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Army Recruiting Falling On Hard Times

By Jeralyn, Section War In Iraq
Posted on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 12:02:39 PM EST
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The army is having a tougher time recruiting, and the Army has a new study showing that it's losing ground as a career choice, particularly among blacks and females.

The share of blacks in the Army's recruiting classes has plummeted by about one-third over the past five years. It has continued slipping this year despite more generous enlistment bonuses offered to all prospective recruits and an increase in the number of recruiters.

"More African-Americans identify having to fight for a cause they don't support as a barrier to military service," concluded an August 2004 study for the Army. It also said attitudes toward the Army among all groups of American youth have grown more negative in recent years.

Female recruits as a share of total Army enlistments have dropped 13 percent over the last five years and are in continued decline this year, the Army Recruiting Command says.

For both groups, concern about being sent to fight in Iraq is the major turnoff, according to a series of unpublicized studies done for the Army over the past year and a half.

"Risks of military service, and particularly the Army, are perceived to far outweigh the rewards for the vast majority of youth," said the August 2004 study by GfK Custom Research Inc.

More available here.

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    Army Recruiting Falling On Hard Times | 25 comments (25 topical)
    Re: Army Recruiting Falling On Hard Times (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 12:32:25 PM EST
    What? People don't want to fight and die in an unjust war that they don't believe in? Where is the patriotism?!

    Re: Army Recruiting Falling On Hard Times (none / 0) (#2)
    by roy on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 01:20:45 PM EST
    Anybody know what the various minority percentages are for the other branches? How about absolute numbers for army recruitment goals over the past few years? I can't google either up.

    Re: Army Recruiting Falling On Hard Times (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 01:26:53 PM EST
    Why should they join only to become the property of the military and to be trained to torture and kill?

    Re: Army Recruiting Falling On Hard Times (none / 0) (#4)
    by scarshapedstar on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 01:29:19 PM EST
    As always, these numbers are inaccurate, there's 10 million new recruits who just aren't showing up on the charts yet. Ain't that right, conservative commenters?

    Re: Army Recruiting Falling On Hard Times (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 01:55:49 PM EST
    Probably most of them are folks who decided the price for college is just a bit too high.

    Re: Army Recruiting Falling On Hard Times (none / 0) (#6)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 03:06:56 PM EST
    Draft, here we come!

    Re: Army Recruiting Falling On Hard Times (none / 0) (#7)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 03:14:20 PM EST
    Draft, here we come!
    that's been pretty obvious for a while, don’t know how we'd staff all these perpetual wars without one. the rFringe just like to deflect, baitNswitch, slightOFhand, etc., the obvious. funny how only people on the right are affected by this strategy, hhhhmmmmmm!

    Re: Army Recruiting Falling On Hard Times (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 03:21:18 PM EST
    It has continued slipping this year despite more generous enlistment bonuses offered to all prospective recruits
    TL, Yet another agregious, blatant lie that you feed to your unquestioning denizens. Enlistment bonuses have never been and will never be offered to all prospective recruits. Generally an enlistment bonus is offered to highly technical career field personnel that have opportunities that pay far greater in the civilian sector. At a point which the Army has to offer a bonus to every new recruit, it would be more beneficial to reinstate the draft, but fortunately neither is warranted nor going to happen.

    Re: Army Recruiting Falling On Hard Times (none / 0) (#9)
    by roy on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 03:35:50 PM EST
    TL, Yet another agregious [sic], blatant lie...
    It's only egregious and blatant if she knows it's false. Since even you don't bother to provide documentation to the contrary, I'm thinking she's either correct or ignorant.

    Re: Army Recruiting Falling On Hard Times (none / 0) (#10)
    by john horse on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 03:41:34 PM EST
    According to the study, "More African-Americans identify having to fight for a cause they don't support as a barrier to military service." Anyone who is willing to risk their life for a cause they don't support is a fool. The problem is that those who support the cause also aren't willing to fight or die for it.

