Retention and Recruitment Crisis

[BloodStripe]

There was some very well researched performance study done that distributed around but focused on a Ranger Battalion and one of the things that stuck out to me other than a lot of the programming was comparing physical activity of elite athletes to NARPs. Essentially, we want Soldiers to physically perform like athletes. Well an elite athlete generally trains about 3-4 hours per day for like a field sport. So, when I was in I was usually hitting the gym 3-4 days per week for about an hour or hour and a half. The other days I was playing rugby. So I was doing about 15-20 hours of physical activity per week.

Here’s the larger part of the issue, we want soldiers to perform like athletes and so we train them like athletes when instead we should be training them to be soldiers.

 

[Topkick]

Here’s the larger part of the issue, we want soldiers to perform like athletes and so we train them like athletes when instead we should be training them to be soldiers.

Agree, but two things can be true at once.

 

[BloodStripe]

Because base housing is so amazing…

 

[SOSTCRNA]

Grandson just raised his hand to join the army as a 91F small arms/ artillery repair with an Option 40. Reporting in August so he can play his last year of high school baseball this summer. It’s a long road but he seems properly motivated to succeed.

 

[Viper1]

Grandson just raised his hand to join the army as a 91F small arms/ artillery repair with an Option 40. Reporting in August so he can play his last year of high school baseball this summer. It’s a long road but he seems properly motivated to succeed.

Congratulations!

I’ll pre-empt this question now… why so long in the delayed entry program to ship?

Multiple reasons: one, we’ve found that letting applicants help set their ship date (as in the case above) keeps them motivated to ship. They get to finish out whatever activities they want.

For those applicants who want to quick ship with have a small bonus available. Those are few and far between because…

We have mostly maxed out the basic training space we have available at all sites. Last five years we’ve created additional reception and basic training battalions. Between land, ammo, barracks, food, ans drill instructors, we have maxed our Jackson, Benning, sill, Knox, Leonard wood, etc. It’s simple math.

 

[Viper1]

U.S. Army unveils lean Mobile Brigade Combat Team built for modern warfare

I haven't seen actual force structures from ARTSTRUC...but when you get rid of your engineers, your artillery, and you cavalry battalions/squadrons. You don't have a BCT. You have a Brigade. There is a difference because you don't have a mixed force capability.

But also, what is the end strength in the NDAA? How lean are we getting and why? Remember the BCT structure actually leaned out the force structure and made units deployable as BCTs because they had everything organic. Is the intent to actually fight as divisions again? Because that would be wild.

Intent is to fight as divisions again, yes.

End strength is 466,000 in the active component. CSA wants 90% fill on all -10 level for all MOS by end of next year, and recruiting mission 60,000K for the next three years.

 

[Devildoc]

When I was growing up I was always under the assumption that you literally walked in the recruiter's office, signed the paperwork, and left the next day, just like on TV and in the movies. It is really quite the process.