An Imminent and Menacing Threat to National Security - By Gen. W. Wallace
The following is an article written by General William S. Wallace (inset pic), Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, and is entitled:
An Imminent and Menacing Threat to National Security
The U.S. Army today faces an imminent and menacing threat to our national security. We are engaged in a struggle that will determine our future. Failure to resolve this problem could leave us vulnerable and our enemies victorious.
The threat? The lack of fully qualified young people to serve in the military.
Many young Americans are willing to serve but too little is made of the declining number of young people who are qualified to serve. This is the real story and it’s a shocking one. Only 28 percent of the 17 to 24 year-old population qualifies to wear a military uniform. The other 72 percent fail to meet minimum standards on education, character and health. The problem gets worse. Of those eligible to serve, a significant portion chooses not to for a variety of reasons.
Faced with these declining numbers, we have two choices: Lower the military admission standards or raise the health and education standards for our young people.
As the commander responsible for recruiting, training and educating U.S. Army soldiers, I believe the choice is obvious: we must declare war on poor education, lack of fitness and poor health and help foster future generations of educated and healthy young Americans. Here is our plan.
First, we are working to create better educated young people. The Army has always been a vehicle for advancement in America. In past years, Soldiers who served were sometimes given land grants. In today’s Information Age, education is the greatest means of mobility. Today, Soldiers take part in lifelong learning. Initiatives like the Distributed Learning Education and Training Programs offer soldiers the chance to be in the classroom even while they prepare for the battlefield.
Still, we need to reach people at a younger age to encourage educational achievement. While still not optimized in some states, we continue to promote Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) and National Defense Cadet Corps (NDCC) programs. Participating students have higher attendance and greater graduation rates than their peers and are also exposed to 120 hours of Physical Activity and Leadership Assessment training. Because most of these kids will go on to careers outside the military, our society as a whole benefits as their discipline and determination will serve them and their country well beyond their high school years, and regardless of career choice.
The Army is also investigating the opening of the first “Army Preparatory School” to help non-high school graduates get caught up on fitness while becoming academically-eligible for the military. We are taking these simple steps because we believe they will have a profound impact on educating our nation’s youth.
Second, we are working to create healthier young people. The military has always been a catalyst for health care. World War I stimulated efforts to improve nutrition and World War II led to the publication of nutritional information on products. Today, our health challenge with young people isn’t lack of food but too much of it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say that the number of overweight children tripled between 1963 and 1999. With poor nutrition habits leading to spiraling health care costs due to high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, diabetes and stroke, we all suffer.
We are facing a challenge in the declining number of qualified young people for military service. The military can’t win this war alone. It will take the effort of all Americans—particularly those in government, business and education. By coming together to raise awareness about this issue, we can raise the bar for better education and better health. That will lead to a stronger and more capable military and a better America.
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First thought…William Wallace? as in the William Wallace….no shit!
June 8th, 2008 at 4:25 pmI remember my PE classes back in the day, when the President’s Physical Fitness Awards were touted by PE teachers, and fitness goals were practiced and trained for. The percentile ranking that was set up made it competitive and fun - I wanted to be in the top ranking and was. Then to get that letter from the President saying he was proud of you and your achievements, well that was a glorious thing!
June 8th, 2008 at 4:39 pmThe shrill cry from the left to get this patriot fired will be cacophonous. Semper Fi.
June 8th, 2008 at 4:52 pmTheir vision standards are too strict for one thing. I can understand them wanting near perfect vision for front line combatants, especially with all the high-tech gear they’re using nowadays, but they wouldn’t even let me enlist just because I have one eye that’s worse than the DOD standards.
People with health imperfections like myself could at least be used in supportive roles to free up more people for combat operations. They don’t need to lower fitness standards, but they definitely need to find a way to make room for people with those types of issues but are otherwise in perfect health. Hell, I don’t even need glasses to see perfectly, so long as I don’t lose my left eye I’m good to go! Damnit! Let me serve! It ain’t fair!
June 8th, 2008 at 4:59 pmA failed school system except maybe in the Heartland areas supposedly populated by dumb hicks.
To me he is apparently saying that those who meet the minimum standards are the best and the brightest. This surely defeats all the liberal verbiage.
June 8th, 2008 at 5:27 pmI cant serve because I don’t have a left hand =\
June 8th, 2008 at 6:23 pmRemember Kerrys, “if you dont work hard and are a dumb fuck you might end up in the miliary”.
Well dickhead, how then do you explain that 72% of Americans dont even qualify for the military?
June 8th, 2008 at 6:45 pmHm, the “Active” and “support” distinction is maybe something worth pursuing. Especially with telepresence and remote UAS use spiraling.
June 8th, 2008 at 7:14 pmMakes me wonder if John Kerry’s comment caused a lot of kids to disregard joining the armed services ?? Who wants to go through basic with a bunch of “losers” in Kerry’s definition? Maybe we ought to start a campaign showing just how much our military members are winners.
June 8th, 2008 at 8:39 pmSpecify limited roles for those with physical limitations or those normally too old. I’d fucking join up in minute(I have a wasted life to redeem).
June 8th, 2008 at 9:45 pmThe military needs to drop the straight cut perfect record BS. The military used to be were youngsters that started down the wrong path were forced to to get back on track via the military. I know many a ole timers that have stories that begin with “well the judge gave me a choice….”