    Re: Army Recruiting Falling On Hard Times (none / 0) (#11)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 03:41:49 PM EST
    Generally an enlistment bonus is offered to highly technical career field personnel that have opportunities that pay far greater in the civilian sector.
    that could be true, don't have the stats to call that, but, grunts are getting some heavy bonu$ from the army in addition to some nice educational incentive$. but you have to be alive and semi-functioning to collect. do you see their dilemma any clearer?

    Re: Army Recruiting Falling On Hard Times (none / 0) (#12)
    by Johnny on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 05:36:26 PM EST
    Well, now is the time for Bush to encourage his daughters to join, set an example. As far as that goes, the entire congress should encourage their children to volunteer. Whats the worst that can happen?

    Re: Army Recruiting Falling On Hard Times (none / 0) (#13)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Mar 08, 2005 at 06:11:56 PM EST
    For more on the military's recruiting problems visit the new site CounterRecruiter.net. Recent headlines include: * Army Relying More on High School Dropouts To Fill Ranks * Draft Talk Increases As Army Nat'l Guard Falls 26% Short Of Recruiting Goal * As Number of Black Recruits Drops by 41%, Military Launches New PR Effort

    Re: Army Recruiting Falling On Hard Times (none / 0) (#14)
    by pigwiggle on Wed Mar 09, 2005 at 06:54:28 AM EST
    This is exactly the impact one would expect on an all-volunteer army in a modestly unpopular war. This is a good thing, a functioning thermostat on our ability to engage in military action the population does not, in general, support. There is no public support for a draft, and the only congressional support has been a few democrats . To all the chicken little draft criers, no one is taking you seriously.

    Re: Army Recruiting Falling On Hard Times (none / 0) (#15)
    by kdog on Wed Mar 09, 2005 at 06:55:50 AM EST
    I caught some Randy Rhodes yesterday, and she was cracking me up. She suggested we start a "top down" draft. The first draftess would be the children of the executive and legislative branches, followed by third generation inheritors. Paris Hilton, report for duty. Y'know, as payback for the Vietnam War draft.

    Re: Army Recruiting Falling On Hard Times (none / 0) (#16)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Mar 09, 2005 at 09:29:02 AM EST
    CounterRecruiter.net? That by definition, is Sedition. In a different era, they would have been justly put in the pokey for that.

    Re: Army Recruiting Falling On Hard Times (none / 0) (#17)
    by kdog on Wed Mar 09, 2005 at 10:43:45 AM EST
    I disagree Boq...you say sedition, I say freedom. I myself have urged friends not to join the military, am I guilty of treason in your eyes?

    Re: Army Recruiting Falling On Hard Times (none / 0) (#18)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Mar 09, 2005 at 11:21:39 AM EST
    kdog, To express your opinion in a peaceable manner to a friend is called freedom of expression. But to physically interpose yourself and disrupt Recruitment of US Armed Forces during time of war, is clearly a felony. Title 118, Part 1, Chapter 115, Section 2388, Subsection A of the U.S. Code, states: "Whoever, when the United States is at war, willfully causes or attempts to cause...or willfully obstructs the recruiting or enlistment service of the United States, to the injury of the service or the United States, or attempts to do so— Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both. Subsection b states: If two or more persons conspire to violate subsection (a) of this section and one or more such persons do any act to effect the object of the conspiracy, each of the parties to such conspiracy shall be punished as provided in said subsection (a). Is that clear enough?

    Re: Army Recruiting Falling On Hard Times (none / 0) (#19)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Mar 09, 2005 at 01:02:34 PM EST
    Oh, they knew from the beginning that Black people were against the war and that we make up a big chunk of the army. NOW they are thinking about the consequences of totally marginalizing Black opinion? I guess they thought there would be none. Or maybe they had faith that supporters would join up, or worse, that Blacks wouldn't modify their behavior accordingly.

    Re: Army Recruiting Falling On Hard Times (none / 0) (#20)
    by pigwiggle on Wed Mar 09, 2005 at 01:21:05 PM EST
    “Oh, they knew from the beginning that Black people were against the war and that we make up a big chunk of the army.” All black folks think alike? Well, this makes things so much easier; I only really need know one black person. There is a black guy in my office who’s a homophobe. I guess I know how you feel about homosexuals, don’t I Chrissy?

