April 2, 2025 • 35 mins
The future of our military readiness hangs in the balance as nearly one in four new Army recruits leave service within their first two years. What's driving this alarming exodus, and why are the very programs designed to help new soldiers actually contributing to higher failure rates?
This deep-dive explores the startling contradiction at the heart of Army retention: recruits who attend special preparatory courses before basic training are washing out at significantly higher rates (15-19%) than those who don't (11%). Meanwhile, the doubling of recruitment waivers—including over 400 felony exemptions—raises serious questions about who we're bringing into uniform and whether they're set up for success.
Through compelling statistics and firsthand military experience, we examine how leadership decisions, barracks conditions, and training schedules directly impact a soldier's decision to stay or go. The financial stakes couldn't be higher, with each departed recruit representing up to $75,000 in lost training investment.
Most revealing is the critical role of NCOs, who serve as the primary touchpoint for new soldiers yet often prioritize high-performers while unintentionally neglecting those who need additional guidance. This selective mentorship widens the gap between successful integration and early departure.
Beyond simply identifying problems, we explore practical solutions: better assignment timing for new soldiers, enhanced leadership training for junior NCOs, and recruitment processes that match candidates to suitable MOS options. The conversation reminds us that transforming civilians into effective military personnel requires more than just meeting recruitment numbers—it demands patience, understanding, and consistent mentorship.
What's your take on the Army's future soldiers program? Is it ultimately helping or hurting retention? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section below.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
So the military is facing a huge challenge.
Our army is struggling toretain new recruits.
Reports show that nearly onequarter of soldiers get out
within their first two years ofenlistment.
So what's the cause of theearly departure and what can we
do to address it?
Stay tuned and find out.
(00:20):
Roger, sir, roger Sarn, welcometo the Roger Sarn podcast, where
we talk all things Army and I'myour host, sarn Cruz, and today
(00:43):
we're looking at the lowattrition rates with our first
term soldiers.
So, despite the fact that weare reporting meeting our
recruitment goals, the army as awhole, I think we're facing a
retention crisis and that'sgoing to threaten our readiness
and overall effectiveness.
Yeah, it's definitely going tothreaten our effectiveness.
Early attrition rates um, onein particular I would say is the
(01:08):
, the preparation and trainingright.
So these soldiers, soldiers whoattend these preparatory
courses before going to basictraining, by comparison now,
this is by comparison they, theyhave a higher washout rates
than those who don't, and I'mdirectly talking about the
(01:31):
attrition rates were like 15.3,um for the academic track.
You had 16% for the fitnessprep course and then you had
about 18.7 for those whoattended both right.
And if you compare that to thejust 11.3 percent of those
(01:53):
soldiers who didn't attend thepreparatory course you'd be like
.
So why are we doing it right?
So I, I, I think one thing thatwe got to look at is could
these soldiers be getting pushedthrough?
And, from my experience, when itcomes to numbers, when it comes
to numbers, I don't care ifit's a uh, ncoes, if it's a a
(02:23):
badge, if it's a badge school,if it's basic training
recruitment, it's called arecruitment it, whether it's med
pros, we constantly harp on thegreen right.
So we're always talking aboutoh, green, we need numbers, we
(02:44):
need numbers Right.
So, with my experience in allof these fields because I've
I've done all of them I've neverbeen a drill sergeant, but I've
done a lot of researchthroughout this podcast
experience the last couple ofyears years, I was an instructor
for basic um, for for for blc,basic leaders course, so I know
(03:08):
how important it is to havegraduates right um, I do med
pros, so I know how important itis commanders and first wants
to have green.
So we make concessions.
So could this be another one ofthose concessions?
So could this be another one ofthose concessions?
Are we pushing them throughright?
Are the numbers being messedwith to pass?
(03:34):
I guess that's the nextquestion, right, are we taking
what is supposed to be, let'ssay, 65,000, is what we're
supposed to do a year, and arewe fudging those to say, well,
I'm going to consider a successis if they ship off, that's a
(03:55):
success.
Or are we saying a success isthem arriving to their new unit,
that soldier is tracked upuntil they get to their new unit
, that's a success.
Or are we going all the wayuntil their first term and
saying, well, that's a success.
So those three different phaseswill deliver different numbers.
That's just a matter of fact.
(04:18):
And another thing is are thestandards getting relaxed?
Are we just relaxing thestandards so much that we're?
