A very sensitive issue which seem to affect future recruitment and retention pattern is that there will be a rise in the violence and psychological disturbance among the future youth due to the fact that they will be unable to find female spouses and partners which will lead them to opt for violence. They can observe violent course of life either being the regular army or serving to some warlord only so to meet their own ends:
there will be a significant number of young men unable to find spouses and female partners, with some psychological theories suggesting that this is likely to increase their inclination to violence and crime, or their parallel willingness to be warriors, either in an established army or in some warlord’s private army (Quester, p. 27, 2005). AS such a number of future possibilities seem to be unpredictable according to Quester. What is important at this point in time is that the above mentioned demographic possibilities should be taken seriously to work out future possibilities of recruitment and retention process in the forces.
If these changes are adequately addressed, there is no doubt that better measures can be assured for recruitment and retention of the forces. Civil-Forces Gap There is one issue that the gap between the US forces and civil opinion is widening. This is due to a number of factor which is affecting the quality of recruitment and retention. American people as a nation seem to appreciate the traditional culture that the military had sustained for long, and still military is highly popular among people. However, with all this the gap between the forces and general citizen is expanding for several reasons.
One reason which Morgan (p. 101, 2001) highlights is that civic participation among the citizens of the United States of America has declined considerably in the recent times. This is so much to the fact that even the general voters are declining that shows the indifference of the common people in the matters of high concern such as the operational quality of forces. The other reason for this gap is quoted by the author as being the cultural divide among the people of the country. This cultural divide has also affected the military of the US.
This may be due to such factors as changing scenario of means of entertainment. People have less inclination to read about military operations at this point in time. Another major reason for this gap is the physical alienation of military from the general habitation of the country. For example, all such things as military bases have their own schools, churches, places for shopping, and health care centers along with areas of recreation have played a significant role in widening the civil-forces gap in the recent times.
Moreover, “the increasing incorporation of technological functions that traditionally have not been part of the warrior role may in fact make” (Morgan, p. 101, 2001). Intellectual and physical separation of the forces is another factor leading to this very critical issue of increasing gap between forces and the general public. One thing worth noting is army’s not being a representative of the entire population on the whole which creates a questioning point among many a citizen easily giving more rise to criticism not only on the side of those not represented by the military but also by those who are under-represented by the forces.
In the very recent times when the war against terrorism has led the US forces into such far lands and Iraq and Afghanistan, there is word that takes into criticism the amount of spending that is being conducted for the military operation across the different countries US has stepped in. This seems to have radical implication for the future time regarding recruitment and retention of forces on the whole. The administration, in this connection, seems to argue that such increased military spending is an integral part in the war on global terrorism and that it is important to back up forces with necessary logistics and funds.
However, there are critics to this very trend. According to one such critic, Pena (p. 41, 2005), in today’s war on terrorism, military’s role will “mainly involve special operations forces in discrete missions against specific targets, not conventional warfare aimed at overthrowing entire regimes”; as such “The rest of the war aimed at dismantling and degrading the al Qaeda terrorist network will require unprecedented international intelligence and law enforcement cooperation, not expensive new planes, helicopters, and warship”. (p. 41).
According to the author, then there should be a cut in military spending to affect better recruitment and retention possibilities. One important point that the author makes is that a large number of forces recruitment is no more required at the present situation of fighting against some outside force or enemy such as terrorism waves in and outside the US. “It is worth noting that both Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom were conducted without significant forces already deployed in either theater of operation” (p. 41).
What is the point of the author is that there should be recruitment cuts in the US forces to affect more financial gains on the national front. It is due to the fact that by the year 2005, military budget for the personnel active on duty was $88. 3 billion, which is highly notable. AS such if the recruitment cuts are observed, “it follows that the associated force structure could be similarly reduced, resulting in reduced operations and maintenance” which will positively serve on the national front (p.
41). Conclusion As such, the present recruitment and retention patterns hold that there is a dire need to address all such issues as financial constraints, demographical possibilities, political pressures, geographical underpinning, and possible future needs of the country. For better recruitment and retention trends it is argued that budgetary and recruitment cuts should be observed so that better spending can be made possible for effective results.
An important point is raised that in today’s context of war against any issue the traditional practice of deploying armies in enemy’s territory is no more an active area. Today a small number of army can do what a huge army did in the past. As such it is necessary to look for possible ways that can bring a solid recruitment and retention trend in the forces.
References
Abrams, E. & Bacevich, A. J. (2001). A symposium on citizenship and military service. Parameters (31) 2. Page Number: 18. COPYRIGHT 2001 U. S. Army War College. Burk, J. (2001). The military obligation of citizens since Vietnam. Parameters (31) 2. Page Number: 48. COPYRIGHT 2001 U. S. Army War College. Field, K. , & Nagl, J. (2001). Combat roles for women: a modest proposal. Parameters (31) 2. Page Number: 74. COPYRIGHT 2001 U. S. Army War College. Kearl, C. E. , Horne, D. K. , Gilroy, C. L. (1990). Army recruiting in a changing environment. Contemporary Policy Issues (8) 4. pp. 68-80.