A logistician officer talks to a group of Army National Guard recruits in Middletown, CT, June 2020. The recruits were briefed by members of the Recruit Sustainment Program to prepare them for basic training. (Army photo by Sgt. Matthew Lucibello) The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.
By: FEDweek StaffThe Army needs to enhance its efforts to meet this year’s goal of 65,000 new soldiers and address the present recruiting shortfall, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth has said.
“We’re going to have to be more successful, not just with getting people who are already propensed to meet our standards but trying to find a way to make more kids propensed,” Wormuth told an audience during a Nov. 22 webinar sponsored by the Center for a New American Security, as reported by the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA).
The Army missed its recruiting goal last year by 15,000, AUSA reported. The trend is likely to continue this year because factors like obesity, low test scores and behavioral concerns have cut the pool of eligible young people to roughly 23 percent. Additionally, it has become increasingly harder for the Army and other armed services to compete with higher pay, bonuses and work environments available in the private sector.
AUSA reported that Wormuth expressed encouragement with pilot programs such as the Future Soldier Preparatory Course at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, which prepares young people to meet test-score requirements and get an understanding of what boot camp would be like.
“We’ve seen pretty good success,” Wormuth said, but continued to acknowledge that the path toward meeting its recruiting goal is arduous, AUSA reported. “We have a lot of work to do, and we’ve got to roll up our sleeves.”
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