We're just, um, we're at asorry, I'm not even going to
edit that out.
We're at a point that we, wejust need troops.
(04:39):
We need troops in order to havea uh, to bolster our, our army
and have it more.
The more numbers, the better.
That's all to it.
So you're probably like he'sjust making this up.
I mean, who knows right, whyshould you take my word for it?
Let's go ahead and look at thetape and see what it says.
(05:02):
So, militarycom, and I'm justgonna, as always, I'll put the
links on a word document andI'll put it in the description
and you guys can read it on yourown.
But I'm just going to focus onthe part that I'm talking about.
You can read the rest.
So militarycom says here arethe rates at which soldiers wash
(05:23):
out of basic training Soldierswho attend prep courses, I told
you, 11.3.
Academic what is it called?
Academic track prep 15.3.
Fitness track prep course 16%.
And then you have the soldierwho attended both 18.7.
So if they, if they wentthrough the academic portion and
(05:46):
if they went through thefitness portion, they're more
likely to fail than me.
If I just came off the streetand just went in, that's I don't
know.
That's just crazy to me.
So, uh, um, an army officialsays I don't know what the
acceptable attrition rate is,but we have to meet people where
(06:08):
they are.
The senior army officer toldMilitarycom the quality of new
soldier is enormous, is anenormous problem.
We're paying and we're payingfor it, but that's just where
the country is.
But that's just where thecountry is.
Moreover, the Army has morethan doubled the number of
(06:29):
waivers it grants to newrecruits, from 8,400 in 2022 to
17,900 last year.
Many of those are medicalwaivers, and we'll discuss that
(07:01):
in a second.
But a soldier is more likely to, or a recruit my apology, a
recruit of a return, incomparison to just Joe that just
walks off the street.
Okay, but this is a comparison.
They're looking at it as well.
It's still numbers.
We're attacking it from allavenues.
So as long as we get theseindividuals in, it's a win,
(07:28):
which I get it All right.
So, number two, the recruitmentstandards.
So, to meet recruiting targets,right, the army went as far as
to implementing the futuresoldiers program.
So the program is, uh, it'smainly to help marginal recruits
meet the entry requirements,right.
(07:48):
So now, this initiative mayhave inflated our enlisted
numbers and, in comparison, notreally, but just the number
itself, um, at the same time,they may have also inadvertently
led us to higher attritionrates.
And, um, if, if, if, therecruit is not like, fully
(08:11):
prepared for the demands of waror just the demands the military
demands itself, right.
So it's, let's, let's thinkabout this, right, it?
Um, it takes a certain mindsetto make this a career and in
reality, you got to think aboutit right.
When you come in the military,you have to be, and you don't
(08:33):
know this right, you don't knowthis.
You're off the street andyou're coming in and you're like
, well, I'm going to serve mycountry or for whatever it is
benefits, school, family,whatever it is or you just got
in trouble and they gave, theygave you the option.
You go to war, go to jail, justlike the cadence says, right,
but you don't know how themilitary is, you have no clue.
(08:55):
So when you come in, there's anexpectation you have to be, you
have to like exercising or bewilling to do it at least once a
day.
Right.
They say that the um, they saythat, uh, pt, the army.
Pt doesn't make you big but itkeeps you fit, right, you do it
(09:17):
once a day for about an hour andyou move on right.
Right, so you have to likeexercising.
Another thing is you have to besomewhat of an early riser,
because I'll give you an examplemy brother.
He's younger than me, he'sabout 11 years younger than me
and he calls me every now andagain or texts me with like tips
(09:41):
and tricks and he shows me somestuff.
And that's how I get a lot ofmy content from him, because he
always shoots something my way.
But I specifically rememberthis one conversation we had
right, and I guess he wasrunning late to PT or something
happened.
So he's in the formation.
(10:02):
Either he forgot his PT belt orhe had his PT belt.
I don't remember.
I just remember him saying thePT belt and I think the PT belt
left in his car made him late.
He had to run back and comeback.
So the platoon sergeant wassaying something along the lines
of a situation of being talkingto the masses.
Right, because in the militarywe don't want to single out, but
(10:24):
we also want to get our pointacross.
But if you're the masses, right, because in the military we
don't want to single out, but wealso want to get our point
across.
But if you're the perpetrator,you feel singled out, so there's
no way around it.
But they're not saying yourname.
But everybody knows.
