The military is finding it tougher to find recruits that meet their entry standards, but the Army doesn't expect to loosen requirements. | army.mil
The military is finding it tougher to find recruits that meet their entry standards, but the Army doesn't expect to loosen requirements. | army.mil
The U.S. military has seen lean recruiting times before, and its ongoing struggle to find quality prospects doesn’t mean it’s time to lower standards. Instead, they want to find new ways to reach potential recruits.
"We spend a lot of time dealing with high schools and colleges,” Maj. Gen. Kevin Vereen of the U.S. Army Recruiting Command, told WRAL. “But when all those major institutions kind of went to home, then of course that impacted our ability to be able to get in and connect with our young men and women.”
The nature of its business is such that it can’t really change standards, at least not physical ones.
"We don't flex our standards," Quinn Walter, Army Recruitment commander, told the news station. "We are not reducing anything.”
Those looking to serve their country in the Army need a high school diploma, must not be obese, must be of good moral standing and not have a criminal record, the station reported.
WRAL reported on several of the challenges for recruiters.
Research from Sage Journals shows that between 40% to 50% of all men have been arrested by the age of 23, and when you find out that the U.S. Census says at least 10% of adults do not have a high school diploma, it’s easy to see how those things reduce the number of viable recruits. And when it comes to weight, a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report says that obesity is so prevalent in America that it is impacting national security.
"Overweight and obesity among active-duty service members has risen 73% between 2011 and 2015,” Walter said, adding that “These individuals are less likely to be medically ready to deploy.”
As most service branches have shrunk in past decades, Walter told WRAL that the "caliber" of soldier has not changed through the years, and he does not anticipate that the military will decrease its barrier to entry.
Meanwhile, former Secretary of Defense Anthony Kurta told the station the armed services are also dealing with other career options.
"We're just trying do everything we can to keep up with the competition, but also to have an opportunity to change lives and to make sure that people know that the Army is still here,” he said.
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