We’ve reported on the recruiting problems plaguing the United States armed forces. To put it bluntly, it hasn’t been going well.
So what to do if you’re the U.S. Army? Stop with the focus on “woke” like DEI and transgender issues? Treat the military with respect?
Nah. If you’re operating under the Biden administration, you simply cut your numbers. It’s easier than solving the problem.
To wit, the Army on Tuesday released an “Army Force Structure Transformation” paper that announced a force reduction of 24,000 positions – roughly five percent of the force.
Problem solved.
24,000 US Army positions cut amid recruitment woes https://t.co/GZBaNrKY21 pic.twitter.com/galB2PTBDo
— American Military News (@AmerMilNews) February 27, 2024
Although the Army tried to spin the move as a simple exercise in cutting the fat, the reality is that the lack of people wanting to sign up played a big role.
No active-duty soldiers will be asked to depart, however:
“The Army is not asking current soldiers to leave. As the Army builds back end strength over the next few years, most installations will likely see an increase in the number of soldiers actually stationed there,” the Army said.Most of the jobs being slashed are related to counterinsurgency positions that grew during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but are not in high demand today.
They can justify it any way they want, but then reality slaps them in the face:
The Department of Defense previously reported that the Army, Navy, and Air Force fell short of their recruitment goals for Fiscal Year 2023, which ended in September. While the Army gained over 50,000 recruits, it was well short of its goal of 65,000 new recruits. According to The Associated Press, the Army also missed its Fiscal Year 2022 recruitment goal by roughly 15,000 troops.
The Army’s plan to reduce the size of its military force comes amid persistent recruitment challenges that have resulted in the Army missing its recruitment goals over the past two years.
Our sister site Twitchy has a bunch of funny (but pointed) social media reactions to the news, mostly along the lines of this one:
Not surprised.
— The Viking Santa🇺🇸🟦🇮🇱 (@BumpstockKen) February 27, 2024
Constantly being Woke Aware would be exhausting. Can you even say “Sir , YES Sir !” anymore ?
“Person who holds the position of authority above me , YES , Person who holds the position of authority above me ! “ that is a mouthful. https://t.co/J5qNBpjUEO
Here’s where the cuts will come, according to the Army:
The Army’s plan includes the reduction of approximately 10,000 positions connected with counter-insurgency operations, 2,700 positions from units that are not regularly deployed, and 6,500 additional posts and training positions. Additionally, roughly 10,000 positions from cavalry squadrons, security force assistance brigades, infantry brigade combat teams, and Stryker brigade combat teams will be cut.
While the Army insisted that the restructuring is “intended to position the Army to be better equipped to fight future wars,” the reality is that they’re cutting back because they’re facing a shortfall in the number of people who want to join. According to their own numbers, they’re almost 50,000 short of what was intended:
The Army announced that while the current structure of the military service is designed to have 494,000 soldiers, the total number of active-duty soldiers is currently 445,000. Based on the restructuring plan, the Army is striving to achieve a goal of 470,000 active-duty troops by Fiscal Year 2029.
They can explain it any way they want over at the Pentagon, but it’s clear that this is a reaction to conditions on the ground and is not because this is the desired outcome.
Add it to the long list of failures by the Biden administration.
