Army Recruiting Goals Still on Track

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Army Recruiting Goals Still on Track
February 13, 2009
Army News Service|by J.D. Leipold

WASHINGTON - Despite challenges in recruiting 17-to 24-year-olds, Army leaders said the service is on track to meet recruiting goals this year, and will not lower standards to do so.

The Army faces major challenges in recruiting from the under-24 demographic group, due to education, health and conduct deficiencies, said Lt. Gen. Benjamin C. Freakley, commanding general of U.S. Army Accessions Command. At a Pentagon media roundtable Feb. 11, he told reporters those challenges disqualify seven of 10 military applicants.

"We think education is a strategic issue for the country," Freakley said. "Nationally we have a 70- percent high school graduation rate. We have not lowered our standards, but the goals from the Office of the Secretary of defense are that 90 percent of those who come in the all-volunteer force have graduated from high school."

Last year, 83 percent of Army recruits were high school graduates.

"Our second challenge is with health," said Freakley. "Of 32 million 17- to 24-year-olds, 3.2 million of them are childhood obese, that's 10 percent. Several years ago, one in 20 Americans was obese, but that's closing in soon on one in four."


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