Rep. Ike Skelton, Democrat of Missouri, is Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. Today he released a statement listing his concerns/priorities for the next administration regarding national security. I found one of his challenges to be particularly interesting:
We Must Recruit and Retain a High-Quality Force
Our forces are the most highly-trained and educated in the world. The dedication and professionalism of those who serve are unsurpassed. However, there are serious challenges that must be faced if we are to maintain the quality of the force we have today.
While the cost for the services to recruit and retain its people has skyrocketed from $4.6 billion in Fiscal Year 2005 to $7.1 billion in Fiscal Year 2007, funding is not the only issue that will impact future recruitment and retention. The propensity of Americans to serve in uniform is significantly declining. While some decline can be attributable to the current conflicts, the number of young men and women exposed to the military experience is extremely small.
Additionally, the greatest future challenge we will face is finding qualified men and women who are willing to serve. Currently, only two of every ten young Americans are qualified, both mentally and physically. We must also ensure that our professional military schools, in particular our war colleges, are the finest in the world.
Well, Chairman Skelton, I can think of at least one thing you can do to help recruit the best qualified individuals: repeal Don’t ask, Don’t tell. Some may think that gay men and lesbians are not the best qualified simply because of their sexual orientation, but I’ve got more than a few awards on my wall that may make you think differently.
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