Army lowering their standards.

[trogdor]

From DailyKos:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/6/3/122340/1926

UNCLAS ALARACT 110/2005

SUBJECT: FIRST-TERM ENLISTED ATTRITION

1. REFERENCES:

A. MEMORANDUM, DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF, G-1, HQDA, 10 MARCH 2005, SUBJECT AS ABOVE.

B. AR 635-200 (ENLISTED ADMINISTRATIVE SEPARATIONS), PARAGRAPHS 1-1C, 1-16A, 1-19C, D, AND E.

2. ALL MACOMS WILL SEND A MESSAGE VIA E-MAIL TO THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS TO ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT OF THIS MESSAGE: [e-mail]

3. WE ARE AN ARMY AT WAR AND INCREASING LEVELS OF ATTRITION OF FIRST-TERM ENLISTED SOLDIERS IN BOTH THE TRAINING BASE AND UNITS IS A MATTER OF GREAT CONCERN. WE NEED YOUR CONCERTED EFFORT TO REVERSE THE RECENT NEGATIVE TREND IN FIRST-TERM ATTRITION. BY REDUCING ATTRITION ONE PERCENT, THE ARMY CAN SAVE UP TO 3,000 INITIAL-TERM SOLDIERS THATS 3,000 MORE SOLDIERS IN OUR FORMATIONS. EACH SOLDIER RETAINED REDUCES THE STRAIN ON RECRUITING COMMAND AND OUR RETENTION PROGRAM, WHICH MUST REPLACE EVERY SOLDIER WHO DEPARTS THE ARMY EARLY.

4. AS AN ADDITIONAL MEANS OF REDUCING ATTRITION, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY SEPARATION AUTHORITY FOR FIRST-TERM ENLISTED SOLDIERS IS ELEVATED FROM THE BATTALION COMMANDER TO THE SPECIAL COURT-MARTIAL CONVENING AUTHORITY (SPCMCA) FOR THE FOLLOWING SEPARATION CATEGORIES PRESCRIBED BY AR 635-200: FAILURE TO MEET PROCUREMENT MEDICAL FITNESS STANDARDS (PARAGRAPH 5-11); PREGNANCY (CHAPTER 8); ALCOHOL OR OTHER DRUG ABUSE REHABILITATION FAILURE (CHAPTER 9); ENTRY LEVEL PERFORMANCE AND CONDUCT (CHAPTER 11); UNSATISFACTORY PERFORMANCE (CHAPTER 13); SELECTED CHANGES IN SERVICE OBLIGATIONS (CHAPTER 16, PARAGRAPHS 16-4 THRU 16-10); AND FAILURE TO MEET BODY FAT STANDARDS (CHAPTER 18). WITHHOLDING OF SEPARATION AUTHORITY FROM BATTALION COMMANDERS, AND ELEVATING IT TO SPCMCA LEVEL, IS DIRECTED BY HQDA PURSUANT TO PARAGRAPH 1-19E, AR 635-200. SEPARATION AUTHORITY FOR CHAPTERS 5, 10, 14, AND 15 REMAIN AT THE SPCMA LEVEL.

5. THE FOREGOING DIRECTION APPLIES TO SEPARATION PROCEEDINGS IN PROGRESS OR PENDING INITIATION. IT WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL AT LEAST 1 JUNE 2006, AT WHICH TIME IT WILL BE REVIEWED FOR CONTINUATION OR TERMINATION.

6. COMMANDERS AT ALL ECHELONS ARE ENJOINED TO REVIEW THE GUIDANCE ON COUNSELING, REHABILITATION, AND RETRAINING OF SOLDIERS PROMULGATED IN AR 635-200, PARAGRAPHS 1-1C AND 1-16A.

7. THIS MESSAGE WILL EXPIRE 1 JUNE 2006.
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

So you can't get kicked out the Army for flunking the PT test, being a fatass, getting knocked up, getting high, being a drunk, or doing a really shitty job, unless you can convince your division commander, who is a major general that you need to go. Yeppers, that's the Army I want to join.

[gordianot]

1. You got it. Heard this morning on NPR.

Nominated.

[SnowGoose]

2. Wow, doesn't Blockbuster drug test their employees?

(and fire those who 'fail')?

