Results of the 
first month’s enlisted recruiting in the new fiscal year are good across the board, mirroring the surprising 2008 effort, which Pentagon personnel chief, David S.C. Chu, has proclaimed the strongest recruiting year since 2004. All the active duty and reserve components met or exceeded their October goals. The Air National Guard led the way for the Air Force, reaching 120 percent of its goal, while both the active Air Force and Air Force Reserve achieved their goals. According to a Nov. 10 American Forces Press Service report, the quality of new recruits was a plus, as well, with nearly 70 percent being in the top half of those testing highest in math and verbal skills. (Pentagon release)
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…