Army re-enlistment ahead of schedule, was: Re: [extropy-chat] give a small window into the military mind

[Mike Lorrey]

http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,FL_reenlist_070505,00.html?ESRC=dod.nl

"Even though the Army appears likely to miss its goal of recruiting
80,000 new soldiers this year, it's ahead of the pace needed to reach
its goal of convincing 64,162 soldiers, from privates to top sergeants,
to re-enlist by the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. 
 
Through the end of May, 45,333 soldiers had re-enlisted, said Lt. Col.
Pamela Hart, an Army spokeswoman at the Pentagon. That's 70 percent of
the Army's full-year goal. 

Nearly 11,000 soldiers from the elite 18th Airborne Corps, which
includes four of the Army's 10 active divisions, have "re-upped" this
year. That's about 86 percent of the corps' full-year goal, said the
corps commander, Maj. Gen. Virgil Packett. 

"The 18th Airborne Corps is carrying the Army right now in retention,"
Packett said. 

And leading the corps is the 82nd Airborne, which has reached 97
percent of its annual goal, even though it has deployed regularly to
Iraq and Afghanistan. "

First point:
This is an interesting dichotomy: the soldiers who are actually on the
ground and putting their lives at risk (and know what is really going
on in Iraq and Afghanistan) are re-enlisting far above levels the Army
was projecting, while recruitment of civilians (who only see what the
media tells them) is not likely to meet goals.

So, this seems to imply that the media is giving a biased and overly
negative view of what is really going on at the battlefront (plus
civilians are subject to a lot more negative propaganda they are more
likely to give credence to than a war veteran would).

Second Point:
The large increase in re-enlistment will mean the Army will meet its
manpower goals once again this year, i.e. no draft (sorry Samantha).
Moreover, since the manpower will constitute more experienced veterans,
the average unit effectiveness will go up and training costs (including
accidents and rookies puting comrades at risk in combat) will go down.


Mike Lorrey
Vice-Chair, 2nd District, Libertarian Party of NH
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom.
It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves."
                                      -William Pitt (1759-1806) 
Blog: http://intlib.blogspot.com


		
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