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| Army Recruitment Rises as Standards Drop |
| 2006-10-10 |
| WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Army recruited more than 2,600 soldiers under new lower aptitude standards this year, helping the service beat its goal of 80,000 recruits in the throes of an unpopular war and mounting casualties. The recruiting mark comes a year after the Army missed its recruitment target by the widest margin since 1979, which had triggered a boost in the number of recruiters, increased bonuses, and changes in standards. The Army recruited 80,635 soldiers, roughly 7,000 more than last year. Of those, about 70,000 were first-time recruits who had never served before. According to statistics obtained by The Associated Press, 3.8 percent of the first-time recruits scored below certain aptitude levels. In previous years, the Army had allowed only 2 percent of its recruits to have low aptitude scores. That limit was increased last year to 4 percent, the maximum allowed by the Defense Department. The Army said all the recruits with low scores had received high school diplomas. In a written statement, the Army said good test scores do not necessarily equate to quality soldiers. Test-taking ability, the Army said, does not measure loyalty, duty, honor, integrity or courage. Daniel Goure, vice president of the Lexington Institute, a private research group, said there is a "fine balance between the need for a certain number of recruits and the standards you set." "Tests don't tell you the answer to the most critical question for the Army, how will you do in combat?" Goure said. But, he added, accepting too many recruits with low test scores could increase training costs and leave technical jobs unfilled. "The absolute key for the Army is a high-school diploma," Goure said. About 17 percent of the first-time recruits, or about 13,600, were accepted under waivers for various medical, moral or criminal problems, including misdemeanor arrests or drunk driving. That is a slight increase from last year, the Army said. Of those accepted under waivers, more than half were for "moral" reasons, mostly misdemeanor arrests. Thirty-eight percent were for medical reasons and 7 percent were drug and alcohol problems, including those who may have failed a drug test or acknowledged they had used drugs. The Army said the waiver process recognizes that people can overcome past mistakes and become law abiding citizens. Army Brig. Gen. Anthony A. Cucolo said that adding more recruiters enabled the Army to identify more recruits. "We got the right people in the field in the right places in the right numbers," said Cucolo, the chief spokesman for the Army. About two-thirds of the recruits qualified for a bonus - an average of $11,000 each. Some in highly valued specialties, such as special operations forces, can get up to $40,000 in extra cash. The Army National Guard and the Army Reserve both fell slightly short of their recruiting goals. The Reserves recruited 25,378 of the targeted 25,500; and the Guard recruited 69,042 of the targeted 70,000. |
| Posted by:mcsegeek1 |
| #9 Civilians ... and journalists. |
| Posted by: Bobby 2006-10-10 22:14 |
| #8 It is ironic that the seditious press fails to grasp that all the TOTAL MORONS who are too friggin' stupid to get into the military are still slithering around out there as ...... civilians. What population has NO STANDARDS WHATSOEVER to meet - that of being a civilian. The headlne should read something like" "Military agrees to accept highest 2% of civilian idiots" - leaving 98% of the dumbest citizns to remain as typical civilians (& Donk voters). |
| Posted by: Lone Ranger 2006-10-10 20:10 |
| #7 I just KNEW somebody'd be able to spin the recruitment news a few days ago. Remember, Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud© |
| Posted by: Bobby 2006-10-10 16:46 |
| #6 #3 LMAO -- good point. Maybe we ought to make that a requirement for admission to journalism school. |
| Posted by: Matt 2006-10-10 14:03 |
| #5 Lots of good people out there. Many times all they need is a break to get past something. Sometimes acceptable "standards" for one time may be unrealistic for other times. It reminds me of the standards set for Japanese naval pilots prior to and during the recent unpleasantness. One could argure that they were a noticable factor in their loss of the naval air war. I agree with what JDB said, although Rob does raise a serious concern. |
| Posted by: kelly 2006-10-10 13:41 |
| #4 Headline subtext: We support our troops even if not so secretly we believe them to be mentally retarded. Now bring them home immediately and take them to a petting zoo. |
| Posted by: JDB 2006-10-10 13:04 |
| #3 If the army lowers its standards any further AP reporters will be able to get in. Aren't you required to swear loyalty to the US? |
| Posted by: Rob Crawford 2006-10-10 12:51 |
| #2 If the army lowers its standards any further AP reporters will be able to get in. |
| Posted by: Matt 2006-10-10 12:44 |
| #1 They recruited above their goal because the war is unpopular. That makes sense to me! And the Reserves and the National Guard didn't make their numbers because in the midst of this unpopular war, recruits are preferentially choosing active duty. It's going to be another surprising election for the traditional media, I think. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-10-10 12:13 |