U.S. Army Sounds the Alarm – New “Crisis” Reported
(LibertySons.org) – During the House Armed Services Committee meeting about the 2023 fiscal year beginning on October 1, Army Vice Chief of Staff General Joseph Martin revealed alarming updates on the branch’s numbers. Reporting on July 19, the officer explained the Army will fall short on recruiting by 7,000 troops for 2022 and expects a 28,000 drop in soldiers by September 2023. The understaffing issue could have an impact on military readiness in the future.
Recruiting alarm sounded: U.S. Army understrength by 28,000 in next year https://t.co/NYLxOhFMp9
— Joe Laramie (@Laramiejoe) July 21, 2022
Martin stressed the importance of staying prepared and the need for enough troops to be able to respond quickly when the need arises. He noted the balance is fragile and requires the ability to recruit enough qualified applicants.
The general said the Army is in a “high-stakes competition” for recruits. While the division met end strength goals in the 2021 fiscal year by bringing on 57,500 new soldiers, the situation continues to be challenging. He noted the pool of available people is shrinking. Qualified applicants aged 17 to 24 went down from 29% to 23%. Still, the military branch continues to bring in “quality over quantity.”
Already in the 2022 fiscal year, the Army has had to slash its recruiting and end strength goals after recognizing the original targets were impossible. An investigation into the issues shows by late June, the Army had only met 40% of the fiscal year’s recruiting goals. Besides having fewer people eligible to serve, recruiters are up against a low unemployment rate that is putting them in direct competition with private employers for talent. Moving forward, they may need to find ways to entice people to sign up by making service the more appealing choice.
~Here’s to Our Liberty!
Copyright 2022, LibertySons.org
