Only 3 in 10 young Americans can meet the military's health, educational and moral standards
The Army's long-term readiness is also at risk, as it becomes increasingly difficult to recruit and retain high-quality people. Today, only 3 in 10 young Americans can meet the military's health, educational and moral standards. And the combination of other opportunities and the Iraq war has made many less willing to serve.
Although the Army met its overall recruiting goal last year, it had to take a number of worrisome steps to do so. These included: drawing heavily on its pool of future recruits to meet near-term goals, substantially increasing enlistment bonuses, and accepting a larger number of less qualified recruits. Eighteen percent of last year's Army recruits needed some sort of a waiver (including 12,057 for misdemeanors or serious offenses) — a nearly 160 percent increase since 2003. Only 79 percent had a high school diploma, far short of the Army's longstanding goal of 90 percent.
