Good news for the Pentagon this week: their latest figures showed that recruiting for active duty Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines are all on or ahead of their targets for the year.
But has the Pentagon lowered the bar to raise troops? Over the past year, the Army has loosened their age limit, the tattoo ban, and the aptitude requirement. In addition, recently revealed Army figures show that over the past five years, the number of recruits who needed waivers to join up has steadily increased, from 10% to 15% of the incoming class.
The number of recruits who needed waivers because of misdemeanors on their records increased since 2001, from 3% to 6% of the Army total. Recruits with serious crimes remained under 1%, recruits with substance abuse waivers decreased to 1%, and 7% got medical waivers.
The numbers, released after a Freedom of Information request from the Chicago Sun, are becoming public just when the conduct of soldiers is coming under heightened scrutiny. The Army and the Marines are investigating several allegations of misconduct, including rape and murder, against Americans in uniform in Iraq.
Is there a risk in granting more waivers for misdemeanors? "If you're scraping the bottom of the barrel, you'll get what's at the bottom," says Prof. Jay Williams, a retired Navy captain who studies military issues at Chicago Loyola. But there is no evidence, he points out, that the soldiers currently accused of wrongdoing were among those granted misdemeanor waivers.
Army Spokesman Douglas Smith tells CNN that while more recruits may have applied for waivers, the Army's stringent requirements for new soldiers have not changed, and additional background checks have made the vetting more thorough than ever.
"Waiver authorities apply the 'whole person' concept when considering waiver applications," he tells CNN. "Clearly, young people can change; they can overcome mistakes made earlier in their life."
