Is
it a case of economy woes fueling military recruiting or was the month of February just an oddball because all the active and reserve components made at least 100 percent of their respective goals for the month? The Air National Guard fell somewhat short of its goals for December and January, but surpassed its February goal by some 60 recruits. Both the Air Force and Air Force Reserve Command reached 100 percent of their goals. According to DOD, retention remains “exceptionally strong” in the Army and Marine Corps, but late last month, the Air Staff personnel chief, Lt. Gen. Richard Newton, told lawmakers that the Air Force’s enlisted retention in 2007 fell short of its goal by about eight percent. No word on its current retention picture. Officials from all the services have said they expect to face a tough recruiting year.
While U.S. defense officials have spent much of the past decade warning that China is the nation’s pacing threat and its People’s Liberation Army represents an urgent threat in the Indo-Pacific, several defense researchers are skeptical that the PLA has the human capital, the structural ability, or the political appetite…