Okay.
So he was told, whatever it was,yeah, you got to make sure that
you plan, make it on time.
So therefore, if you forgetsomething, you could always go
(10:45):
back and you're still on time.
All right, cool, right, pointgot across.
So he calls me and he sayssomething along, oh, something
along.
Oh, no, it was because he waslooking off to the abyss,
because he knew he was wrong.
So he was upset, so he kind ofhad an attitude, but he wasn't
like disrespectful, but inreality he was because he's not
looking at the person who'stalking to him, right, while in
(11:06):
formation.
So he says to me, he says, well,they don't know if I'm a
morning person, blah, blah, blah, whatever it is.
And I told him I was likenobody cares.
If you're a morning person,right, it's not everyone else's
duty to cater to your morningfeel.
(11:30):
What do I mean by that?
If I'm not a morning person,that doesn't mean that you have
to walk on eggshells.
Because I'm not a morningperson, you don't have to cater
to me.
What I told them was if you knowthat you're not going to be in
your correct mind by the timeyou hit formation, then you
(11:53):
should wake up earlier.
If 5.30 is when you wake up,wake up at 5.
That extra 30 minutes wakes youup and therefore you're in a
correct headspace to deal withthe demands of the military.
And that goes back to tying itall in.
You have to be willing to wakeup early and be in the correct
(12:14):
headspace for it, and the nextthing that you have to be able
to do or accept that you won't.
Well, you kind of know this,because people understand that
there's a war, let's say, forinstance, right, and people
deploy, but what I've noticed isno one really understands it
until it actually happens tothem.
(12:35):
A prime example is with all thelayoffs right now, right,
everyone understands.
Well, I voted this way becauseI want the, the, because I like
the fact that that they're goingto try and get all the budget
and and the fraud, waste andabuse.
But when you're part of that,um, when you're part of that cut
(12:57):
, you're like, holy hell, I'm,I'm part of the abuse, of fraud,
waste and abuse that they'retalking about.
So it hits you and now youexperience it firsthand.
So now you look at everythingdifferent.
So, the same thing with when youum, when you enlist, you have
to understand and you have toaccept, be willing to accept.
You're going to be away fromyour family from time to time.
(13:19):
This is just, uh, um, the, thenature of the beast.
Are we away more times than weneed to be?
I'd say yes.
Personally, I don't think youone thing about.
I'm in a BCT right, a BrigadeCombat Team, an Armored Brigade
Combat Team, and the calendars,the training calendars, like
(13:41):
this right, and there's alwayssomething there, and if there's
a little bit of white space,something's going to get filled.
So we're, oh, the op tempo islike this, right, and there's
always something there, and ifthere's a little bit of white
space, something's going to getfilled.
So we're, oh, the op tempo ishigh and a lot of people can't
handle it.
Sometimes you just gotta belike all right, it is what it is
.
But you have to understand thatand a lot of troops and new
first termers don't get it, butit is what it is, right, and
(14:07):
this is another thing thataffects it.
So, at the same time that weare enrolling these troops into
the program, are we actuallylike looking at who we're
enrolling into the program?
Right?
Looking at who we're enrollinginto the program, right?
So let's go ahead and take alook at the tape so we can see
who is it that we are actuallyenrolling into the program,
(14:30):
right?
So on ResponsibleStateCraftorgit shows and remember we talked
about the waivers, right?
So if you look right here, itsays the number of eligible
recruits in the country hasshrunken dramatically to a to a
(15:00):
senior officer.
Only eight percent of thepopulation for our is eligible
for clean enlistment with nowaivers much lower than 23 found
in a 2020 dod study.
So that's a 15 drop in lessthan five in five years.
Let's give it five years.
This article was written Marchof 2025.
(15:21):
The prior article that I readabout the rates was written in
January, march of 2025.
Okay, so these aren't.
These are like back to back.
I'm not making this stuff up.
Okay, all right, here we go.
So, so these are like back toback.
I'm not making this stuff up.
Okay, all right, here we go.
(15:42):
So, to combat this, the Army hasmore than doubled the number of
medical, academical andcriminal waiver records granted
to recruit in 2024 compared to2022.
More than 400 felony waiverswere included in the 2024
(16:03):
waivers up to 98, and it's upfrom 98 in 2022.
So pretty much 302 more waiverswere given out.
