The Army, which must attract about 170,000 new
soldiers this year for its active and reserve force, initiated programs to help
young men or women get their GED or pass the aptitude tests and one that
gives slightly overweight individuals a year after enlisting to meet weight
standards. All of the services provide some waivers for the high school
education requirement or other factors.
Again, the Army has had to use this authority the most, offering three times
as many this year as in 2005. Army Secretary Pete Geren said a study
showed that the 17,000 soldiers brought into Army on waivers have
performed better than the average enlistee.
(C) 2007 BY NATIONAL JOURNAL GROUP, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.