The Government Accountability Office says that DOD does not have a good handle on the extent of “irregularities” committed by military recruiters. Says GAO in a new report, “Even one incident of recruiter wrongdoing can erode public confidence.” The Pentagon agrees with both of these sentiments and plans to create an “oversight framework to assess recruiter irregularities and to provide overall guidance to the services.” Of course, the Pentagon also agreed almost 10 years ago to an earlier GAO recommendation that DOD instruct the Air Force, Army, and Navy to link recruiter performance to the number of recruits that successfully complete basic training, not simply the number recruited. To date, only the Marine Corps does this.
Lt. Gen. Dan Caine, nominee to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the Defense Department needs to upgrade its electronic warfare capability and its EW training ranges; just as his predecessor said at his own confirmation hearing.