Pentagon Official Refutes 'Time' Claim of 'Broken-Down Army'

NewsBusters ^ | Mark Finkelstein

[governsleastgovernsbest]

A senior Pentagon official has refuted "Time" magazine's depiction of a "broken" Army. Accusing "Time" of using incendiary language and of hyping the facts, Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Military Personnel Policy Bill Carr made his remarks in the course of his appearance yesterday on the TV show this NewsBuster hosts, and in subsequent written comments.

Sec. Carr was responding to claims made by "Time" in a story by Mark Thompson dated April 5, 2007 entitled America's Broken-Down Army, a headline Carr called "incendiary."

Sec. Carr offered the following refutation of a number of assertions contained in the "Time" article:

TIME: Recruits from the least-skilled category have climbed eightfold, to nearly 4%, over the past two years.

CARR: This refers to the percentage of recruits drawn from the bottom-third of math/verbal aptitude (we refer to them as "Category IV"). For the past 15 years, the Pentagon quality benchmarks have stipulated a ceiling of 4% for CAT IV and Army is within it. As recently as 1980, the Army was bringing in more than half (56%) from the bottom third and ten years later took that Army to war. A decrease from one-in-two, to one-in-twenty today, is hardly consistent with an explosive word like "broken" -- TIME is hyping the facts by hiding the historical context.

TIME: The Army has boosted the maximum enlistment age from 35 to 42 — but 12% of recruits over 35 drop out within six months, double the rate for younger soldiers.

CARR: From Desert Storm (1991) to today, the average six month attrition rate for Army (all ages; all sources) has been 15%. It is hard to view a figure like 12% as evidence of "broken."

TIME: To boost its numbers, the Army has had to cut its standards. It granted recruits nearly twice as many waivers for felonies and other personal shortcomings in 2006 as it did in 2003.

CARR: Felony waivers doubled from 411 to 901 between 2003-06 -- about one per congressional district, or one percent of total. Notably, this term refers to persons arrested for a felony; yet most were not adjudicated as felons (charges were reduced or dropped). But any arrest that did not culminate in "not guilty" is required to undergo a felony waiver in the military to ensure a general officer looks closely at the case. If the community support for the young person is strong (teachers, coaches, clergy) and a whole-person review portends success, a waiver is granted. Notably, those who survive this close scrutiny are more successful than the average recruit in completing their service obligations. Their communities were right to support them, and the system works.

Sec. Carr concluded by approvingly citing a statement in the "Time" article by General Peter Schoomaker, the Army chief of staff: "I know what an Army that's near broken smells like, what it looks like, how it acts: drug problems, race problems, insubordination — all kinds of things going on. We're nowhere near anything like that."

Remarked Sec. Carr: "The general is quite correct, and his recollections are more vivid than some of his contemporaries."

Contact Mark at mark@gunhill.net

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Pentagon-refutes-Time ping to Today show list.

[SMARTY]

Just ask Al Q types if the US has a broken down force!!

[Miss Marple]

I had a discussion with my democrat brother the other night in which he said we were going to lose in Iraq because the army is made up of people who were told "army or jail."

I would send him this article except that when I told him he was wrong and would get him the statistics, he said he wouldn't believe them because he "knows" this is the truth.

I really have a difficult time at family gatherings, as you can imagine.

[6SJ7]

Just ask Al Q types if the US has a broken down force!!

Al Quaeda, the MSM, it's all the same.

[Thermalseeker]

If the Libs are going to claim that the Army is broken down, then we need to lay the blame where it belongs: the Clinton Administration! Everyone should recall, once again, that every time the Democrats are in charge they deplete the military to spend money on their perpetually failing social engineering programs. Clinton took the Army from 20 Divisions to 10 Divisions in a so-called attempt to “balance the budget”. That’s what, 1 million soldiers? Now, we need ‘em and we don’t have ‘em......if there is anything “broke down” in this equation it is the Liberal mindset to world affairs!

[IamConservative]

I suggest the Time author runs onto Fort Bragg brandishing a firearm. To test his theory....

[Bombard]

If you brother really thinks that then he knows nothing. Which is true for many democrat true believers. In fact where did he come up with such an idea? The answner is that he buys the MSM story hook,line and sinker.

[rob21]

I’m guessing that we’ll never see anything about this article in the MSM. If the media acknowledges that our military is not broken, then that takes away one of our domestic enemies favorite arguments, and the MSM won’t let that happen.

[JZelle]

Is “Time” even worth arguing with?

[Red6]

Much of what is written is actually a testament things are done right!

It’s all about spin. For example: In this case, the writer takes the fact that the Army pays large bonuses for reenlistment or to service members who stay in theater over 365 days and is considering paying extra to those who return to Iraq in under one year after having returned as an indicator that something is wrong. Bottom line is that the Army is “meeting” its retention goals! He does not highlight this minor detail since it would distract from his spin.

[military cop]

No offense to your family but, I suspect this brother hasn’t served in the military and everything he ever learned from it was from watching “Platoon” or what someone told him....

RLTW

[Miss Marple]

No offense taken. You are quite right. He has never served and his sources of news are union newsletters, the Sunday paper, and rock and roll radio news on his way to work. He will not listen to any alternate sources, and I have pretty much given up converting him, and instead try simply to get him to see that all Republicans aren't "evil or stupid".

It is very sad because he is a nice guy and pretty intelligent, but when your news sources are limited you come up with some squirrely ideas.

[SMARTY]

“...everyone gets the money”, Uh, Except Americans.

Of course. Americans do without (more and more) to PROVIDE the money for everyone else!!!

Also, what you say about Ellis Island is totally correct. My grandparents said that they were in dread fear that they would be sent back if they could not pass the ‘test’ at Ellis Island.

They had to speak enough English to naturalized (read - to vote) and they had to be healthy - inside and out.

[Vineyard]

I agree - so what if the Army is paying high bonuses. If things were broke, the bonuses would be meaningless. In this low-employment economy, highly trained and skilled military can get jobs at double the salary working security and other paramilitary jobs in Iraq or adjacent Middle East countries. They can get good jobs elsewhere - at lower risk.

I think it a great thing that our Army can provide bonuses that mean we will start paying them a little more - and the all-volunteer military is worth far more than we pay them!

Recruitment - they are still attracting good recruits. My son ships out to Army boot camp in less than 3 months. (My other two adult children are already serving - 1 in the Army Reserve, the other in the Navy.)

Mike