RECRUITING PROBLEMS?….OR NOT?….Tapped is right that it’s good news that the Army is meeting its recruiting goals. However, while I’m not trying to be unnecessarily gloomy, it’s not all good news. The New York Times story they link to points out a few areas of concern:
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The Army attributes some of its success to the flagging economy. Obviously, this won’t keep up forever (he said hopefully….)
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The National Guard said it would fall short of its goals. Since it’s the Guard and Reserve that are the real worries, this could be a sign of trouble ahead.
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Spending on recruiting has increased from $146 million to $321 million in the past ten years. We’re spending a lot of money to get new recruits these days.
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The Army has raised the age limit for new recruits from 34 to 40. Are standards for new recruits dropping?
None of this is necessarily serious stuff, and there are good reasons for some of it. Still, I wouldn’t breathe a sigh of relief quite yet. There’s plenty of simmering anger in the Guard and Reserve these days, and all the signs seem to indicate that we’re having increasing trouble recruiting there. Stay tuned.
