Army Tries Private Pitch For Recruits

[w8liftinglady]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/05/AR2006090501508.html

-snip-

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan made military recruiting, which was already difficult, even tougher. The Army and Army Reserve increased new soldiers' signing bonuses for some jobs, raised the maximum age for enlistees and stopped some soldiers from retiring. A recent government report noted that many military recruiters were unhappy with their jobs and that recruiting violations -- such as instructing applicants not to disclose medical conditions -- increased 50 percent in one year.

By turning to the private sector, advocates argue, the Army can save money and free soldiers to fight. Critics say it pushes the limit to what military jobs should be outsourced, furthering a trend that has already drawn record numbers of private contractors into roles as central as interrogating prisoners.

[NMDemDist2]

1. the telemarketers will love to do it

:sarcasm:

[MADem]

2. This is totally disgusting

"The use of contractors for this sensitive purpose, dealing with the lives of young people, is troublesome," said Rep. Janice D. Schakowsky (D-Ill.), who has often criticized the government's reliance on contractors. "There is a notorious lack of oversight in all contracts, so why would we expect that in this very sensitive area it would be any better?"

To Serco and MPRI Inc., it is good business. The two Virginia-based firms have more than 400 recruiters assigned across the country, and have signed up more than 15,000 soldiers. They are paid about $5,700 per recruit.

The companies have tried to apply business savvy to the work. They cut the military's typical seven-week training program for new recruiters to three weeks. And MPRI is using about 20 percent fewer people in the average recruiting station to get the same amount of work done, according to program manager Don Tarter.

They have also included competition and rewards in the process, including cash bonuses, $50 gas cards and suede jackets. Serco encourages recruiters to join the "high rollers" and become one of the "big dogs" by signing up a lot of recruits. Both companies offer a base salary of about $20,000, but recruiters can make $50,000 or more with bonuses and commission.

"If you want to eat steak, you have to put people in the Army," said Stewart McGregor, Serco's program manager. "The more you write, the more you will be paid."

While the Army hasn't announced a decision on whether it will continue the experiment with private recruiters, which was mandated by Congress and operates only as a pilot program, it appears to be moving in that direction. MPRI, a unit of contracting giant L-3 Communications, and Serco are competing for contracts to provide hundreds more recruiters across the country....

When they are so desperate that they actually have to scrape away the recruiting force and put them in the sandbox, we are in deep, deep trouble....and we know these guys will lie like rugs to kids. And what will be the recourse? There will be none.

[Mist]

7. I wonder if "lack of oversight" = "press-ganging"? There is no legal

oversight of contractors in Bushworld.

[MADem]

8. Shit, they may as well just cut to the chase--drug them, and roll them in

a rug, they wake up in boot camp!

Crack that whip...ta hell with these costly bonuses!!!

[Mist]

9. Boot camp may eat up valuable time--they'll train them on the troop

carriers, and throw them into action when they land.

[Ron Green]

3. The further the military drifts from the citizenry, the better the Neocons

like it.

Universal Service! Its time has come!

[arcane1]

4. how does doing it for profit save money?

:shrug:

Am I missing something?

[w8liftinglady]

5. you save money by making money..like tax cuts...

[shadowknows69]

6. The base I work near outsources gate security

because there aren't enough guys with rifles in house already?

[MADem]

10. You got it in one (though you may have wanted a bit of irony!)

The base I go to regularly, which is fairly high security, switched from active to reserves, and now to rent-a-cops. The rent-a-cops are not uniformly well trained. Some seem to know what to look for on the ID, others do not.

They don't want to put the keyboard pounders or the wrench benders out there, even if they have been through "Say, I can shoot TOO" training; far better to have those who have gone through the Lackland military police school...you have fewer "ADs" (accidental discharge of weapon) that way. And failing that, a contractor with insurance!