Not only did the Army reduceits recruitment goal to 55,000
from 65,000 in 2023, but theprevious recruitment gains are
muddled by the high attritionrates.
Again, this is something thatwe have to understand.
(16:28):
Right Back to what I was sayingthe phases in which we are
capturing information.
So if I say I've met myrecruitment goal, however, I'm
basing it off of a 10,000 lowernumber, then yeah, sure, I met
it.
But, to go off of what thearticle is talking about, there
(16:50):
are massive waivers, like anddon't get me wrong, I had a few
waivers because I had speedingtickets and all this extra stuff
, so I had waivers when I camein.
But what, what?
What it means is it's theseverity of the waiver that
we're talking about.
Right, you got some medicalones, so maybe later on they'll
(17:11):
have medical issues.
And they got to get med boarded, um, academic, so they're not
as smart, so they can't get thebest MOSs.
And then the MOS that they doget, they don't like because
it's either too boring or toohectic.
And then you got criminalwaivers, which is now you have
to break that individual out ofwhat their previous structure
(17:34):
was, their previous structurewas, and not all of us leaders
are equipped to do that, becausewe have different leadership
styles Some yell, some are morecompassionate, empathetic,
whatever it is, and one or theother may work, or they just
don't work because the mindsetis already there.
So these are the things that wehave to look at right when we're
(17:57):
talking about these waivers andthe type of individuals that we
let in.
And I'm not saying that youcan't have a felony, let's say,
for instance, and not be a hellof a soldier.
I actually know a few that areCSMs with a felony and, I think,
a colonel, and you can go onTikTok Like I'm not making this
(18:17):
up, I don't know his name, buthe's a colonel and he tells you
about his whole life, okay, howhe comes from like a
not-so-decent background, andhe's a Fulberg colonel, I think
he's a colonel.
There's a few CSMs.
There's a Marine.
I've seen him on TikTok, I meanon Instagram, but he also came
(18:43):
from the trenches, if you will,and he's a high ranking
individual.
So the waivers don't dictate apotential outcome, but there's a
propensity to it, right?
And this is just.
We're talking about statistics,so let's move forward.
The next thing we're going totalk about is the quality of
life and leadership, right?
(19:05):
So there have been manyreported issues when it comes to
substandard living conditionsand I made a video on this a
while back ago and talking abouthow the army and how it.
The barracks are not good.
(19:26):
They have a small squarefootage and because of a
technicality, they'll they'llstuff two soldiers in a one
soldier room and because of atechnicality, they get away with
it.
And in comparison to what theAir Force does right.
They have dorms they even callthem dorms, but their rooms are
(19:48):
a little bit bigger.
I don't really advocate toomuch for how Air Force is better
than us, because I've knownmany.
When I was in Alaska I've met alot of Air Force people because
Allison's right there, down thestreet from Rain White, wayne
Wright, and used to hang outwith them and they complain the
same way we do, but when itcomes to their standards of
(20:09):
living, they're cream of thecrop.
I'll give them that.
So our barracks are substandard.
There's lack of trust inleadership and for some MOSs
there's a limited careeradvancement opportunity right,
which all can lead to justdissatisfactions amongst these
soldiers.
(20:29):
So addressing these concerns iscrucial to improving retention.
It's just that's what it it isright.
Um, we can say barracks aretrash.
Um, I think I think here onfort cabasso's, they, they, they
I can't remember, I don't, it'ssomewhere in in my uh folders
(20:52):
but they put a lot of money intore remodeling the barracks, so
that's a good thing.
Um, I think leaders and this isit and this is it's it's hard
to say because there's so muchtruth to this, but leaders are
more and not important um, aremore worried about leaders are
(21:18):
more worried about Leaders aremore worried about Looking good
to to those that are above themthan the troops that work for
them.
And I've seen it like you knowthat you have minimal manning,
soldier just came out the field,or soldier gets put twice on
(21:42):
staff duty, cq twice in twoweeks, knowing that it's
typically like once a month orso.
Right, and they don't sayanything like if you're not
going to protect your troop whois, I've seen a troop that
(22:02):
almost did, almost went to um,ntc because of um, almost went
to ntc while his, while we knewhis wife was going to give birth
, while she, while he was gone,and they almost took him and no
one wanted to say anything.
Right, like it's, it's, it'srough and and I think that's
that that soldier sees like Joepays attention to everything,
man, you can't, you can't doanything without Joe paying
(22:23):
attention to what you're doing.
