Utopia Talk - Politics - Army Lowers 2017 Recruiting Goal

Welcome to the Utopia Forums! Register a new account
The current time is Thu Apr 18 21:37:40 2024

Utopia Talk / Politics / Army Lowers 2017 Recruiting Goal

Hot Rod
Revved Up Fri Apr 20 18:49:37

Army lowers 2017 recruiting goal; more soldiers staying on

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Army will not meet its mission to recruit 80,000 active duty soldiers this year and has officially lowered that goal. But Army leaders said the service has been able to encourage more experienced service members to stay on the job to satisfy a growing demand for troops.

April 21, 2018

Army Sgt. Maj. Daniel Dailey said Friday that the updated goal will be 76,500. Six months into the recruiting year, the service has brought in just 28,000 new soldiers. Dailey said the goal is to grow the Army to 483,500, as approved by Congress, and it's up to the Army whether to use more recruiting or re-enlistment. He said that retaining current soldiers has been more successful this year than in the past, with 86 percent staying on, compared with 81 percent in previous years.

Army Secretary Mark Esper said there is a mismatch between the number of soldiers in the Army and the demand for more troops, and acknowledged that the "strong economy does make it challenging." He said, however, that the Army will not sacrifice quality for quantity and that standards will not be lowered to meet recruiting goals.

The struggle to meet this year's higher recruiting numbers — a significant increase over last year's mission of 69,000 — was expected, mainly due to the favorable American economy and increased competition from private sector employers who are able to pay graduates more money.

Maj. Gen. Jeff Snow, head of the Army's recruiting command, predicted late last year that the higher enlistment goal would be difficult to meet, considering economic factors and the military's need for recruits to pass strict physical testing that many young people can't complete.

"This mission is going to be a significant challenge for the command," he told The Associated Press in December. Meeting the increased mission this year, Snow said, could force the Army to take in more recruits who would require waivers for marijuana use, low test scores or other more basic health issues.

Asked if the Army has approved more waivers so far this year, Esper and Dailey said they didn't know totals. The Army has historically kept and provided detailed data on waivers. "The numbers don't tell the whole story," Dailey said, adding that waivers require the Army to take a closer look at a recruit who may have had a legal problem when they were younger, smoked pot, or has had some type of heath problem. The issue could range from simple colorblindness to an arrest.

But in December, Snow said his goal for 2017 was to have fewer than 2 percent of the new recruits be considered "category four," meaning they scored 31 or less, out of 99, on the aptitude test. Esper said Friday that he had directed that the Army not exceed the 2 percent limit, even though the Defense Department allows up to 4 percent.

Military leaders have increasingly warned of recruiting challenges, noting that lower unemployment, a strong economy and the declining quality of the youth market have steadily shrunk the number of young people considered eligible to be recruits.

Defense officials have also complained that despite the last 16 years of war in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, the American public is increasingly disconnected from the military, and they say many people have misperceptions about serving and often don't personally know any service members.

This time of year is usually the toughest for military recruiters, since this is the period when high school seniors start getting acceptance letters from colleges.

http://www...aying.html#.7518-stage-hero1-9

earthpig
GTFO HOer Fri Apr 20 22:34:16
Pretty cool that they have a Dan Daly. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Daly

"He said that retaining current soldiers has been more successful this year than in the past, with 86 percent staying on, compared with 81 percent in previous years."

Wowza. I guess the USMC norm of like 20% to 40% isn't actually the norm?

jergul
large member Sat Apr 21 08:37:43
"First Term Alignmnet Plan (FTAP) and Subsequent Term Alignment Plan (STAP) populations. The FY17 FTAP target of 6,185 Marines requires the reenlistment of 23 percent of the first term Marines with an Expiration of Current Contract (ECC) from 1 October 2016 to 30 September 2017. The FY17 STAP target of 9,452 Marines requires the reenlistment of 60 percent of careerists with an ECC from 1 October 2016 to 30 September 2017"

So 20-60% But wow.

patom
Member Sat Apr 21 10:16:34
Big difference from when I was in the Navy. When I was discharged I got home on a Thursday and was working on the following Monday night. My first week I cleared more than I made in a month in the Navy.
Today, unless you have a degree in some critical field you can't find a job that pays equal with benefits that you can get in the military.

Hot Rod
Revved Up Sat Apr 21 14:15:56

No.. But a good plumber or welder or carpenter can always work.

Hot Rod
Revved Up Sat Apr 21 14:18:46

I think I made about $87 a month in the service when I first went in.

Forwyn
Member Sat Apr 21 15:09:27
"Today, unless you have a degree in some critical field you can't find a job that pays equal with benefits that you can get in the military."

There are just very few fields that translate to an occupation outside of a civilian government agency or contractor.

Yeah, if you're E-6 EOD you're gonna be taking a paycut going to be a cop (unless you're in Coward County pulling $100k at a high school).

A linguist with bare minimum qualifications can pull $70k immediately, and be six-figures within three years. Those with multiple critical languages (Pashto, Farsi/Dari, Arabic is an excellent combo for example) can break $200k.

earthpig
GTFO HOer Sat Apr 21 21:50:09
> Today, unless you have a degree in some critical field you can't find a job that pays equal with benefits that you can get in the military.

Nonsense, just have an IQ greater than 75 and sell something.

"Doing this pointless thing while in garrison that makes no sense is somehow related to your combat effectiveness while forward deployed." <-- if you can convince someone of that, you can sell.

