The Army Doesn't Just Need Enlisted Men

In a conversation I was having with some students last night, we spent a great deal of time discussing the military option of the DREAM ACT. There was much disagreement. But the basic consensus was that this is what we have at the moment- and we should work with it.

We also talked about why all of a sudden the DREAM ACT is so important. The following article may help us understand what is going on.


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Army Offers Big Cash To Keep Key Officers
By Ann Scott Tyson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 11, 2007; Page A01


The Army is offering cash bonuses of up to $35,000 to retain young officers serving in key specialties -- including military intelligence, infantry and aviation -- in an unprecedented bid to forestall a critical shortage of officer ranks that have been hit hard by frequent deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Army officials said that lengthy and repeated war-zone tours -- the top reason younger officers leave the service -- plus the need for thousands of new officers as the Army moves forward with expansion plans have contributed to a projected shortfall of about 3,000 captains and majors for every year through 2013.

In response, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates approved the unusual incentives last month as a temporary measure for this fiscal year, and over the past three weeks, more than 6,000 Army captains have accepted cash awards ranging from $25,000 to $35,000 in exchange for committing to serve three more years.

...Captains are a mainstay of the Army's combat units, even more so in the decentralized counterinsurgencies of Iraq and Afghanistan. Infantry captains lead companies of about 120 soldiers, and most have served one, two or three year-long combat tours since 2001. In Iraq, such officers are considered key to the military transition teams that are expected to increase as the mission of the 169,000 U.S. troops there shifts from combat to training Iraqi security forces.

..."It's a challenge because now we don't have the numbers that we need to fill all the billets," Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, commander of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center, said in an interview Tuesday. The U.S. troop increase in Iraq heightened the demand for officers, causing the Army's premier school for majors to fill only 800 of its 850 slots this year, a trend that could jeopardize the education of the officer corps if it continues, he said.

"You have a shortage of both majors and captains . . . because we have a larger number make the decision that they have served honorably, they have had one or two or three combat tours and have made the decision to go into civilian life," he said.

According to Army data, the overall attrition rate for captains averaged 12.2 percent from 1999 to 2007. But the estimated captain deficits for the past year were pronounced in some fields that require heavy deployments, such as military intelligence, where the Army is short 10 percent; transportation, where the gap reaches 21 percent; and aviation, where the shortfall is 11 percent.

Army officials said the projected officer shortage is mainly the result of the Army's plan to add 65,000 active-duty soldiers to its ranks -- including more than 6,000 captains and majors -- by 2010. The cash incentives for captains are unprecedented in scope and size, and are intended in part as compensation for soldiers' long separations from their families.

"In the Army there has never been anything like this in memory," said Col. Paul Aswell, director of officer policy for Army personnel. "The bonuses are . . . a measure of payback to the family. They get this windfall to ease some of the pain of service in this environment..."


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Army is Getting Ready for the DREAM ACT

Recruitment Poster for World War I, ca. 1917








Now that Senator Reid has obliged the senate to pass the DREAM ACT this fall, the Army is preparing for its windfall of recruits. Since the DREAM ACT bill does not contain in-state tuition - most of the young people eligible will have no other choice since only 10 out of the 50 states offer in-state tuition to undocumented students.

In the spring of 07 Texas experienced a heated battle to save in-state tuition, which had been in place since 2001 (thanks to Texas Rep. Rick Noriega) -- after dozens of harsh anti-immigration bills were submitted to the Texas Legislature. In-State tuition in Texas was only preserved because of an error on the part of those wanting to rescind the bill - its sort of like a judge ruling a mistrial. The event occurred so late in the session, the opposing bill was dropped.

If Congress would finally agree to end the Iraq War, students takiing the military option would be in great shape. But after watching the senate hearings these past few weeks, I can't imagine our lawmakers will come to an agreement about troop withdrawal.

On the bright side (if there is one), during World War II military experience had a huge impact on Hispanics in the United States- effectively created a middle class - The war experience and going to other countries helped Latinos see beyond the restrictive attitudes in the U.S. southwest. The GI Bill helped hundreds of thousands to further their education and buy homes.

For the present, those that enlist and return home healthy will determine the political future of this country. They are going to remember that when they were younger they weren't able to go to college because the DREAM ACT dropped the in-state tuition clause.


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Army looks to accelerate expansion

Increasing the force should happen in four years, not five, the service's secretary says. Ideas focus on adding enticements to keep soldiers.
By Julian E. Barnes, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 28, 2007

WASHINGTON -- The Army's top official called Thursday for the acceleration of a multiyear expansion of the country's biggest fighting force, a move that probably would require radical new approaches for keeping soldiers in uniform.

Army Secretary Pete Geren said the planned expansion from its official size of 482,000 to 547,000, announced by President Bush in December as the first post-Cold War increase in U.S. forces, should be completed in four years rather than five to alleviate the strain on troops from frequent combat tours.

Defense officials planning for the increase have voiced concern over recent loosening of standards for new enlistees because of the heavy pressure to meet recruiting goals.

The new Army plan would attempt to build the larger force in a shorter time by instead moving aggressively to retain personnel.

The military has begun to consider options beyond the traditional cash bonuses and college scholarships to entice soldiers to continue service. New approaches under consideration include the promise of graduate school for young officers and the offer of educational benefits for career soldiers' children.

The new approaches reflect the continuing fallout of the 4 1/2-year-old Iraq war. Prolonged and repeated deployments have created new stresses on troops, which have forced the Army to reevaluate how it provides for soldiers and their families.

"The demographics of the Army change, the needs of the soldiers change, stress on the force changes," Geren said. "We have to continue to find ways to adjust our benefits package, writ large, to meet those different needs..."

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photo: http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/14573-POD/1099858~I-Want-You-for-the-U-S-Army-c-1917-Posters.jpg