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January 26, 2005

The Decay Continues

I've been arguing that we're killing the reserve component for close to two years now, and I've seen little in that time to indicate that we're likely to turn things around soon. Today's exhibit is a request by the commander of the National Guard to offer $15,000 enlistment bonuses to active duty soldiers who join the Guard.

The Guard is losing the ability to recruit enough soldiers to fill its ranks for the simplest of reasons: people don't join the National Guard to spend two years on active duty. Were this a one-time thing, the Guard might survive the problem without too much trouble, but we've gone well beyond that. The Guard has been activating units at a prodigious pace since September 12, 2001, and there are no signs that the torrent will slow appreciably. Between Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Korea the Army is stretched thin. Not so thin that it can't do the job, but thin enough that tears are beginning to appear. As long as the tension persists, those tears will get worse. Eventually, the damage will become so bad it will be difficult, if not impossible, to repair. I suspect that point is not far away now, as we will see thousands of troopers leaving the Guard when they return from Iraq later this year and early next year.

There is some good news in this, however: LTG Blum clearly understands the problems his force faces, and it trying to solve the problem using one of the best methods available to him. If we're not going to reduce the stress of military service, we have to increase the rewards it offers. Enlistment bonuses are a good start, although I suspect a pay increase may eventually become necessary as well. Nonetheless, this is only the beginning of what we'll need to do to maintain the force as it currently exists if we continue to insist on not expanding our pool of active forces.