Major David Francis, commander of the Army Aviation Education Center and Fort Rucker, Alabama, announced his vows to join the army on June 30, 2022 at the opening of the annual Freedom Fest “Rumble Overlacquer” as future soldiers. Is leading. An event that begins the Independence Day weekend. (Kelly Morris / US Army)
Washington — The Army creates a new program designed to help potential recruiters meet their academic and fitness eligibility requirements as services scramble to address lower recruitment rates. Yes, the service announced on Tuesday.
A pilot program called the Future Soldier Preparation Course is scheduled to begin in early August in Fort Jackson, South Carolina. This program offers two 3-month courses. The other, according to the Army, is to help recruits slim down to the body fat requirements of service.
According to an Army statement, “This course addresses the sharp decline in the number of young Americans who meet the Army’s enlistment criteria.” “Only 23% fully meet the Army qualification requirements, down from 29% in recent years.”
To qualify for military service, potential male soldiers can have up to 20-26% body fat and female soldiers can have about 30-36% body fat, depending on their age. To participate in a new weight loss course, potential new hires can have up to 6% more body fat than is acceptable in the age and gender categories.
According to the Army, participants who meet the criteria throughout the course will move on to basic training. Participants can take up to 90 days to meet the criteria and are reassessed every three weeks to see if they can finish the program early.
According to the service, those who do not meet the criteria at that time will end the program and will not proceed with basic training.
Each course is separate, but potential recruits who need to participate in both programs are on a case-by-case basis in the “fitness part before basic combat training and the academic part after basic training”. You may be allowed to participate. Said.
Potential new employees must meet all other eligibility requirements, such as “moral and medical enrollment criteria,” and be willing to work towards their goal of participating in the program.
“Young men and women participating in this pilot must have the desire to improve themselves and serve in honor of their own country,” said Paul E. Funk II, leader of the Army Training Doctrine Command. Said the general. “this [program] It’s a great way to increase the opportunities they serve without sacrificing the quality required for our entire unit. “
The program is part of a series of steps the Army is taking to expand its pool of qualified recruits as the service lags behind recruitment goals, service officials said on Tuesday. Told to.
“In the last few years, student test scores have declined and childhood obesity has increased. [and] The Army is making every effort to overcome these challenges, “said Vice Admiral Maria Garweiss, Deputy Commander of the Training and Doctrine Command. “These conditions adversely affected the Army’s ability to meet its recruitment goals.”
The service expects its power to decline to about 466,400 by October, and could decline further from 455,000 to 452,000 by the end of 2023, in a statement last week.
“It will take time, but our goal is to re-grow our ultimate strength to over 460,000 as soon as possible, and we are actively pursuing this goal,” the Army said. Told.
Last month, the Army announced another step to attract more candidates. A $ 35,000 bonus offer for new employees who have signed a four-year contract and are willing to ship to boot camp within 45 days.
“Recruitment in the current environment is a challenge and there are positions that need to be filled right now,” said Maj. Gen. Kevin Vereen, who heads the recruitment command at the time. “Our army expects to fill these training vacancies quickly, so we can provide incentives to raise interest in important career areas.”
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