Let me see if I got this right. First, I read where the Army lowered its entry standards in order to be able to meet recruitment goals this year, and is now allowing people to join who last year would have not made the cut.
Second, I read that during initial entry training the Army is spending a lot more time re-training people who may have been injured, or had difficulty meeting performance standards, in order to keep attrition rates lower than before.
Third, I just read where a high level Department of Defense civilian in charge of personnel has concluded that as a result of a shift in the manner in which Drill Sergeants relate to those in their charge, the Army is better off than it was before. Those in charge say they have found that today's generation responds better to Drill Sergeants who take a more "counseling approach". It's OK, they say, to be harsh, but that ought to be the exception rather than the rule.
Now don't get me wrong, I strongly agree there is a need to have Drill Sergeants perform their duties in an appropriate, professional and dignified manner, but it bothers me that the Army is now saying it's altering the way it trains, because those coming in are different from those in the past. My conclusion based on the first two points above, is that the Army is changing the Drill Sergeant culture in order to meet initial entry training graduation objectives. Quantity over quality.
My view is that if young people today can't meet essentially the same standards that others who went before met (lets say from 1985-2003 to put things in perspective), then tough! Go sell burgers or something.