    Re: Army Recruiting Falling On Hard Times (none / 0) (#21)
    by john horse on Wed Mar 09, 2005 at 06:36:28 PM EST
    Pig, I agree that the inability of the military to meet its recruitment goals demonstrates the lack of popular support for the Iraqi war and occupation. I think it also implies more. One way to look at Iraq is through the lens of the Powell Doctrine. According to the Powell Doctrine, military force should be used as a last resort, with strong public support and only if there is a well-defined national interest was at stake. And it should be executed with overwhelming force and a clear exit strategy. I don't think the invasion and occupation of Iraq meets any of these criteria.

    Re: Army Recruiting Falling On Hard Times (none / 0) (#22)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Mar 10, 2005 at 11:40:46 AM EST
    now if we could get ann coulter, rush limbaugh, and bill o'reilly to fill the void.

    Re: Army Recruiting Falling On Hard Times (none / 0) (#23)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Mar 10, 2005 at 02:42:26 PM EST
    Interestingly, there was a recent PBS special on George Washington. It turns out that the Minutemen were an all volunteer force who stayed only out of belief in their cause, unlike the largely mercenary English (and Prussian) King's army. There was a great quote that I wish I could put my hands on about the commitment, ferocity and bravery of the "volunteer" army (who believed in the cause) as opposed to the mercenary forces. Point being, nothing's changed. BTW, Bosquido, spare me from your "time of war" crap. That's the oldest line in the book. I'll buy it when we don't start the war, but I won't give politicians the license with my life and liberty to declare preemptive war then say if you don't support us "in a time of war" then you're a traitor. And I think the law refers to physically blocking recruitment efforts, not using your right to free speech to tell potential recruits the truth before they sign their lives away.

    Re: Army Recruiting Falling On Hard Times (none / 0) (#24)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Mar 10, 2005 at 02:48:30 PM EST
    From the Army's recruitment site: The enlistment bonus is a monetary incentive offered to qualified individuals who enlist in the active Army. Bonus eligibility is based on the applicant's selected Military Occupational Specialty (MOS), civilian education or technical skills, length of enlistment and any previous military service. Enlistment bonuses range from $1,000 to $20,000 for active Army enlistments of two or more years. Qualified applicants who enlist for four or more years in the active Army may receive combined bonuses up to $20,000. Qualified applicants who enlist for three or more years in a high-priority MOS may receive combined bonuses up to $17,000. Qualified applicants who enlist for three or more years in a priority MOS may receive combined bonuses up to $10,000. Qualified applicants who enlist for two years may receive combined bonuses up to $6,000. Some jobs in high demand with bonuses may include: Fire Support Specialist (13F) Explosive Ordnance Disposal Specialist (89D) Petroleum Supply Specialist (92F) Cannon Crewmember (13B) Field Artillery Tactical Data Systems Specialist (13D) Multiple Launch Rocket System Crewmember (13M) Crypto Linguist-Analyst (98X) Food Service Operations (92G) Motor Transport Operator (88M) Bradley Fighting Systems Maintainer (63M) Special Forces Candidate (18X) Infantryman (11X) Air Defense Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence Tactical Operations Center Operator/Maintainer (14J) *** (MOSs subject to change based on Army requirements) Qualified applicants who enlist for two or more years in any active Army Military Occupational Specialty may receive one of the following bonuses for civilian education: Bachelor's degree - $8,000 Associate or two-year degree - $7,000 High school graduates with 60 or more college semester hours - $6,000 High school graduates with 30 to 59 college semester hours - $3,000 Qualified applicants who already have civilian skills that the Army needs, such as certain foreign languages, may be eligible for a $3,000 bonus. Qualified applicants who enlist for airborne training and a guaranteed airborne assignment may be eligible for a $3,000 bonus.

    Re: Army Recruiting Falling On Hard Times (none / 0) (#25)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Mar 10, 2005 at 02:49:27 PM EST
    ...order....order! Don't all rush the sign-up line at once!

    Army Recruiting Falling On Hard Times | 25 comments (25 topical)