So they're picking up on this.
Another thing is like soldiersgot to understand like you have
to compete, to promote, and Iknow we think that we're doing
the most we can.
My 100 is probably your 60 um.
However, there are certainthings that you got to do that
(22:45):
makes you more competitiveairborne air assault, making
sure you you you get the correctschoolings, that as you pace
through your ranks um, if you'rea sergeant, you should already
had field sand UPL.
You should be looking into EOcourses.
These things are benchmarksthat you need to be hitting as
(23:06):
you're trying to progressthrough the ranks and if you
don't, then you're not makingyourself competitive enough and
that factors in.
But we don't see that whenwe're us.
But until someone points it outto you or shows you another
person's SRB at the same levelthat you are and you're like
well, you're right.
(23:27):
But yes, you have to compete topromote.
There are some MOSs that you're.
I remember I think it was backin the day S1, if you were a 42
alpha points were at 798 on aconstant basis.
So it's very rare becausethat's a job that it's basically
HR right and it's verycushioned there.
Even when you're out in thefield you're still relaxed.
(23:49):
So a lot of people don't wantto retire from that.
So I can get that, but youstill got to be ready for it.
But I want to focus on theleadership, because the question
is how important is leadership?
So we're going to go to thetape real fast and we're going
to talk about it.
(24:09):
And this article is fromrandomorg and I'm again.
I'm just going to read a littlebit of it, because this one was
published October 5th 2021.
And if you think, oh well,that's almost four years old.
If you've been in long enough,you know not many things have
(24:32):
changed from what I'm about tosay.
So leadership experience withjob training calendars and
social support, all matter.
Unit level NCOs appear to playan outstanding role in the
attrition outcomes.
The busy NCOs have discretionin whom they decide to invest
time to provide guidance andmentorship.
(24:54):
And tell me I'm wrong.
Like you get a Joe and you'd belike nah, that's a lost cause.
But you get that high speed oneand everyone wants to gravitate
towards that one because that'sthe easy one.
But there's no challenge inleadership in that right.
So next point is soldiersindicate that the pace of
training calendars made adaptingto army life difficult.
(25:16):
This was further exacerbated bythe pace of training calendars
made adapting to army lifedifficult.
This was further exacerbated bythe lack of understanding of
why certain training exerciseswere necessary.
And I will tell you right now,man, so many times that I've
spoken about this and I've heardthis, as I was a platoon
sergeant is why are we doingthis training?
(25:37):
We have nothing to do with it.
They just want us to setsomething up for no reason.
Why do we need to do it?
Why are we setting up a rollone in the motor pool?
Why don't we just go out to thefield and actually do it?
Why don't the PAs come out withus Like there's the?
They don't understand the whyand sometimes there's no real
good reason.
Sometimes there is a goodreason, um, but the less you
understand the why, the, theless you're gonna um be
(26:02):
motivated to do it.
The next one is soldiersreported that the barracks
conditions detracted from thequality of life and location was
critical to a soldier's qualityof life assessment.
We spoke about barracks aretrash.
We understand it.
Social.
Next point is social supportappears to offer some
possibilities to a rest cycle ofthe soldier's decline that may
(26:25):
end in attrition, while familylife may actually contribute to
attrition.
So the social support, like if,if, if they don't have, like, a
friendship and all that stuff,they can stay in the barr
barracks, play their video gameand they might be able to cope a
lot more.
But when it comes to being awayfrom family.
That's going to be high on it,and I did a video about the
(26:49):
senior NCOs, or seniorsdeclining, and one of the
subjects was could it be becauseof family?
Right, this is my time for myfamily.
So what are the recommendationsthat they have?
Better managing the timeline ofnew soldier's assignment, and I
get with that.
(27:09):
How many times have you got asoldier?
How many times have youreceived a soldier and you're
about to either deploy in thenext month and they can't even
get their families situated, oryou're about to hit a field
exercise and they still takethem.
They don't delay them ornothing, they just take them.
How many times has thathappened?
(27:30):
Oh man?
Next one is train and equiprecruiters to advise enlisting
soldiers on crucial aspects oftheir enlistment, including
match to MOS benefits and otheraspects of life.
Right, because if you're notgood at medical, why would you
(27:53):
put them at medical right?
There's other things Providetraining and support to NCOs
preparing to take on leadershippositions.
What they do a lot.
