Instead, it was part of an Army effort to redirect its resources and money to areas where it wants to broaden its recruiting, including major cities.
To underwrite the transformation, the Army chose to close R.O.T.C. programs at 13 universities, more than half of them in the South. Tennessee alone will lose R.O.T.C. offerings at three of its public universities, the most of any state.The Army selected the universities after a review found that the programs were typically yielding fewer than 15 commissioned officers annually, although the military acknowledged it granted exceptions to dozens of schools because they met other standards.The Army Cadet Command, which oversees R.O.T.C. and its approximately 33,000 aspiring soldiers, said that by shuttering the 13 lagging programs, it will be able to shift resources to 56 other markets, including Los Angeles, New York and Chicago. In many instances, existing programs will grow.
This isn't good news. I hope this plan works.
4 comments:
I'm under the impression that (far too) many young men and women are unable to meet military enlistment standards, with inability to meet ASVAB standards, obesity/fitness deficits and drug/alcohol problems. I've read that this is particularly true in inner cities - thus blocking what used to be a path to successful adulthoood for many. If the latter is true, how is moving officer training programs (which typically have significantly higher qualification standards) to areas where too many can't meet enlistment standards? Those areas are also likely to have the same disdain for the military as they do for cops.
Darren
Under the file of Even Paranoids have Enemies, I have to wonder if this is driven politically. Half the schools are in the South, yet they are expanding the programs in New York, LA and Chicago. Not exactly place known for their support of the military, but very well known for their support of B Hussein Obama.
The article did mention the ever-present tin god "diversity": likely the same one who prevented the clinically-incompetent and terrorist Major Hassan from being kicked to the curb. He should have been flunked out of (the military's) med school and his academic/clinical performance never improved, even while his anti-American and Islamic terrorist ideology increased.
Darren
Looked at something else. From the propaganda, err article:
Beth J. Asch, a senior economist at the RAND Corporation who studies military recruiting, said the Cadet Command’s R.O.T.C. overhaul appeared prudent given the federal government’s austerity drive.
“They certainly want to put these programs where they think they’re going to be able to feed the system. R.O.T.C. is critical for the Army, so it’s got to be productive,” Dr. Asch said.
She said that people who can meet the Army’s rigorous standards for physical fitness and education “tend not to be in rural areas and, historically, the South.” She noted weight issues as one current concern.
From a New York state web site, Obesity is more prevalent among African Americans (44%) than among Mexican Americans (39%) and Non-Hispanic Whites (33%). Reference: Flegal, KM, Carroll, MD, Ogden CL, et al. Prevalence and Trends in Obesity Among US Adults (PDF, 275KB, 8pg.), 1999-2008 JAMA. 2010;303(3):235-241 (http://www.health.ny.gov/prevention/obesity/statistics_and_impact/docs/obesity_trends_in_adults_1999-2008.pdf)
Among US children enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in 2008, American Indian children and Hispanic children had the highest prevalence of obesity (20% and 18%, respectively), followed by Whites (13%) and Blacks (12%). (http://www.cdc.gov/PEDNSS/pdfs/PedNSS_2008.pdf)
So the potential white recruits are not as heavy as the minority recruits that they want to get, except in the minds of the RAND Corporation.
Again, women in infantry and armor, women in Ranger School and Special Forces, gays openly serving...why do I see this as punishing the enemies of the Obama Regime more than recruiting quality officers.
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