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Wangja
Joined: 17 May 2004
Location: Seoul, Yongsan
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 Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2005 3:46 pm Post subject: US recruitment hit by Iraq effect |
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Now I am surprised by this, very surprised. I had been led to believe that with GWB's crushing victory at the polls, and all the American flags I see in gardens and on cars, and all the "support our troops" on huge gun-racked SUV's the folks over there would be just rushing to join up in the fight against terrorism/Saddam's regime and support the democracy drive.
It appears I was wrong: the occupation of Iraq is not seen as a plus point when selecting the military as a career. I am delighted I am wrong as it implies that US support for the invasion is less than 51%. That bodes well.
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Senior commanders in the US military admit they have an uphill task if they're to meet their recruitment targets this year.
There was a seasonal upward trend last month but, if it continues to recruit at the current pace, the US army will miss its annual goal by thousands at a time when the country is at war.
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4722445.stm
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| There's talk of a draft but it's not something the president is considering - at least for now. |
Yeah, that's always floating. But the draft boards have been recruiting members in the past couple of years. |
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Derrek
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2005 4:16 pm Post subject: |
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Very, very old news. Old news as of last year. And it's been mentioned on this board several times.
What reason would you have to bring it up, other than to bash Bush or the USA for your disagreement with the Iraq war?
By the way, the army is the only group that is not meeting its recruitment levels. The Navy, Air Force, and Marines are doing just fine. |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2005 4:22 pm Post subject: |
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| I had been led to believe that ... |
It would seem that you are overly easy to lead. You might want to watch that. (The tip off was the word 'crushing'.) |
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Kuros
Joined: 27 Apr 2004
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2005 2:33 pm Post subject: |
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| Foreign legal residents make up 2% to 3% of the US military, |
If that is all it is, then it isn't a problem. If it went above 10%, I'd start to worry.
It's probably always been a rich man's war but a poor man's fight, at least above the tribal level. But you need to at least make some semblance of fighting your own wars without just sending out the poor you can force or hire.
I know the arguments for a professional volunteer army, but no one seems to mention that that kind of army needs to be kept small enough that it is not a political threat to its own government.
Hiring these private companies to field private 'armies' gives me the willies. A very bad development. Out-sourcing your defense is a really poor move. Just check out Renaissance Italy. |
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Wangja
Joined: 17 May 2004
Location: Seoul, Yongsan
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| Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2005 3:25 pm Post subject: |
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Foreign legal residents make up 2% to 3% of the US military,
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Well, if they make between 2% and 3% of the eligible populace, that's about right. But that seems a high proportion. Deosn't it? |
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