Gracchus

Boots on the ground, walking the wrong way

In its attempt to promote a military buildup, Third Way has unintentionally made clear why any such buildup is impossible.

The group's recent report urging 100,000 new troops is so eager to create alarm about the condition of the Army that it lets the cat out of the bag about a phenomenon usually little commented upon, namely the fact that the "volunteer army" isn't getting many volunteers these days.

Joining the Army isn't such a bad deal in peacetime -- no worse or better than being in high school, really, except you get to play around with all these way-kewl weapons. But when there's a war on, it's another matter. You could get killed.

Apparently the Army fell short of its recruiting target by 42% in April, according to the Third Way report. It had also missed target in February and March, by increasing margins each month. They don't expect to meet their goals for May either. ROTC enrollments are down. The National Guard and Reserve are in even worse shape than the regular army. Recruiting standards have been lowered; the Army that enlisted Lynndie England is now going even more downscale.

The problem is, of course, that only very stupid people will put their necks on the line for damn-fool stunts like this Iraq adventure. And there just aren't enough stupid people. True stupidity is really quite rare, so rare that we have difficulty filling the highest posts in our Government and occasionally have to let in somebody intelligent. If we have to depend on stupid people to fill the ranks of the Army, too, we'll have a real problem.

Third Way's report doesn't quite confront this damning fact. It characterizes the problem a little differently: "The army must either be used less or its strength must be increased." The report's author (no contrarian he) hastens to add that of course using it less is unthinkable, so we've got to build it up.

And how are we supposed to do that, if people won't join up? Third Way doesn't seem to have an answer for that one. One sentence alludes arm-wavingly to "education incentives, pay and enlistment bonuses, and time-of-service options." Step up here and get shot at, Private, and we'll pay your tuition if you survive. Rrrright.

So this leaves me wondering. It's like a joke with no punch line. The big question is very alarmingly raised -- and no answer is forthcoming. So what exactly is the purpose of this report? Are they just trying to position the New Democrats as friends of the military for PR purposes, without any serious intention of proposing real solutions? Or is there a real solution lurking in the wings that they don't want to acknowledge just yet -- like a draft?

Well, I for one would welcome a draft. I'm too old to serve, and imposing a draft would make the country blow up in their faces. So as Mr. Bush said -- Bring it on!

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Posted by gracchus at May 21, 2005 07:09 PM | TrackBack