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Jewish World Review July 7, 2005 / 30 Sivan, 5765 Army has to follow rest of military's tactics in military recruitment By Jack Kelly
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
The Army slightly exceeded its recruiting goal for June, ending a four month
slide. In February, March, April and May, the Army fell some 7,800 recruits
short of its goal.
Only the Army has been having serious recruiting difficulties. The Air
Force, Navy and Marine Corps are all ahead of their recruiting goals.
Summer typically is the peak recruiting time, so the Army may reduce its
shortfall somewhat before the fiscal year ends Sep. 30th. But it is most
unlikely to close the gap entirely.
People on the Left assert that the Army's recruiting woes spell doom for the
U.S. mission in Iraq, and for the All Volunteer Force. Retired Army LtCol.
James Carafano says such fears (or in the case of the hard Left, hopes) are
overblown.
"If you are missing your goals year in and year out, you have problems, but
it's not an immediate crisis," said Carafano who now analyzes military
manpower issues for the Heritage Foundation in Washington D.C.
This is especially so because reenlistments have been higher than
programmed.
But if the Army's poor recruiting this Spring isn't a sign of incipient
calamity, it is a clear indication of a powerful limitation.
I am among those who believe that to most effectively prosecute the war on
terror, the Army should be larger by the equivalent of two divisions. This
isn't going to happen. Recruiting reforms can — and probably will —
ameliorate the present shortfall. But with the economy as strong as it is,
it's most unlikely the Army could be expanded by much.
Forget about the draft. It's as obsolete a military instrument as the horse
cavalry. Our generals know our military is as good as it is chiefly because
it is all volunteer. They know that even if Congress voted tomorrow to
reinstate conscription, it would take nearly a year for a draft to produce
an additional soldier. And they know Howard Dean will become a Republican
before Congress votes to reinstate the draft. It's only advocates are a
handful of ultraliberal Democrats who want to relive the glory days of the
antiwar protests of the 1960s.
To improve Army recruiting, we could pay our soldiers more, put more
recruiters on the job, and/or lower standards. The Army, wisely, has
rejected the third course.
If Congress approves, maximum enlistment bonuses will double, to $40,000.
More recruiters could make a difference, Carafano said. "What people tend
to forget is that before Iraq, things were going so well that we were
pulling people out of Recruiting Command," he said.
What recruiters tell prospective recruits may also make a difference, said
retired Army Major Donald Sensing, whose son is a Marine lance corporal.
Though they have suffered, proportionately, three times the casualties the
Army has, the Marines are meeting their recruiting goals.
His son chose the Marines over the Army because the Marines appealed
directly to his patriotism, while Army recruiters talked of job training and
pizza parties, Sensing said.
"The problem is, I think, the Army's recruiting strategy with is heavily
civilianized marketing influences," Sensing said. "At least the Marines
don't hide what they're about."
Recruiting is harder because many parents won't let their children talk with
Army recruiters, said MajGen. Michael Rochelle, commander of Recruiting
Command.
Parental concern for the safety of their sons and daughters is
understandable. But there is another group of "influencers" whose behavior
borders on sedition. Any high school or college which denies military
recruiters access to campus should lose all of its federal funding
immediately. Any high school or college which does not expel students who
disrupt recruiters at job fairs should lose all federal funding immediately.
In his speech on Iraq from Fort Bragg, President Bush said "there is no
higher calling than service in our armed forces."
The web logger "Tigerhawk" said that should be the start of a national
campaign to support military recruitment. Perhaps such a campaign could
embarrass Me Generation parents into being as patriotic as their sons and
daughters.
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© 2005, Jack Kelly |
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