Free Republic

As the "war on terror" drags on, the US military is finding it difficult to fill its ranks and there are growing concerns some recruiters are breaking the rules. US army recruiters have found it difficult to meet their targets Nearly five years into the war, with conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, the death toll is approaching 3,000 servicemen and women. The pressure to sign up new recruits against this background has challenged the US military. The problem is especially acute for the army. It had a goal of bringing in 80,000 new soldiers in the financial year that ended...

The Defense Department has been working on plans over the past year to integrate the business operations of the services' separate exchanges. The result, if approved by Congress, should remain transparent to customers, according to a senior Pentagon official. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz's May 9, 2003, memorandum called for "a single optimized Armed Service exchange system" for DoD that would require a detailed plan and coordination with Congress. Oversight of the initiative to integrate the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, the Marine Corps Exchange and Navy Exchange operations was assigned to Principal Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel...