[Marxism] Re: US army lowers standards in recruitment crisis

[Brian Shannon <Brian_Shannon@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

The US military has stopped battalion
commanders from dismissing recruits for drug
or alcohol abuse or poor fitness in an attempt
to halt the rising attrition rate in an army under
growing strain as a result of the wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan. . . . The Wall Street Journal
quoted a battalion commander- as saying: "It
is the guys on weight control, school no-
shows, drug users, etc, who eat up my time
and cause my hair to grey prematurely.
"Often they have more than one of these
issues simultaneously."

A former infantry officer told Slate that he
could "not recall a single soldier disciplined or
chaptered for the reasons identified, that I
would have wanted to deploy with".

Asked what the new policy meant, John Pike
from the think-tank Globalsecurity.org said: "It
means there is a war on. They need all the
soldiers they can get. But it is a dilemma. You
need good soldiers more in wartime than
peacetime."


"not recall a single soldier disciplined or chaptered for the reasons 
identified, that I would have wanted to deploy with".

“You need good soldiers more in wartime than peacetime."

The peacetime army that I was in for a couple of years in the mid-1950s 
was filled with NCOs and officers who were satisfied with low-income 
security. The only stress was boredom and that could be eased with 
alcohol. And there were plenty of alcoholics.

The lazy hiders from society and the alcoholics, we presume, are gone. 
What about retaining sickos, crack-heads, macho predators, and 
all-around dumb asses? Neither the professional soldier nor the naïve 
fuzzy-chinned recruit wants to serve with them. If they retain the 
dregs of society, not only will they lose better soldiers, they will 
also be gaining even more Graners and Lynndie England. This type will 
not help them win over the “hearts and minds” of the Iraqis.

Under the present circumstances, I think that a quicker turnover of 
Iraq to the interim government along with retaining military redoubts 
is more likely than a draft. It would aid the Republicans in the 
forthcoming congressional elections as well as in 2008. And it would 
dovetail with rescuing the best possible outcome from the 
socio-military crisis on the ground.

But what about the next war, the next confrontation? What condition 
will the U.S. military be in for that?

I don’t believe that 9/11 was the direct result of a conspiracy. No one 
could have known of the specifics. Yet there is strong evidence of an 
attitude of “benign neglect” towards terrorism by those who saw “regime 
change” as a goal for U.S. imperialism.

Therefore, I don’t rule out another “Remember the Maine” or “Tonkin 
Gulf” scenario.

Just as likely is a long-term propaganda build-up for a draft, perhaps 
to go along with other forms of “service.” I would expect the 
Democratic Party to play as big or bigger role in this than the 
Republicans. It may also be a way for the more centrist Republicans 
represented by McCain and others to win back ground from the New Right 
of Bush and Co.

Brian Shannon






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