They have the commanders andfirst sergeant program, but
there's no program for thatinitial groundbreaking E-5
sergeant, that buck sergeant.
No, it's just.
(28:14):
Oh, you hit sergeant, I expectyou to know everything the next
day.
There's no training for that.
There's, there's, there's BLC,but that's not training you.
Well, okay, you know what?
There is BLC, right, but thesame thing I could say for
there's ALC, mlc, slc.
So why do first sergeants andcommanders and captain career
corps?
So why do they get additionalor supplemental training, but
(28:39):
Joe or the sergeant doesn't?
So I've always thought aboutthat.
Learn why NCOs may provide moresupport to some soldiers over
the others, and that happens alot.
Like you, people just tend todiscount, discard that, that
problematic soldier, thatheadache.
That's just the nature of thebeast, and I think that's where
(29:01):
resilience kicks in.
Right, if I offend you, if I'mconstantly late, I have to be
you as a leader, have to be moreresilient and not hold it
against me.
But feelings get in the way andwe like talking about how
feelings are an issue, but if webreak it down to bare bones,
the reason why they're beingdiscarded is because of a
(29:22):
feeling, and the feeling is Idon't like that person, right,
that person is a headache.
So that's a huge bullet, rightthere.
Next thing is consider opting amodel of attrition that allows
for the greater degree ofcomplexity and interplay between
quitting and firing behaviors.
So when, when a soldier isabout to treat pretty much, when
(29:46):
they're about to exit, treatthem the same, like you're not
treating them, like they'refiring, like you're firing them
or you're not mad at thembecause they're getting out the
army.
A lot of guys, they'll, they'll.
They'll be like, oh, you'regetting out, well, they'll just
be like, well, it is what it isand don't help them as much as
they should to get out and then,um, the the last thing is
(30:07):
further explore the link betweenattrition and re-enment.
Right, and this is what we'redoing, this is what I try and do
right here with when I reportthis stuff is putting the
information out there so we canthink about it and create a
conversation online and thoseand hopefully the right people
see it and hopefully the rightmessage.
I'm conveying the right messageand at the same time, we can
(30:30):
start, spark a conversation,right?
I think these high attritionrates for our first term
soldiers are not only depletingthe Army's ranks, but also are
tied directly to a significantfinancial cost and it impacts
the overall morale at the end ofthe day.
It impacts the overall moraleat the end of the day.
(30:53):
Did you guys know that it costs$55,000 to $75,000 every time
we train a soldier.
I'll show you better than I cantell you.
So, armymil, it costs between$55,000 to $74,000 to send a
recruit through training, andthis is dependent on if they're
at OSIT, which is one station,unit training or combined of
(31:15):
basic training, combat or basiccombat training and advanced
individual training.
So this is a real figure.
Every time a troop gets out, wegot to train three more to take
their position right, becausewe're accounting for to take
their position right, Becausewe're accounting for them
getting out, and those keepgoing through right.
(31:35):
We don't know what's gonnahappen.
So I mean, that said, asleaders, we have to do our best
to retain these already trainedtroops because it's in our best
interest for maintaining, Iguess, an effective and more
experienced force.
So I'm not saying be soft orlet them walk over you, but all
(32:00):
I'm trying to say is like wehave to meet them where they are
and bring them up to speed.
Right, joe's coming off thestreets, let's just assume every
Joe's coming off the streets,let's, let's, let's just assume
every Joe's coming off thestreets.
How do we convert them into umactual soldiers?
(32:20):
Because three months in basictraining, another two months in
um, in in uh.
Ait is not going to breakhabits.
That's just five months of ofof 18 years of their life.
Let's say, for instance, andthe last thing I want to say on
this part is it's not cool towant to kick troops out, right,
(32:46):
it's not cool, like, as soon assomething happens is like their
way, like leaders are waiting,all right, well, two more times
and strike three, you're out.
Let's get them out.
The Army, I don't know, I don'tthink it's cool, that's all.
But I do think that while theArmy has created, they've come
(33:06):
up with creative attempts, withtheir recruiting strategies,
retaining soldiers beyond theirinitial enlistment.
It remains a critical challengefor us If we want to address
the factors like preparatorytraining, effectiveness,
recruitment standards andquality of life.
(33:27):
I can't promise, but it willhelp If we address those three
factors.
I can't promise, but it willhelp If we address those three
factors.
