- Aug 23, 2003
- 25,375
- 142
- 116
WASHINGTON -- The number of new recruits who scored at the bottom of the Army?s aptitude test tripled last month, helping the nation?s largest armed service meet its October recruiting goal but raising concerns about its long-term future.
Former Army Secretary Thomas White said the service is making a mistake by lowering its standards. ?I think it?s disastrous. You are throwing the towel in on recruiting quality,? said White, a retired general who was fired in 2003 by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld over policy differences.
?We have clear experience from the 1970s with recruiting a sizable number of people from the lowest mental categories,? said White. After the Vietnam War ended, the Army accepted a higher proportion of low-scoring recruits, which led to training and discipline problems, he added.
In order to achieve last month?s recruiting targets, 12 percent of those accepted by the Army had the lowest acceptable results. They scored between 16 and 30 points out of a possible 99 on an aptitude test that quizzes potential soldiers on general science, mathematics and word knowledge.
The Pentagon has set a limit saying that no more than 4 percent of all recruits can come from that lowest category. Army officials insisted that they will still meet the 4 percent goal -- despite the October spike -- when numbers are tallied for an entire year. October is the first month of the service?s fiscal year, which will end Sept. 30, 2006.
?We?re on track to meet our 4 percent annual goal,? said Lt. Col. Brian Hilferty, a spokesman for Army personnel. He declined to comment on the 12 percent figure.
The National Guard?s October recruit pool included 6 percent of the lowest scorers, though Guard officials also said they expected that figure to be below the 4 percent ceiling by the time the recruiting year ends. The number of poor-scoring recruits brought in by the Army Reserve, which officials said also achieved its monthly recruiting goal in October, could not be determined.
The Army, which has about 492,000 soldiers, hopes to attract 80,000 recruits in 2006 as part of an effort to increase the overall size of the force by 30,000 during the next several years. The Army National Guard has a goal of 70,000 recruits over the next year, in order to maintain its force of 350,000.
Officials blame the recruiting problems mainly on the war in Iraq and an improved economic climate at home, which has made it difficult to sign up volunteers for military duty.
Army Secretary Francis Harvey told reporters last month that the Army would begin accepting more people who score in the bottom third on the military?s aptitude test, increasing the proportion to 4 percent from 2 percent. The Army had kept the figure at 2 percent since 1990.
But Harvey failed to say that the Army already had brought in 4 percent -- or roughly 2,900 of its 73,000 recruits -- from the lowest category for the 2005 recruiting year, which ended Sept. 30. In 2004, the Army accepted just 440 soldiers from the lowest category, or about 0.6 percent of 70,000 recruits.
The National Guard also doubled its number of low-scoring recruits for the 2005 recruiting year, accounting for 4 percent of its 50,219 recruits.
Even with the lower standards, the Army and the National Guard fell short of their 2005 goals. When the annual recruiting cycle ended in September, the active-duty Army was about 7,000 shy of its goal, and the Guard fell about 13,000 short.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well at least the Army is finally moving towards a continuity of intelligence from the highest levels (C.I.C.) all the way down.
I guess scoring under 30 percent on a aptitude test means you demonstrate the [lack of] thinking the Army and National Guard are looking for.
Former Army Secretary Thomas White said the service is making a mistake by lowering its standards. ?I think it?s disastrous. You are throwing the towel in on recruiting quality,? said White, a retired general who was fired in 2003 by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld over policy differences.
?We have clear experience from the 1970s with recruiting a sizable number of people from the lowest mental categories,? said White. After the Vietnam War ended, the Army accepted a higher proportion of low-scoring recruits, which led to training and discipline problems, he added.
In order to achieve last month?s recruiting targets, 12 percent of those accepted by the Army had the lowest acceptable results. They scored between 16 and 30 points out of a possible 99 on an aptitude test that quizzes potential soldiers on general science, mathematics and word knowledge.
The Pentagon has set a limit saying that no more than 4 percent of all recruits can come from that lowest category. Army officials insisted that they will still meet the 4 percent goal -- despite the October spike -- when numbers are tallied for an entire year. October is the first month of the service?s fiscal year, which will end Sept. 30, 2006.
?We?re on track to meet our 4 percent annual goal,? said Lt. Col. Brian Hilferty, a spokesman for Army personnel. He declined to comment on the 12 percent figure.
The National Guard?s October recruit pool included 6 percent of the lowest scorers, though Guard officials also said they expected that figure to be below the 4 percent ceiling by the time the recruiting year ends. The number of poor-scoring recruits brought in by the Army Reserve, which officials said also achieved its monthly recruiting goal in October, could not be determined.
The Army, which has about 492,000 soldiers, hopes to attract 80,000 recruits in 2006 as part of an effort to increase the overall size of the force by 30,000 during the next several years. The Army National Guard has a goal of 70,000 recruits over the next year, in order to maintain its force of 350,000.
Officials blame the recruiting problems mainly on the war in Iraq and an improved economic climate at home, which has made it difficult to sign up volunteers for military duty.
Army Secretary Francis Harvey told reporters last month that the Army would begin accepting more people who score in the bottom third on the military?s aptitude test, increasing the proportion to 4 percent from 2 percent. The Army had kept the figure at 2 percent since 1990.
But Harvey failed to say that the Army already had brought in 4 percent -- or roughly 2,900 of its 73,000 recruits -- from the lowest category for the 2005 recruiting year, which ended Sept. 30. In 2004, the Army accepted just 440 soldiers from the lowest category, or about 0.6 percent of 70,000 recruits.
The National Guard also doubled its number of low-scoring recruits for the 2005 recruiting year, accounting for 4 percent of its 50,219 recruits.
Even with the lower standards, the Army and the National Guard fell short of their 2005 goals. When the annual recruiting cycle ended in September, the active-duty Army was about 7,000 shy of its goal, and the Guard fell about 13,000 short.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well at least the Army is finally moving towards a continuity of intelligence from the highest levels (C.I.C.) all the way down.
I guess scoring under 30 percent on a aptitude test means you demonstrate the [lack of] thinking the Army and National Guard are looking for.
), they just don't have many options. The ability to get a career with decent pay and benefits is a huge bonus to someone who would otherwise be working at Burger King. It also provides them with training for when they leave the service.
Facebook
Twitter