The Challenge of Filling the Army's Ranks
Consider This from NPR
NPR
4.2 • 6.2K Ratings
🗓️ 5 October 2023
⏱️ 13 minutes
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Summary
The Army is having a hard time convincing potential recruits that the military is the best place to reach their full potential. Last year, the Army was 15,000 soldiers short of its recruiting goal.
Army surveys have found that many potential recruits don't want to join because they fear getting wounded or killed, even though the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are over. And the tight labor market means recruits have lots of other job opportunities.
NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth about the struggle to staff up the largest branch of the U.S. military. NPR's Pentagon Correspondent Tom Bowman provides additional reporting for this episode.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This message comes from NPR Sponsor Explo. |
| 0:02.8 | Imagine the creative summer fun your kids can have |
| 0:06.0 | with Explos and Richmond programs |
| 0:08.2 | from a climbing lesson in the treetops |
| 0:10.4 | to unpacking the physics of hoverboards. |
| 0:12.9 | To get started, visit esplo.org slash audio. |
| 0:24.9 | NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman |
| 0:27.2 | has done a lot of army embeds. |
| 0:29.7 | Over his career in places like Afghanistan and Iraq. |
| 0:34.0 | But none quite like his recent assignment |
| 0:36.8 | amid the corn dogs and cheese curds |
| 0:39.2 | at the Minnesota State Fair. |
| 0:41.1 | That is where he met Staff Sergeant Joshua Spearman. |
| 0:44.2 | Hey, you know it's good. |
| 0:46.0 | Eating all the fair snacks, come work it off. |
| 0:48.0 | I'm so serious, do the deadlift challenge. |
| 0:50.8 | No pull up, nothing. |
| 0:53.2 | Spearman is on the front lines of an ongoing struggle |
| 0:56.6 | to fill the army's ranks. |
| 0:58.7 | Last year, the army was 15,000 soldiers short |
| 1:02.0 | of its recruiting goal. |
| 1:03.6 | At the State Fair, Spearman was set up |
... |
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