Tuesday, August 23, 2005

Recuiting Problems

Old $oldier
Credit: cherrycoke
Today in the Washington Post they had a article talking about the problems that the Military is having with recruiting. In particularthat parents are the biggest obstacle to recruitment Further more, that social class is the other big obstacle that recruiters face. Namely that wealthy, meaning more likely Republican supporters of the war, are not wanting their children to be in the military.

No big surprise here, I've commented on this in previous blogs. Now the president and planners are faced with sever manpower shortages next year, how do you think that they are going to meet plans for the current force strength in Iraq for the reported 4 years of a worst case scenario that the pentagon is planning for. Granted the Generals on the ground had said that if things went well they could begin to reduce levels next year.

But the hard truth is that the pentagon has abused the Inactive Ready Reserve not to mention the Reserve and National Guardsmen who reach their limits by law of a 2 year call-ups per theater beginning in September. The Generals on the ground in Iraq know this, they also know that they are unlikely to get the force strength that the need to get the job done. What are they going to do to fill those corps with bodies? Change the law to extend their service and destroy morale? Republicans are trying to find any way they can to avoid a draft. But it won't work if they truly believe that we should be there, then our country should as a whole man the line to be there.

This inherent problem of honesty is at the root of the poll numbers for the president resently. And any alternative to the President and the Republicans has to be honest. The cost for not being honest is payed for in lives. And to me that is just to high a price to pay.

Related Articles:
Military's Recruiting Troubles Extend to Affluent War Supporters
Parent-trap snares recruiters
Military's Recruiting Troubles

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