Manpower shortage threatens Trump’s hopes to rebuild military – IOTW Report

Manpower shortage threatens Trump’s hopes to rebuild military

WT: Manpower, not money, may prove a bigger challenge to President Trump’s hopes to rebuild what he calls a “hollowed-out” U.S. military.

While much of the debate over how the administration will pay for its ambitious defense buildup, an equally large question mark looms over whether Mr. Trump and Defense Secretary James Mattis can find enough willing and able recruits to meet the demands for soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines.

On the campaign trail, Mr. Trump called for a restoration of force levels across the services to numbers before a series of “sequestration” cuts to defense spending, including a 540,000-member Army, backed by a 350-ship Navy and an Air Force of 1,200 fighter aircraft.

The increases to the Navy and Air Force would likely result in a small uptick of 100,000 sailors and airmen combined, compared with the force levels sought in the Army and Marine Corps, Mark Cancian, senior international security adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told The Washington Times.

Between the proposed expansions of the Army and Marine Corps, Mr. Trump’s plan would fall hardest on the Marines, said Mr. Cancian.  MORE

22 Comments on Manpower shortage threatens Trump’s hopes to rebuild military

  1. Things to do:

    1. Get rid of the touchy-feely multi-culti everyone-gets-a-prize crap.

    2. If women are truly need in the military, form women-only units.

    3. Raise the physical and intelligence standards for enlistment.

    4. Forbid marriages below E-6.

    5. Keep starting pay low, but raise pay levels substantially for earned advancement, training, and promotions.

  2. I think if the new admin can dig out the SJW rot and return our military’s focus to combat efficacy, we will start seeing higher retention of good soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines and an infusion of fresh recruits. I was waiting to see how this election turned out before deciding to join after I finish medical school, because I sure as shit wasn’t going to serve under another Clinton. Guess l be visiting the recruiter later this year.

  3. A good start would be to reinstate military recruiters’ high school recruiting! Don’t fledge these kids into the liberal rat hole of society without giving them a chance to hear what they can do for themselves and their country with a military career. Easy peasy. It will take a while before we have enough living wage jobs back here, college is beyond the reach for a lot of kids both academically and financially, and patriotism is making a cultural comeback. “Republican is the new punk.” And with the message that the President has your back in our fight against islamic terrorism, not to mention we have the Warrior Monk in charge, recruiting just got a lot easier. And Marine recruiting just got a whole lot easier!

    https://theconservativetreehouse.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/melania-marine.jpg?w=640&h=360

  4. Nothing to add to good comments except that this was part of Hussein’s plan. Queer it, feminize it, punish warriors, and white people, withhold funds… and an industry is gutted.
    These fingerprints are all over the place, in healthcare, part time workers, and businesses that held on just to outlast the Kenyan. He did it on purpose, may he rot.

  5. Severe the military from corporation interests. Get out of all foreign countries and go strictly into defensive mode. Let other countries foolishly spend their blood and treasure on foreign expansion.

  6. I suspect that there will be a lot of re-enlistments when the economy goes into a skid. Don’t get me wrong, Trump’s presence and policies should keep it a skid rather then a full blown blast through the guardrails and over the cliff. There’s been too many years of government borrowing and low interest rates to consumers not to get some sort of reckoning. I’ll bet in a few years your grandkids (and soon their grandkids) will be thankful that Trump was in the WH at this time.
    Also, they could pretty fire the entire military development and purchasing departments. Look up the sagas of F35 and the LCS frigate/destroyer replacement program.

  7. Uncle Al you are a bit off base on some of these

    Things to do:
    1. Get rid of the touchy-feely multi-culti everyone-gets-a-prize crap. (GOOD)
    2. If women are truly need in the military, form women-only units. (No combat units should have woman unless it is in anion combat function, i.e. medical possibly)
    3. Raise the physical and intelligence standards for enlistment.(Standards are not to far off just enforce them)
    4. Forbid marriages below E-6.(Crazy and stupid no purpose for this whatsoever, I started as a e-4 Navy Nuke with a family and did fine and served in submarines)
    5. Keep starting pay low, but raise pay levels substantially for earned advancement, training, and promotions. (Already happens)

    Not sure you even have a clue what goes on in the military.

  8. @Am I right? — Sounds like a reasonable suggestion, but it would probably have a seriously negative impact on morale for myriad reasons. “The few. The proud. The Marines” might seem more like “The many. The entitled. …”

  9. I joined under Reagan (under an old reserve-to-active program), learned to be a mercenary under HW Bush (why were we escorting Kuwaiti ships anyway), suffered under Clinton (pay sucked ass even as a First Class), and felt a true renewed pride in serving under W Bush during three war cruises. Retired in November 2008 – thank God.
    I have four sons – none of whom I would want to serve unless I had a crystal ball for them to serve with men like Schwarzkopf, Boorda, and Mattis. Sadly, we never have that guarantee.
    I hope SoCal and Abigail are correct – fix the military culture, renew the esprit d’corps, restore the faith between servicemen and their leaders, and patriotic young men will join.
    I loved the Navy and I got everything I wanted for my service – a trade, an education, a degree, travel, and lifelong camaraderie. I have my doubts that can be restored soon with the likes of Schumer and Pelosi still lurking about.

  10. We can have a ‘special branch’ of the military for the ‘not proud’ ‘fuck this country’ type.
    The special branch would be the first people sent in to all conflicts.
    Basically a use up your enemies ammo ploy.
    They are useless people anyway

  11. I read that convicted felons are allowed to join the Army with considerations of the crimes.

    I remember when judges could give a young man the choice to enlist or go to jail. Is that still realistic I wonder?

  12. My son is in the DEP for the Navy. He is a Nuke recruit and is heading to Great Lakes for basic in May and then on to Nuke School in Charleston. He enlisted before the election and I can’t tell you how glad I am that he won’t have to serve under a Clinton Commander in Chief.

  13. I’m willing to return!
    Please take into consideration my age(61), experience(25 years US Army Infantry), and rank (SFC/Platoon Sergeant), and place me on the forward edge of battle. I already don’t sleep more then 3-4 hours, I’m a bit grumpy and can easily go to my mean disposition.

    Remembering my age don’t make me run too far into battle. Get me within two miles and I’ll move in and kill the bastards you need killed, or at least remove their will to fight and send them crying for mommy.

    I’m willing to take all my meals in a canteen cup, my water piss warm, and my accommodations primitive/spartan. I’ll even bring my own M4 based weapon, 1911 sidearm, bayonet and LBE including canteens, E-tool and poncho liner, but I expect you would supply the uniform less armor and helmet (because I probably won’t wear those last two anyway) If a mix of Coyote brown and faded woodland will do, never mind the uniform. I will no doubt need more 5.56 ammo, smoke & frag dependent on length of tour and how many bastards need killing.

    PS:A supply of coffee and Skoal longcut straight would be awesome.

  14. Bring back the draft– I was drafted in the early 70’s and it was the best thing that happened to me back then. Now I’m retired with not much to do but I’d be willing to kick some azz again if they gave me back my M-16 and 45.

  15. The perp either thinks Trump supporters are so totally evil that it’s her moral duty to rid the world of them (like a muzzie), or she thinks life is a video game. In either case she needs to go to jail for a while. If she’s capable of this now, then what will she be doing in a few years?

  16. reboot JANUARY 24, 2017 AT 2:25 AM
    @ Old Navy Nook,
    “I hear yeah! Bubblehead, class of ’84-2007.

    I’m still waiting to hear if my mandatory
    transgender training is still happening….”

    Had the election gone the other way your transgender training woulda been transgender cross-training 🙂

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