I can't promise it, but I thinkit will help reduce the early
attrition rates.
So another thing is likeimplementing like targeted
retention strategies can alsohelp build a more stable and
capable future for the army.
(33:49):
But at the end of the it's, it'sall about the ncos, because the
the officers take care of themore important stuff.
We take care of the, the um,the troops, right, and when I
say more important stuff, I meanlike all the paperwork.
Let's say, for instance, allthe, all, the um, all the uh,
(34:11):
procedural stuff, and we takecare of who gets the procedural
stuff done right and the ncos.
That's why we're the biggest,most impactful um entity that
touches these soldiers.
Now I want to hear from you doyou think the army's future um
soldiers program or initiativeis is ultimately a good thing or
(34:33):
a bad thing?
So drop your thoughts in thecomments.
I answer all my comments and,if you found this discussion
insightful, check out my othervideo where I talk about the
senior Army officers turningdown command.
And remember you don't have toembrace the suck if you got the
right tools in your rug.
I'm Saren Cruz and I'll see youin the next one.
(34:55):
Peace.
So the military is facing a huge challenge.
Our army is struggling toretain new recruits.
Reports show that nearly onequarter of soldiers get out
within their first two years ofenlistment.
So what's the cause of theearly departure and what can we
do to address it?
Stay tuned and find out.
(00:20):
Roger, sir, roger Sarn, welcometo the Roger Sarn podcast, where
we talk all things Army and I'myour host, sarn Cruz, and today
(00:43):
we're looking at the lowattrition rates with our first
term soldiers.
So, despite the fact that weare reporting meeting our
recruitment goals, the army as awhole, I think we're facing a
retention crisis and that'sgoing to threaten our readiness
and overall effectiveness.
Yeah, it's definitely going tothreaten our effectiveness.
Early attrition rates um, onein particular I would say is the
(01:08):
, the preparation and trainingright.
So these soldiers, soldiers whoattend these preparatory
courses before going to basictraining, by comparison now,
this is by comparison they, theyhave a higher washout rates
than those who don't, and I'mdirectly talking about the
(01:31):
attrition rates were like 15.3,um for the academic track.
You had 16% for the fitnessprep course and then you had
about 18.7 for those whoattended both right.
And if you compare that to thejust 11.3 percent of those
(01:53):
soldiers who didn't attend thepreparatory course you'd be like
.
So why are we doing it right?
So I, I, I think one thing thatwe got to look at is could
these soldiers be getting pushedthrough?
And, from my experience, when itcomes to numbers, when it comes
to numbers, I don't care ifit's a uh, ncoes, if it's a a
(02:23):
badge, if it's a badge school,if it's basic training
recruitment, it's called arecruitment it, whether it's med
pros, we constantly harp on thegreen right.
So we're always talking aboutoh, green, we need numbers, we
(02:44):
need numbers Right.
So, with my experience in allof these fields because I've
I've done all of them I've neverbeen a drill sergeant, but I've
done a lot of researchthroughout this podcast
experience the last couple ofyears years, I was an instructor
for basic um, for for for blc,basic leaders course, so I know
(03:08):
how important it is to havegraduates right um, I do med
pros, so I know how important itis commanders and first wants
to have green.
So we make concessions.
So could this be another one ofthose concessions?
So could this be another one ofthose concessions?
Are we pushing them throughright?
Are the numbers being messedwith to pass?
(03:34):
I guess that's the nextquestion, right, are we taking
what is supposed to be, let'ssay, 65,000, is what we're
supposed to do a year, and arewe fudging those to say, well,
I'm going to consider a successis if they ship off, that's a
(03:55):
success.
Or are we saying a success isthem arriving to their new unit,
that soldier is tracked upuntil they get to their new unit
, that's a success.
Or are we going all the wayuntil their first term and
saying, well, that's a success.
So those three different phaseswill deliver different numbers.
That's just a matter of fact.
(04:18):
And another thing is are thestandards getting relaxed?
Are we just relaxing thestandards so much that we're?
We're just, um, we're at asorry, I'm not even going to
edit that out.
We're at a point that we, wejust need troops.
(04:39):
We need troops in order to havea uh, to bolster our, our army
and have it more.
The more numbers, the better.
That's all to it.
So you're probably like he'sjust making this up.
I mean, who knows right, whyshould you take my word for it?
Let's go ahead and look at thetape and see what it says.
