Recruiting and Retention Goals Met for FY 2006

The Army made it's goal of 80,000 recruits and 64,000 retentions for the year. Fully 17% of the new recruits are waivered; but they made it.

Waivered means they might have a criminal record, or they might have a medical reason for the waiver. (For example, someone like me would get a running waiver.) Most of those waivered would have been turned away a few years ago. And I hope these new waivered recruits aren't planning on careers, because they will be cut loose as soon as hostilities are done. (I'm ever the optimist.)

Seriously, I don't have a good feeling about this. Not to belabor a point, but I must ask - again - Who is going to lead them? We are missing too many seasoned officers to be taking so many green and sketchy recruits in a time of war and occupation of a foreign land. A depleted Officer Corps is ill equipped to maintain discipline and order in a hinky command. How many PFC Steven Green's do we want to read about? How many Lindie England's? Those type problems can only propagate under this game plan.

In all the "we made the recruiting goals" happy talk, the dearth of officers is not even mentioned. And that means it is perhaps more important than I have been saying it is. Remember these numbers - the regular, active duty Army is short over 3000 officers. The reserves are short nearly 11,000 Lieutenants and Captains.

This is a discussion that needs to be taking place. Candidates should be asked if they are aware of this. Yet no one is mentioning it. Why the hell not?