Capital Scene

THIRTY years ago Bill Clinton candidly admitted that he “loathed” the military. His stewardship of the armed forces since 1993 confirms his alienation from their core values and purposes. And, in turn, there is mounting evidence of a seriously demoralized military. Young men are less inclined to join the services, and seasoned officers are less inclined to remain in them.

Historically, the Army needs the largest number of recruits and is therefore the first service to experience disappointing enlistment trends. And, sure enough, this year it appeared that the Army would fail to make its enlistment quota for the first time since 1979. Only by offering higher enlistment bonuses (and thanks to the Pentagon’s reducing the accessions requirement by 7,700 recruits) was the Army able to meet its quota. But it still fell far short of its target in combat-arms specialties. Enlistments for the infantry came in at only 72 per cent of mission; for the artillery, at 61 per cent.

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Kate O'Beirne

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Department of Defense

THIRTY years ago Bill Clinton candidly admitted that he “loathed” the military. His stewardship of the armed forces since 1993 confirms his alienation from their core values and purposes. And, in turn, there is mounting evidence of a seriously demoralized military. Young men are less inclined to join the services, and seasoned officers are less inclined to remain in them.

Historically, the Army needs the largest number of recruits and is therefore the first service to experience disappointing enlistment trends. And, sure enough, this year it appeared that the Army would fail to make its enlistment quota for the first time since 1979. Only by offering higher enlistment bonuses (and thanks to the Pentagon’s reducing the accessions requirement by 7,700 recruits) was the Army able to meet its quota. But it still fell far short of its target in combat-arms specialties. Enlistments for the infantry came in at only 72 per cent of mission; for the artillery, at 61 per cent.