NationStates Jolt Archive

Jamie Wilson in Washington
Saturday June 4, 2005

The US military has stopped battalion commanders from dismissing new recruits for drug abuse, alcohol, poor fitness and pregnancy in an attempt to halt the rising attrition rate in an army under growing strain as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

An internal memo sent to senior commanders said the growing dropout rate was "a matter of great concern" in an army at war.
...
The latest controversy comes amid a growing recruitment and retention crisis in the US military. Last month the army announced that it was 6,659 soldiers short of its recruitment targets for the year so far. On Wednesday, the department of defence withheld the latest figures, a move seen by most commentators as heralding more bad news.

The military's target is 80,000 new recruits this year, but the army only managed 73% of its target in February, 68% in March and 57% in April, forcing the expansion of a pilot programme offering 15-month active duty enlistments, rather than the usual four years.
...
Last month it emerged that one recruiter gave advice on how to cheat a mandatory drug test to a potential would-be soldier who said he had a drug problem.

In another incident in Texas, a recruiter threatened a 20-year-old man with arrest if he did not turn up to an interview. As a result all military recruiters stopped work for one day to attend retraining classes on acceptable practices.

© Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005

The idea of going to war in another country isn't all that appealing for some people evidently.

Just go here and see what the President is proposing to fix this problem. Thought it was kinda funny. :D

http://toccionline.kizash.com/films/1001/138/index.php

They really need to get rid of quotas and be more picky about who they choose as recruiters.

That notwithstanding, the citizens seem to be losing their interest in the military. May be a good thing. You can only take so many costly wars started by a less-than-truthful government before you start not trusting them.

This is bullshit. I won't depend on some asshole that might be high or hallucinating to watch my back. orders can come down from on high to allow them in, but I don't think that leaders at the platoon and company level will even trust them with a weapon. I know my CO wouldn't.

damn right it's a good thing. America has a huge military considering the fact that there hasn't been a land war within about 500 miles of it's borders for 100s of years. I don't see any attraction in joining the military either. gow watch Farenheit 9/11 and you'll see what I mean

They really need to get rid of quotas and be more picky about who they choose as recruiters.

In all fairness to recruiters, they have more pressure put on them than most people in the military. They don't lie and cheat for fun, they work in an atmosphere where that has become acceptable. Also, any higher-up official that said he/she didn't know about dirty recruiting practices is a liar. Everyone was lied to, including me. :D

The people that the Army picks as recruiters aren't deceptive when they first start, they are really good guys. It's only after telling the truth, and consequently working every weekend for months because they can't meet their quotas, that they resort to other methods.

This is bullshit. I won't depend on some asshole that might be high or hallucinating to watch my back. orders can come down from on high to allow them in, but I don't think that leaders at the platoon and company level will even trust them with a weapon. I know my CO wouldn't.your CO has to obey orders too...from the generals, from Rumsfield and from...the commander in Chimp

## US Military Now Accepts Alcohol and Drug abuser recruits

So you mean that the behaviour of US troops so far has not been influenced by drugs and alcohol?! If they behave as they have been while sober, then seeing what they do when drunk or baked will be a hoot.

In all fairness to recruiters, they have more pressure put on them than most people in the military. They don't lie and cheat for fun, ...
I guess the big pressure is that if they keep failing the Quotas...they have to go to Iraq...

no wonder they lie and cheat...they do NOT want to lose their recruiter assignment...they do NOT want to risk going back to a combat assignment.

pressure? ..yeah thats big time pressure

...some of them have already been to Iraq...and would do anything --even cheat and lie-- to avoid going back.

## US Military Now Accepts Alcohol and Drug abuser recruits

So you mean that the behaviour of US troops so far has not been influenced by drugs and alcohol?! If they behave as they have been while sober, then seeing what they do when drunk or baked will be a hoot.maybe this is good news for the opium dealers in Afghanistan...

Sure he does. But for me to place full faith and trust in the officers above me means that I have to believe that they will make thier desicions based on what is best for the mission and the men under thier command. Having an addict driving a Bradley around does not fulfill either requirement. I have a feeling that most officers in line units will seriously question the legality and ethics of such an order, as they well should. If the order will place the group in unnecessary danger, then it can be ignored. Only a really lame general would ever go after his company, battallion and brigade commanders for doing something that would jeapordize the mission or the troops.
I wish that Rummy, Condie, the President and the VP all had to go participate in this little conflict that they felt must be started. But, if politicians had to fight, we probably would not have wars anymore.