Defense Secretary Ash Carter launched a sweeping review of the military's recruiting standards that may involve relaxed rules on everything from single-parent enlistees to drug use and obesity. He believes the current standards for screening new recruits are “overly restrictive” and preventing America's most talented young people from joining the ranks
Carter’s proposal is the latest of his “Force of the Future” personnel reforms. Secretary Carter is concerned that Obama’s military is ill-equipped to recruit and retain the top talent needed for future missions. Of course, Carter ignores the elephant in the room; that being Obama’s social programs are not only effecting combat readiness, but never ending deployments are discouraging talented service members from considering making the military a career.
The secretary announced a $140 million advertising campaign to improve the military’s brand among young people throughout all regions of the United States and to improve ROTC programs that provide 40 percent of incoming military officers. Currently America’s military recruiting pool is shrinking as future recruits are joining from fewer states.
The review was driven by several active-duty military recruiters, worried that today’s force is turning away people with critical skills because they fail to meet specific individual requirements. In other words, the recruiters are unable to meet their quotas. Nevertheless, the military will have a difficult time accepting a 300-pound recruit that may be a potential health risk. And Basic Training is hardly a good environment for drug rehab!
Why is Carter trying to reform enlistment requirements?
His legacy of course. Secretary Carter will stepdown in January when Mr. Obama leaves the White House and he wants personnel reforms to be the centerpiece of his two years in the Pentagon’s top office.
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