Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Columbia (SC) State
May 4, 2007
Pg. B9
Army's top personnel officer needs 65,000 more soldiers
By Noelle Phillips
The Army's top personnel officer faces a tall order as he leads the charge to increase its size by 65,000 soldiers.
And his boss wants it done as soon as possible.
Lt. Gen. Michael D. Rochelle, the Army's deputy chief of staff for personnel, spoke about recruiting Thursday during a stop at Fort Jackson. The Army's challenge is to sustain an all-volunteer force during an ongoing war, Rochelle said at a meeting of the Association of the United States Army.
Rochelle said he wasn't just talking about staying strong during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, but about being able to endure what he called "persistent conflict." In other words, even if U.S. troops were to withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan, the threat of terrorism still would hang over the country.
To cope, the Army had plans to add 65,000soldiers, increasing its troop strength to 547,000 by 2012.
Earlier this week, however, Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey said he wants to accelerate that expansion - achieving it by 2010. Casey has ordered his subordinates, including Rochelle, to draw up a plan to fill those positions faster because the Army is stretched thin by repeated combat deployments.
Fort Jackson will figure into the plan because it is the Army's largest basic-training post. About 50,000 troops march through each year.
Jim Hinnant, a Fort Jackson spokesman, said the post could handle any increase in recruits. The post trains about 60 percent of its recruits between May and October because that's when high-school graduates enter the Army. But the post doesn't reduce its staff the rest of the year and would be able to absorb additional recruits, he said.
Rochelle said he does not have a new timeline for meeting the accelerated plan. He did not offer specific proposals to accomplish the goal, saying the issue was being studied.
One way the Army entices recruits is through signing bonuses. The Army spends $1.2 billion a year on enlistment bonuses and retention incentives. Asked if the Army needs to increase the pot of money for bonuses, Rochelle answered, "I would hope not."
"That's a question we really ought to ask Congress and the American people."
Rochelle said recruiters face a number of obstacles in convincing young people to enlist. Today's youth already are less likely to consider the military as an option than their parents. Plus, the job market is strong, so they have other options.
The public's growing opposition to the war in Iraq is hurting, too, Rochelle said. "It's very clearly a very large elephant in the room."
May 4, 2007
Pg. B9
Army's top personnel officer needs 65,000 more soldiers
By Noelle Phillips
The Army's top personnel officer faces a tall order as he leads the charge to increase its size by 65,000 soldiers.
And his boss wants it done as soon as possible.
Lt. Gen. Michael D. Rochelle, the Army's deputy chief of staff for personnel, spoke about recruiting Thursday during a stop at Fort Jackson. The Army's challenge is to sustain an all-volunteer force during an ongoing war, Rochelle said at a meeting of the Association of the United States Army.
Rochelle said he wasn't just talking about staying strong during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, but about being able to endure what he called "persistent conflict." In other words, even if U.S. troops were to withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan, the threat of terrorism still would hang over the country.
To cope, the Army had plans to add 65,000soldiers, increasing its troop strength to 547,000 by 2012.
Earlier this week, however, Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey said he wants to accelerate that expansion - achieving it by 2010. Casey has ordered his subordinates, including Rochelle, to draw up a plan to fill those positions faster because the Army is stretched thin by repeated combat deployments.
Fort Jackson will figure into the plan because it is the Army's largest basic-training post. About 50,000 troops march through each year.
Jim Hinnant, a Fort Jackson spokesman, said the post could handle any increase in recruits. The post trains about 60 percent of its recruits between May and October because that's when high-school graduates enter the Army. But the post doesn't reduce its staff the rest of the year and would be able to absorb additional recruits, he said.
Rochelle said he does not have a new timeline for meeting the accelerated plan. He did not offer specific proposals to accomplish the goal, saying the issue was being studied.
One way the Army entices recruits is through signing bonuses. The Army spends $1.2 billion a year on enlistment bonuses and retention incentives. Asked if the Army needs to increase the pot of money for bonuses, Rochelle answered, "I would hope not."
"That's a question we really ought to ask Congress and the American people."
Rochelle said recruiters face a number of obstacles in convincing young people to enlist. Today's youth already are less likely to consider the military as an option than their parents. Plus, the job market is strong, so they have other options.
The public's growing opposition to the war in Iraq is hurting, too, Rochelle said. "It's very clearly a very large elephant in the room."