Comments on: Army Facing Officer Retention Crisis?

By: Seth

Seth — Sat, 22 Apr 2006 13:51:40 +0000

As a class of 2000 USMA grad, I am enjoying reading this thread. My only observation is in response to the comment that the lower retention rates marked the "end of a burst of patriotic fervor" among the junior officers. I can assure you that you that there is no loss of patriotic fervor among officers in general and West Pointers in particular. We all have the same patriotic fervor we started with (however much or little that may be). However, I think there is a new understanding of the correlation between patriot fervor and staying in the Army. Or perhaps there is a lack of understanding of the correlation between the events of 9/11 and the war in Iraq. In any case, any ebbing of a "burst" of patriotic fervor caused by 9/11 would not be a cause for the low retention among junior officers this year since the vast majority of them entered the army long before 9/11. The class of 2000, for example signed on for their 12 years back in 1996. Finally, it is bordering on offensive to suggest any lack or end of a burst of patriotic fervor in relation to Army retention without first discussing the millions of young Americans who don't sign up in the first place. If there is any end or lack of patriotism (and I absolutely don't think there is), let's start with recruitment, not retention.

By: Barry

Barry — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 13:32:47 +0000

"The nature of military academies, certainly USMA, is that it instills a somewhat utopian view of the nature of military service. The idyllic nature of the institution, where highly intelligent and dedicated cadets are trained by similar officers, in a highly structured environment where one leaves the doors unlocked because it is simply a given that all of oneâ??s fellows are honorable can lead to utter disappointment upon entering the Real Army." This was something that I noticed, back in the early 1980's. In a standard platoon, the quality of soldiers ranked from officer material/future CSM to 'awaiting discharge/court martial, whichever comes first'. It can be very hard for a young lieutenant to deal with that.

By: legion

legion — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 15:05:35 +0000

McG-wtf? Managing the ebb & flow of their own personnel _is_ part of the Army's job. Congress sets the overall grand total, but who else would you suggest keep tabs on the recruiting, commissioning, and training pipelines?

By: jacob

jacob — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 03:43:26 +0000

Right â�� theyâ��ve been too busy doing their job.
Join the army, travel the world, meet strange new people and kill them.

Just great for moral.

Hey, really want to support our troops (you nitwits with the stupid yellow ribbon decal on your car) then BRING THEM HOME.

By: McGehee

McGehee — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 01:09:08 +0000

...but now its back, because the Army (apparently) never really addressed the problems they were having before 9/11.

Right -- they've been too busy doing their job.

By: Don Surber

Don Surber — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 20:02:12 +0000

Do Lefties Read?...

NYT headline: Young Officers Leaving Army at a High Rate
Paragraph 12, disproving headline:...

By: The Real Ugly American.com » Blog Archive » Crisis in the Officer Core?

Mon, 10 Apr 2006 18:46:19 +0000

[...] Outside the Beltway provides some more relevant facts: So, retention is higher now than it was pre-9/11 but slightly lower than it was immediately after 9/11? So,we have three changes in the circumstances: [...]

By: legion

legion — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 18:07:15 +0000

I recall in the late 90s the Army having this _exact_ same problem - severely below-expected retention of captains after their initial committment. The main complaint was disillusionment with superiors who were basically career-minded jerks. And this was Army-wide, not just USMA grads. Another suggested reason was a booming hi-tech economy, for which a Combat Arms career is not a good prep. 9/11 apparently put a hiccup in that trend, but now its back, because the Army (apparently) never really addressed the problems they were having before 9/11.

By: Richard Gardner

Richard Gardner — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 16:52:58 +0000

I'm surprised to see a call for involuntary servitude in the pages of the New York Times. Oh, but it is to the state, so it is OK?

By: The Unalienable Right » USA Today: Retention Up! - NY Times: Retention Down!

Mon, 10 Apr 2006 16:34:31 +0000

[...] Others: Outside the Beltway posted by: The Editors @ 8:06 am April 10, 2006 [...]

By: Phil Smith

Phil Smith — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 14:52:03 +0000

I wonder if the class of 2000 had expectations about the shape of the world and nature of their service that have not come to pass.

By: Daily Libertarian | Facilitating the Free Exchange of Ideas

Daily Libertarian | Facilitating the Free Exchange of Ideas — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

If you really want to know how people on the upper tier are doing, look at officer retention numbers -- they are highly educated, have tons more responsibility, and are not offered any bonus to remian in the Army. See this article from last April. The class of 2000 numbers are shown -- that is my class, and I am one of the people who got out. Due to stop-loss measures, many of those people who have got out were stop-lossed and remain in the retention count despite the

By: usDantesafa - MySpace Blog

usDantesafa - MySpace Blog — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

I know of at least 15 people who have taken this road out of the military never want to look back. Where has the return gone? The other problem, especially in the Army, is retention. Roughly 1/3rd of West Point graduates in the class of 2000 (http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/2006/04/army_facing_officer_retention_crisis/) left the service at the earliest possible moment. I know friends and acquantinces in the Army and the Marines who entered as officers motivated and eager to serve only to get out at the earliest possible moment.

By: Dadmanly

Dadmanly — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

than "the army isn't for me" at work. But to pretend this is some sort of crisis brought on solely by Iraq is a bit over the top.Other Bloggers to note the discrepancy between actual data and the Media Spin-o’-the-Day: USS Neverdock, James Joyner atOutside the Beltway, Blue Crab Boulevard, Law Hawk, and Powerline.)