Service members assigned to U.S. Special Operations Command pull a KC-135 Stratotanker at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, May 21, 2024. (Air Force photo by Senior Airman Lauren Cobin) The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.
By: FEDweek StaffThe struggle to meet overall recruiting demands is causing the Army to have trouble filling the ranks of its special operations command. Nevertheless, the Army commanding general of all special operators remains optimistic that the service’s efforts to bolster recruiting will eventually alleviate the problem.
“We might have to run a bow wave for a year or two before we settle out because the services actually settle out,” said Gen. Bryan Fenton, U.S. Special Operations Command’s senior-most officer, as reported by the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA).
The service appears to have recovered from the shortfall in recruitment during the past two years that was triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic and competition from the civilian world. “The challenge that the services have had the last couple of years is starting to turn for the better,” Fenton said.
But, he added, few new special operators can enter the service from “off the street.” Rather, new special operators largely come from the ranks. “There’s a bit of a waypoint before we get them, and when that waypoint is dry, it hits us in that same way,” Fenton told an audience during a Nov. 18 speech before the Economic Club
Special Operations Command is headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, and is a joint combatant command with 70,000 service members.
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