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POST
9/11
Shortly after 9/11 army recruiting offices across
the country saw a surge in new applicants. "It
seems that many people visited out of patriotism",
says Sarah Goodman director of Build
Me Up, Break Me Down. But recruiting officers
later reported that the trend was short-lived. Many
of the people who wanted to join didn't meet the necessary
requirements (more about this below) or changed simply
changed their mind once the hysteria was over.
A HISTORY OF ARMY RECRUITING
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The
U.S. Army has been a 'volunteer' force throughout
much of its history.
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Recruiting for the U.S. Army began
in 1776 during the Revolutionary War. The first recruiting
stations were called 'rendezvous' and were located in
New York, Baltimore and Philadelphia.
The U.S. Army has been a 'volunteer' force throughout
much of its history. The 'draft' has only been in effect
for a total of twenty years, mainly during periods of
war. In fact, the last 'draftee' entered the Army in
late 1972.
In early January 2003 Congressman Charles Rangel introduced
a bill that would re-establish the draft. Many experts
believe that it's highly unlikely that it will ever
be passed.
Today's military members are highly trained - it takes
18 months to 2 years to properly train each new soldier.
A 'draftees' time would be up at the same time he/she
was finally trained for the job. A 'draft' would also
be be prohibitively expensive. The U.S. Army can barely
afford to pay, train, house and feed the soldiers it
already has.
SIZE OF THE U.S. FORCES
All combined the U.S. military numbers about 1.5 million
soldiers. There are additional 1.3 million in the Guard
and Reserves. In addition to this there are millions
more in the inactive reserves and military retirees
who, by law, can be recalled to active duty at any time.
Many people assume that since the 'war on terrorism'
began the military is stepping up recruitment to increase
the size of the armed forces. In fact, the military
has no say in it's actual size. Each year Congress passes
an annual Department
of Defense Appropriations Act which tells them exactly
how many people can be in uniform. That number has not
increased significantly in several years.
Currently the U.S. forces
are stretched thin as many troops are deployed in
Afghanistan and Iraq. The U.S. government has asked
Congress for more funds for the defense and reconstruction
of Iraq and other emergency war efforts.
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Since 9/11 the armed
forces have met their recruiting goals.
Recruiters are turning more people away than
they can accept.
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RECRUITING LEVELS
Prior to 1999, U.S. Army recruiting
levels hit a 30 year low. The forces were unable to
find enough people to join. The Army got pro-active
and stepped up recruitment efforts. They spent millions
on an on-line game called "America's
Army" to entice youth with a realistic experience
of life in the field as an American soldier.
The military forecasts the number of people who are
expected to leave the service to set their recruiting
goals for the next year. For example, the goal for the
U.S. Army in the 2003 fiscal year was 73,800 new recruits.
Since 9/11 the army has been able to meet it's recruiting
goals. These days recruiters are turning away more applicants
than they can accept. New recruits are surprised to
learn that they have to wait six months to a year before
they can go on 'active duty'. Thats because when the
military has met it's current year end goals, they begin
recruiting for the next year.
While
some recruits may be eager to join the 'war on terrorism',
more are joining because of a slump in the U.S. job
market.
MEETING THE REQUIREMENTS
Not everyone can join the army; there are stiff requirements.
An applicant must have high school diploma or an equivalent
degree, no felony convictions and a passing score
on an initial aptitude test. A surprising number of
people who apply are turned down for the job.
The Army is currently looking for more older and college
educated recruits. Women now makes up 20% of all people
recruited into the army.
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