Now even after doing the time, growing up, proving no repeat offense, the military wont take ya. If you want warriors you shouldn’t be surprised many of your best candidates here in civilian life are eehhhh a little rough back in the day.
June 8th, 2008 at 10:12 pmWhen I was growing up it was fat kids were a rarity, thanks to recess and HS PE classes. We didn’t have any soda machines or snack machines. You got a meal at lunch or you broght your chow from home. There was no choice as to drinks. Water from a fountain or milk (white or chocolate).
No AC either. On top of that most kids walked to school. You couldn’t help but be “fit”.
Now, look at society…lazy, unfit, stuck on stupid (TV), lower academic standards.
Organized sports should be more than an afterschool activity. It should be an in-school requirement until a child reaches their junior year of HS.
10 Years of fitness is what kids need. After their Junior year. they can choose their own fitness destiny.
But kids need the same thing the military teaches (in their formative years), fitnes, motivation and discipline. Discipline is the key, motivation the way.
You won’t achieve that in Public HS There needs to be an alternative to Public HS. Preferably a school system that doesn’t see our kids as sexual objects or subscribes to the Jeremiah Wright theory of geopolitical and social views of the world.
June 9th, 2008 at 4:54 amSounds like a clash of programs, Military vs. No child Left Behind. The General is correct I think in his assesment for manpower requirements…and the shrinking civiy pool to choose from. Since tweaking the school system would take years, I’m betting the Armed Forces will tweak their requirements first with a waiver program.
That “Army Preparatory School” mentioned sounds like something I may have experience with in a similar program the Marines had in 1966. It would require a waiver most likely, not sure if it was for legal liability or an exception to the requirements at the time. Anyhow, I was drafted in 1966 and had 10 days to decide which service to enter. I chose a 3 year program the Marne recruitor was offering, ( he must have been a used car salesman before), as it had a 120 day delay of bootcamp, which gave me time to pay off some bills etc.. BUT, unlike the Army draft, it required me to sign a waiver because of my Football Center physique of 220 lbs, at 5′10″, overweight. I knew most of that was party beer so no biggy and I expected extra PT to shed it off. Little did I know, they had high tech outfit nicknamed, “The Fat Farm”, or Physical Conditioning Program,I’d spend a week in.
Near as I can recall, it was structured into a Conditiong Company, one platoon called PCP, physical Conditioning Platoon, and the other was Motivation Platoon. The Motivation Platoon was mostly cons for military or civy infractions and I’d see them running everywhere they went with sledge hammers instead of rifles, even their guidon flag had a 9 pound sledge end just below the flag streamer. Also they carried buckets to haul their concrete rubble they’d reduce from blocks to chunks.
MY PCP Platoon recollections begin with me in my first bootcamp platoon and failing the pull ups. The second week I entered the PCP program and it started with a daily 3 mile run in the morning. A break, then weight lifting and confidence courses, a break and PT till about lunch..lots of greens, meat and not much white food ( Adkins Diet?). Then the previous regimin in reverse finishing with the 3 mile run to a radar station near MCRD, San Diego. During the whole day, I had to wear this foam rubber tube from the waist up to my sternum, and after each event, the sweat would just roll off when I took it off. The atmosphere was a lot more laid back than regular boot camp and after BSing with the Sarge found that he had an aunt that worked for my dad back home. After I passed the PT test at the end of the week there, I was picked up in another bootcamp platoon and finished their PT in a breeze. I lost about 25 pounds in one week at PCP, and another 20 the remaining 7 weeks of boot. On my leave after ITR to home, my family didn’t recognize me at the ariport, at 175 lbs., ha. Later, I see where private companies were offering a program close to Marine PCP and were getting paid big bucks for clients…I got mine for free!!
One observation I recall in PCP was the plight of under weight guys. One had been there a month and just couldn’t put on muscle weight even with high fat, protein chow and the PT. If he didn’t pass the next PT test, he’d be washed out of his volunteering for service. Never knew such humans existed, and often think if there’s some natural limit to ones metobolism, the genetic diversity bank of diferent people to survive a humanity disaster of some kind where a certain physical make up would carry on the species…and then there’s sports steriods use to ponder on.
So, I’m thinking that Army Prep School, might be a Fat Farm etc., and suppose they’d need waivers for that like they did in the old days. I would think there’d be a waiver system for scholastic under achievers…and referals from a judge, to get around the requiremets and get educated and physically fit for service.
June 9th, 2008 at 8:46 amMy son’s dream was > USMC (his bedroom was plastered with USMC posters, banners, clocks, teeshirts, etc).
However, due to a freak accident / fused hip he could never pass the physical. He called numerous times to see if there was any other position he could serve (honor student all his life - took college courses in HS) but, the response was no, we will not (cannot) accept you.
I agree with several of the previous posters. We need to re-assess the entry requirements.
June 9th, 2008 at 11:01 amI’m a bit worried that America won’t acknowledge the problem and that a majority of our citizens are in denial. We have a tendency to not give much attention to long-term problems, which makes this condition even worse. So although our educators know and understand we have significant challenges in education (given the fact that every 26 seconds some high school student drops out of school) and the general public “sees itself” as overweight, unfit, and unhealthy, America won’t decide to do anything until it’s too late. Our future IS today’s youth and the problem is very, very real.
June 16th, 2008 at 11:53 am