Army recruiters salute
during the playing of the national anthem at the change of command ceremony for
the Jackson, Miss., March 12, 2014. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Fewer Than One in Three Young Americans Can Join Military
Beth Asch is a senior economist at the RAND Corporation, a
research group. She studies military recruiting activities. She is surprised by
the number of people who cannot meet the military’s standards.
The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have ended, and Congress
has ordered the military to reduce troop levels. But the United States Army --
and other military services -- must continue to recruit new soldiers, and it is
having trouble finding enough people who are qualified.
The Army tells VOA “changes in society have decreased the
number of young people who are eligible to join.”
The U.S. Army plans to reduce its size from 508,000soldiers
to 450,000 by the year 2017. Most new soldiers leave the service after their
first enlistment period of three or four years has ended. So the Army must
still recruit between 70,000 and 90,000 young Americans every year to reach its
target troop level.
People who want to join the Army must be in good physical
and mental condition. They must be between the ages of 17 and 34. They must
have graduated from high school. They must not have used illegal drugs or have
a criminal record. And they may have only small tattoos -- and none on their
hands, face, neck or head.
The Department of Defense says 71 percent of young Americans
between the ages of 17 and 24 would not be accepted into one of the nation’s
military services if they volunteered. The Army believes that number will
increase to 80 percent by 2020, mostly because of the expected rise in obesity
levels.
The Army says about 28 percent of people who apply are
rejected because they are overweight or have behavior problems. Others are not
permitted to join because they have a criminal record or a history of drug
abuse. Some are rejected because they are unable to meet the military’s
academic requirements. One-quarter of the high school graduates who take the
Army’s math and reading test fail it.
U.S soldiers participate
in a NATO exercise in Kosovo.
“It does sound like, ‘Wow, that’s pretty amazing isn’t it?’
There are a lot of people who simply don’t qualify.”
Major General Allen Batschelet is the commander of the U.S.
Army’s Recruiting Command. He spoke to the public radio program Here and Now in
August about the Army’s recruiting difficulties. He says the main problem is
young Americans’ poor physical fitness.
“The factors that we use to measure and evaluate people to
join the Army increasingly they’re not able to meet those requirements. It’s
very troubling, and the trends are not in the good direction -- especially in
regards to fitness. Young people are showing up at our doors increasingly unfit
or obese and it’s, it’s a real problem.”
In the 2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination
Survey, the National Institutes of Health found that one-third of all Americans
can be considered obese. A group of retired senior military officers is warning
that the country’s high obesity rate threatens national security and the
military’s ability to win wars.
D. Allen Youngman is a member of the group,
which is called Mission: Readiness. He is a retired U.S. Army major general. He
told VOA the problems of American society are affecting the country’s military.
“…the same issues and
the way they’re impacting America’s overall quality f life, competitiveness in
a global economy and other things.”
The retired senior officers are fighting larger social
forces. For instance, schools do not always offer healthy food or require that
students exercise. General Youngman says
he knows changing people’s behavior is a difficult fight.
“Human nature, you know, draws us toward sugar and fat and
things like that. And if, and if we say it’s all about choice well then we have
to live with those consequences. But if we, if we can provide more intelligent
choices then, you know, young people are gonna respond.”
The U.S. Army reflects the nature of the country’s youth.
And many young Americans are simply too fat to fight. General Batschelet says
he is worried the Army will soon be unable to reach its recruiting goals. He
says the country’s current social trends may be creating a serious national
security problem.
I’m Christopher Cruise.
Tomorrow, we will report on possible changes to the Army’s
weight standards or cyber-warriors. Not everyone is happy the Army is
considering such a change.
Christopher Cruise reported and wrote this story for VOA
Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.
______________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
qualified – adj. having the necessary skill, experience, or
knowledge to do a particular job or activity; having the qualifications to do
something
eligible – adj. able to be chosen for something; able to do
or receive something
enlistment period – n. a term of enlistment in the military
(usually 3-4 years in the US military)
recruit – v. to find suitable people and get them to join a
company, an organization or the armed forces
tattoo – n. a picture or word that is permanently drawn on a
person’s skin by using a needle and ink
behavior problems – n. issues with the way a person or
animal acts or behaves
academic – adj. of or relating to schools and education
physical fitness – adj. physically healthy and strong
quality of life – n. how good or bad a person’s life is
competitiveness – n. as good as or better than others of the
same kind; able to compete successfully with others
standards – n. a level of quality or achievement that is
considered acceptable or desirable
larger social forces – n. societal trends; society working
together in order to achieve something or change behaviors or characteristics
healthy food – n. food that is good for your health
exercise – n. physical activity that is done in order to
become stronger and healthier
draws us toward – idiom motivates or compels to take an
action
consequences – n. something that happens as a result of a
particular action or set of conditions
respond – v. to have a particular reaction to something
reflects the nature – v. to show or be a sign of the nature
of something or of someone’s attitude or feeling
social trends – n. a general direction of change in a
society; a way of behaving or proceeding that is developing and becoming more
common
Army recruiters salute during the playing of the national
anthem at the change of command ceremony for the Jackson, Miss., March 12,
2014. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
U.S soldiers participate in a NATO exercise in Kosovo.
(Source : VOA Special English )
(Source : VOA Special English )
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