But not the army, eh? Well, kinda makes sense, in the army you're just firing rockets and stuff - at blockbuster, you might get stoned and recommend "The Day After Tomorrow" to someone.

[4MoreYearsOfHell]

3. The Day After Tomorrow, or worse yet

Fahrenheit 911...

[Tux]

4. Yay!

I can see a special unit called Bush Youth now. Youngsters think they're joining the Boy Scouts...

[MissB]

5. Wowsers.

I asked my best friend about her nephew this past weekend. He just got out of the Army, but did a real number on his body. He was over 400 lbs, from a previous weight of 250 lbs. Helluva way to get out.

[Joey Liberal]

6. FTA

[UdoKier]

21. So you hate the troops?

There's a pretty clear pattern emerging with your posts - short, inane, typed-by-rote.

[Joey Liberal]

22. If you don't like my posts

Don't read em.

[UdoKier]

23. It's not that I don't "like them"

I don't believe them.

[Joey Liberal]

27. Oh, okay

That's cool. I can't expect everyone to believe or agree with everything I post.

[paula777]

7. So does this mean a drug addicted, obese, pregnant woman can

now join the army?

[Walt Starr]

8. And people on DU were talking about failing a drug test to get out of the

draft.

Ain't gonna happen, people. Very little will get people out of the drat that's coming. Very much (money) is probably the only way you'll get out.

[MissB]

9. Yep.

Getting kinda skeery.

[OrlandoGator]

10. Then the standards get lowered to nothing, then we get a draft.

Nobody joining the military constitutes an "emergency." So we'll see an "emergency draft."

Watch.

[dogday]

11. But You Can Get Kicked Out If You Are Gay

Check out this thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=3770998&mesg_id=3770998

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

12. If I was between 16 and 40, I'd be marking the route to Canada.

According to NPR this morning some guy was saying that the only thing holding off the draft now was the '06 elections.

[kster]

17. The only thing

holding up the draft is US. We didn't go away after the election,and it's hurting all their plans. I think if it wasn't for us and other sites, they would have started selling the draft to the sheeple a month or two ago,and it would have been sold to them by now.

02.cents

[Flying Dream Blues]

13. I wonder...

(snip)
THE ARMY CAN SAVE UP TO 3,000 INITIAL-TERM SOLDIERS THATS 3,000 MORE SOLDIERS IN OUR FORMATIONS.
(snip)

Did * write this? It smacks of his cleverness...

[trogdor]

16. Close.

Deputy Chief of Staff G-1, Department of the Army.

[grace0418]

14. Are you breathing? Can you hold a gun?

Goooooooooood. We don't want to have to ask the children of the rich and privileged to serve, heavens no!

[Solly Mack]

15. Gag. It was hard enough as it was to chapter a bad soldier at times

The horror stories I could tell!

Now it's downright impossible!

Are they still going to "flag" bad soldiers? What's the point if you can't chapter them without a military judge?

This is going to cause all sorts of problems because of the procedural questions that will come from it...

[DS1]

18. Shit, if they supplied the alcohol, hookers, and drugs

I just might have to sign up! :D

[RPM]

19. When your Commander in Chief is a fuck-up, the lower standards apply 2 all

:eyes:

[LeftCoast]

20. As if we couldn't already tell that from Lyndie England

As Bill Maher said (paraphrase): The army's already picked all the low-hanging Lyndie England fruit...

[katamaran]

24. Hmmm....

....there goes my plan to get pregnant quick if I get drafted. I had even talked my boyfriend into the idea. At least there's the simple consolation that ages 19-23 will get drafted first. (I'm 27, b/f is 37)

[UTUSN]

25. "Lowering Standards"----------from What? n/t

[Fleshdancer]

26. They can talk about poppies in Afghanistan when recruiting heroine addicts

Jeez. Sounds like our Army is dwindling down to a literal "Army of One". Something tells me that lowering the requirements aren't going to significantly increase the number of recruits (if at all).

I still think recruiters need to hang around every Young Republican groups on college campuses throughout the country and ask them if they know what "chicken-hawk" means.

edit: spelling oops

[Octafish]

28. I'll say.

They call this psychotic moron "pretzelnut."