Military
recruiting hit another high note as job losses and job stagnation continue in a still shaky economy. According to the data released by the Pentagon May 11, all the services and their reserve components met or exceeded their enlisted accession goals for the month of April. The Air Force accepted five more than its goal of 2,162 new recruits, while the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve also accepted a few above their goals of 860 and 783, respectively. Because of the continuing recruiting bonanza, the Obama Administration has proposed trimming the 2010 military recruiting and retention account by about $800 million under the $7.039 billion enacted in 2009, “without sacrificing the high quality of today’s force,” according to statement on the reduction by the Office of Management and Budget. To make this 11 percent cut, OMB says the services plan to implement such economies as holding recruiting and retention programs at 2009 levels, reducing enlistment and reenlistment bonuses, reducing advertising budgets, and reducing the number of recruiters.
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.