Granted, it is not so deeply ingrained as it is with Mormons, for whom old fashioned door to door sales skills is a religious requirement.

show deleted posts

Hot Rod Revved Up	Fri Apr 20 18:49:37 Army lowers 2017 recruiting goal; more soldiers staying on WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Army will not meet its mission to recruit 80,000 active duty soldiers this year and has officially lowered that goal. But Army leaders said the service has been able to encourage more experienced service members to stay on the job to satisfy a growing demand for troops. April 21, 2018 Army Sgt. Maj. Daniel Dailey said Friday that the updated goal will be 76,500. Six months into the recruiting year, the service has brought in just 28,000 new soldiers. Dailey said the goal is to grow the Army to 483,500, as approved by Congress, and it's up to the Army whether to use more recruiting or re-enlistment. He said that retaining current soldiers has been more successful this year than in the past, with 86 percent staying on, compared with 81 percent in previous years. Army Secretary Mark Esper said there is a mismatch between the number of soldiers in the Army and the demand for more troops, and acknowledged that the "strong economy does make it challenging." He said, however, that the Army will not sacrifice quality for quantity and that standards will not be lowered to meet recruiting goals. The struggle to meet this year's higher recruiting numbers — a significant increase over last year's mission of 69,000 — was expected, mainly due to the favorable American economy and increased competition from private sector employers who are able to pay graduates more money. Maj. Gen. Jeff Snow, head of the Army's recruiting command, predicted late last year that the higher enlistment goal would be difficult to meet, considering economic factors and the military's need for recruits to pass strict physical testing that many young people can't complete. "This mission is going to be a significant challenge for the command," he told The Associated Press in December. Meeting the increased mission this year, Snow said, could force the Army to take in more recruits who would require waivers for marijuana use, low test scores or other more basic health issues. Asked if the Army has approved more waivers so far this year, Esper and Dailey said they didn't know totals. The Army has historically kept and provided detailed data on waivers. "The numbers don't tell the whole story," Dailey said, adding that waivers require the Army to take a closer look at a recruit who may have had a legal problem when they were younger, smoked pot, or has had some type of heath problem. The issue could range from simple colorblindness to an arrest. But in December, Snow said his goal for 2017 was to have fewer than 2 percent of the new recruits be considered "category four," meaning they scored 31 or less, out of 99, on the aptitude test. Esper said Friday that he had directed that the Army not exceed the 2 percent limit, even though the Defense Department allows up to 4 percent. Military leaders have increasingly warned of recruiting challenges, noting that lower unemployment, a strong economy and the declining quality of the youth market have steadily shrunk the number of young people considered eligible to be recruits. Defense officials have also complained that despite the last 16 years of war in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, the American public is increasingly disconnected from the military, and they say many people have misperceptions about serving and often don't personally know any service members. This time of year is usually the toughest for military recruiters, since this is the period when high school seniors start getting acceptance letters from colleges. http://www...aying.html#.7518-stage-hero1-9
earthpig GTFO HOer	Fri Apr 20 22:34:16 Pretty cool that they have a Dan Daly. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Daly "He said that retaining current soldiers has been more successful this year than in the past, with 86 percent staying on, compared with 81 percent in previous years." Wowza. I guess the USMC norm of like 20% to 40% isn't actually the norm?
jergul large member	Sat Apr 21 08:37:43 "First Term Alignmnet Plan (FTAP) and Subsequent Term Alignment Plan (STAP) populations. The FY17 FTAP target of 6,185 Marines requires the reenlistment of 23 percent of the first term Marines with an Expiration of Current Contract (ECC) from 1 October 2016 to 30 September 2017. The FY17 STAP target of 9,452 Marines requires the reenlistment of 60 percent of careerists with an ECC from 1 October 2016 to 30 September 2017" So 20-60% But wow.
patom Member	Sat Apr 21 10:16:34 Big difference from when I was in the Navy. When I was discharged I got home on a Thursday and was working on the following Monday night. My first week I cleared more than I made in a month in the Navy. Today, unless you have a degree in some critical field you can't find a job that pays equal with benefits that you can get in the military.
Hot Rod Revved Up	Sat Apr 21 14:15:56 No.. But a good plumber or welder or carpenter can always work.
Hot Rod Revved Up	Sat Apr 21 14:18:46 I think I made about $87 a month in the service when I first went in.
Forwyn Member	Sat Apr 21 15:09:27 "Today, unless you have a degree in some critical field you can't find a job that pays equal with benefits that you can get in the military." There are just very few fields that translate to an occupation outside of a civilian government agency or contractor. Yeah, if you're E-6 EOD you're gonna be taking a paycut going to be a cop (unless you're in Coward County pulling $100k at a high school). A linguist with bare minimum qualifications can pull $70k immediately, and be six-figures within three years. Those with multiple critical languages (Pashto, Farsi/Dari, Arabic is an excellent combo for example) can break $200k.
earthpig GTFO HOer	Sat Apr 21 21:50:09 > Today, unless you have a degree in some critical field you can't find a job that pays equal with benefits that you can get in the military. Nonsense, just have an IQ greater than 75 and sell something. "Doing this pointless thing while in garrison that makes no sense is somehow related to your combat effectiveness while forward deployed." <-- if you can convince someone of that, you can sell. Granted, it is not so deeply ingrained as it is with Mormons, for whom old fashioned door to door sales skills is a religious requirement.
	show deleted posts

Your Name:
Your Password:
Your Message: