Army cuts force size amid unprecedented battle for recruits

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/army-cuts-force-size-amid-unprecedented-battle-for-recruits/2022/07/19/63f14ecc-07b2-11ed-80b6-43f2bfcc6662_story.html

by mardiyah • 4 years ago

10 21 4 years ago

washingtonpost.com

matt3210• 4 years ago

Mandatory 2 years (counted as work experience) if you don't go to college/trade school. This will help the young'ins be more fit and capable. Many other successful nations do this. It will especially help people who grow up in single parent homes. Overall, less people will land in jail or become single parents themselves.

rayiner3• 4 years ago

Should be mandatory for everyone, perhaps especially those going to college.

turns0ut2• 4 years ago

Yeah my kids don’t owe serving your sensibilities.

Stick to your day job. Human personalities and social networks are not yours to dictate.

petre2• 4 years ago

Overall, less people will land in jail

Why not just give prisoners with short sentences a choice between jail and the correctional battalion?

And also add robots to the force to aid servicepeople. The Boston Dynamics dog robot clearly has military applications so why not install a remotely operated gun turret, a targetting computer and a video feed on it?

JamesBarney3• 4 years ago

Because they're on average dumber, less inhibited, more aggressive, and more have problems following orders than the general population.

Basically the make shitty soldiers.

waste_monk• 4 years ago

The Boston Dynamics dog robot clearly has military applications so why not install a remotely operated gun turret, a targetting computer and a video feed on it?

Apparently research into using BigDog for military purposes was discontinued as it was too noisy (not overly surprising given it was powered by a go-kart engine). The smaller Spot robots only have a carrying capacity of 18kg, and the lightest weight variant of a CROWS weapon station I could see is ~74kg.

It would probably be more practical to mount something on an ATV quadbike platform instead of legs... less capability for rough terrain, but probably a lot more practical and easier on maintenance/logistics if you shared a common platform between manned and unmanned quad-bikes.

willcipriano• 4 years ago

Mandatory service isn't a great idea for the US. People forget but we are still in a multidecade quagmire in the middle east. Really enrollment declining is a good thing, they don't need any more bodies to throw at this waste of life and treasure.

Red_Leaves_Flyy2• 4 years ago

Oldest generations first or the “young’ins” will make the 6-70s look sedate.

t_mann• 4 years ago

Which 'successful countries' do this? I can think of S Korea, but they're in a particular situation with their northern neighbour, and some odd European countries who mainly have it because they failed to get through the legislation to abandon it for idiosyncratic reasons.

cafard• 4 years ago

The Pentagon does not want a force of this size. A few romantics, usually from the Democratic side of the aisle, now and then suggest universal military service, to no effect.

sasaf5• 4 years ago

And, among young people, only about 23% are physically, mentally and morally qualified to serve without receiving some type of waiver.

Perhaps they could expand training so they could shape more people into their standards.

JamesBarney3• 4 years ago

How about we'll pay for weight loss drugs or your bariatric surgery if you commit to being in the military for x number of years.

I assume obesity makes it much harder to recruit able bodied young men.

Army cuts force size amid unprecedented battle for recruits

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