Desperation Enlistees

Faced with repeated failures to meet its recruitment targets, the Army has had to lower its standards dramatically. It relaxed restrictions against high-school drop-outs, then it started letting in more applicants who score in the lowest third on the armed forces aptitude test (Category IV recruits), who previously have been kept to exceedingly small numbers, as a matter of firm policy. These are the soldiers that the Army has long shut out of its ranks; that it is now recruiting avidly, out of sheer desperation; and that—according to the military's own studies—seriously degrade the competence of every unit they end up joining.

Some may wonder: So what? Can't someone who scores low on an aptitude test, even very low, go on to become a fine, competent soldier, especially after going through boot camp and training? No question. Unfortunately, military studies compellingly demonstrate that, in all realms of military activity, intelligence does matter. Smarter soldiers and units perform their tasks better; dumber ones do theirs worse. The higher the score on the aptitude test, the better the performance in the field. This is true for individual soldiers and for units.

Things haven't got out of control, but they're headed in that direction. Every Army officer knows this. And that's why many of them want the United States to get out of Iraq.

Posted on The Human Stain