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| Slow Economy Helping Military Recruiting |
| 2008-10-14 |
| WASHINGTON (AP) -- The tough economy could make it easier to sign up soldiers. Fewer civilian jobs mean less competition for military recruiters. "We do benefit when things look less positive in civil society," David Chu, the Pentagon's personnel chief, told a news conference Friday. "I don't have the Dow Jones banner running up behind me here this morning, but that is a situation where more people are willing to give us a chance." For several years, as the Army in particular struggled to meet its recruiting needs, military officials have cited a strong economy as one obstacle to attracting young people looking at their employment options. It is one reason that over the past year the Army and Marine Corps felt compelled to pay more than $600 million, combined, in bonuses and other financial incentives to entice recruits. Another negative factor: Parents and others who influence the decisions of enlistment-age men and women have, since the outset of the Iraq war, become less inclined to recommend military service. In announcing that the Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force all met their recruiting goals for the budget year ended Sept. 30, Chu said the economic downturn offers new possibilities for recruiters. "What more difficult economic times give us, I think, is an opening to make our case to people (potential enlistees) that we might not otherwise have," Chu said. "And if we make our case, I think we can be successful." The military needs any break it can get on recruiting, particularly since it is in the midst of a push to substantially increase the size of the nation's ground forces -- a decision driven by an urgent need to reduce the strain on troops and their families from repeated deployments to Iraq. Plans are to boost the active-duty Army by 65,000 soldiers to a total of 547,000 by 2010. The Marines are aiming to grow from 175,000 to 202,000 by 2011. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #8 No matter how bad the economy, who would want to enlist to serve under CinC Obama? Somebody not familiar with the story of Uriah the Hittite? |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2008-10-14 18:18 |
| #7 I left the active military during the Carter administration, but not just because Jimmah Kahtuh was elected president. I joined the Reserves shortly after my discharge. I pulled at least one 6-month active duty tour before Ronald Reagan was elected president, and I was convinced I was right to have left. For a lot of people, the CINC doesn't matter - at least, not at first. It's not until the promotion freezes, the inane stupidity, and all the rest coming from the top trickles down that people begin considering leaving. It's just one more matter to consider, but it's frequently the tipping point. If there's another Clinton-style purge, things could get really difficult for the average soldier, and he'll bail. It's one thing to serve when you know the people support you. It's another thing to serve when the most important people in the chain of command consider you just another piece of sh$$. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2008-10-14 16:04 |
| #6 i look for The One (if elected) and Harry and Nan to gut the defense budget, thus resulting in a RIF action, in both the uniformed and civilian segments. |
| Posted by: USN,Ret. 2008-10-14 12:40 |
| #5 No matter how bad the economy, who would want to enlist to serve under CinC Obama? What do our fellow 'Burgers who are currently serving or have recently served say about this...do you anticipate a serious downturn in enlistments and reenlistments/mass resignations of officers if the media putsch carries The One into the Oval Office? |
| Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) 2008-10-14 12:39 |
| #4 From The One's web site: Restore the Readiness of the National Guard and Reserves Barack Obama and Joe Biden will provide the National Guard with the equipment it needs for foreign and domestic emergencies and time to restore and refit before deploying. They will make the head of the National Guard a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to ensure concerns of our citizen soldiers reach the level they mandate. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2008-10-14 09:20 |
| #3 That's why Obama will reinstate the draft for his Peoples' Militia. You're daughter to be a member of the elite Sandra Bernhart Peoples' Shock Brigade. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2008-10-14 09:04 |
| #2 No matter how bad the economy, who would want to enlist to serve under CinC Obama? |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2008-10-14 07:38 |
| #1 yadda, yadda, yadda. The military met recruiting goals [much to the MSM dismay] during the war and 'good' economic times these last 8 years. Ignoring the year during the Clinton era it did not when everything was golden by the MSM measure. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2008-10-14 03:32 |