By Phillip Carter and Brad Flora
Posted Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2007, at 7:24 AM ET
Last month, Pentagon officials proudly trumpeted their recruiting and retention results, announcing they had met or exceeded the past year's goals for every branch of the service except the Army and Air National Guard. According to Undersecretary of Defense David Chu, the results show the continuing viability of the "all-volunteer" military, even as the Iraq and Afghanistan wars grind on. Top Pentagon officials say these numbers also refute arguments that Iraq is breaking the force, or that we need a return to the draft. However, critics charge that the huge and varied incentives being offered to recruits show the desperation of the all-volunteer force and its inability to cope with the sustained demands of the Iraq war. Others point out that these recruitment programs focus too much on quantity, rather than quality, leading to a lower-caliber military.
Slate's comprehensive list of Army recruiting and retention programs [complete with links to regs and releases] illustrates how the service is stretching to make manpower ends meet.
http://www.slate.com/id/2177426/