(05:02):
So, militarycom, and I'm justgonna, as always, I'll put the
links on a word document andI'll put it in the description
and you guys can read it on yourown.
But I'm just going to focus onthe part that I'm talking about.
You can read the rest.
So militarycom says here arethe rates at which soldiers wash
(05:23):
out of basic training Soldierswho attend prep courses, I told
you, 11.3.
Academic what is it called?
Academic track prep 15.3.
Fitness track prep course 16%.
And then you have the soldierwho attended both 18.7.
So if they, if they wentthrough the academic portion and
(05:46):
if they went through thefitness portion, they're more
likely to fail than me.
If I just came off the streetand just went in, that's I don't
know.
That's just crazy to me.
So, uh, um, an army officialsays I don't know what the
acceptable attrition rate is,but we have to meet people where
(06:08):
they are.
The senior army officer toldMilitarycom the quality of new
soldier is enormous, is anenormous problem.
We're paying and we're payingfor it, but that's just where
the country is.
But that's just where thecountry is.
Moreover, the Army has morethan doubled the number of
(06:29):
waivers it grants to newrecruits, from 8,400 in 2022 to
17,900 last year.
Many of those are medicalwaivers, and we'll discuss that
(07:01):
in a second.
But a soldier is more likely to, or a recruit my apology, a
recruit of a return, incomparison to just Joe that just
walks off the street.
Okay, but this is a comparison.
They're looking at it as well.
It's still numbers.
We're attacking it from allavenues.
So as long as we get theseindividuals in, it's a win,
(07:28):
which I get it All right.
So, number two, the recruitmentstandards.
So, to meet recruiting targets,right, the army went as far as
to implementing the futuresoldiers program.
So the program is, uh, it'smainly to help marginal recruits
meet the entry requirements,right.
(07:48):
So now, this initiative mayhave inflated our enlisted
numbers and, in comparison, notreally, but just the number
itself, um, at the same time,they may have also inadvertently
led us to higher attritionrates.
And, um, if, if, if, therecruit is not like, fully
(08:11):
prepared for the demands of waror just the demands the military
demands itself, right.
So it's, let's, let's thinkabout this, right, it?
Um, it takes a certain mindsetto make this a career and in
reality, you got to think aboutit right.
When you come in the military,you have to be, and you don't
(08:33):
know this right, you don't knowthis.
You're off the street andyou're coming in and you're like
, well, I'm going to serve mycountry or for whatever it is
benefits, school, family,whatever it is or you just got
in trouble and they gave, theygave you the option.
You go to war, go to jail, justlike the cadence says, right,
but you don't know how themilitary is, you have no clue.
(08:55):
So when you come in, there's anexpectation you have to be, you
have to like exercising or bewilling to do it at least once a
day.
Right.
They say that the um, they saythat, uh, pt, the army.
Pt doesn't make you big but itkeeps you fit, right, you do it
(09:17):
once a day for about an hour andyou move on right.
Right, so you have to likeexercising.
Another thing is you have to besomewhat of an early riser,
because I'll give you an examplemy brother.
He's younger than me, he'sabout 11 years younger than me
and he calls me every now andagain or texts me with like tips
(09:41):
and tricks and he shows me somestuff.
And that's how I get a lot ofmy content from him, because he
always shoots something my way.
But I specifically rememberthis one conversation we had
right, and I guess he wasrunning late to PT or something
happened.
So he's in the formation.
(10:02):
Either he forgot his PT belt orhe had his PT belt.
I don't remember.
I just remember him saying thePT belt and I think the PT belt
left in his car made him late.
He had to run back and comeback.
So the platoon sergeant wassaying something along the lines
of a situation of being talkingto the masses.
Right, because in the militarywe don't want to single out, but
(10:24):
we also want to get our pointacross.
But if you're the masses, right, because in the military we
don't want to single out, but wealso want to get our point
across.
But if you're the perpetrator,you feel singled out, so there's
no way around it.
But they're not saying yourname.
But everybody knows.
Okay.
So he was told, whatever it was,yeah, you got to make sure that
you plan, make it on time.
So therefore, if you forgetsomething, you could always go
(10:45):
back and you're still on time.
All right, cool, right, pointgot across.
So he calls me and he sayssomething along, oh, something
along.
Oh, no, it was because he waslooking off to the abyss,
because he knew he was wrong.
So he was upset, so he kind ofhad an attitude, but he wasn't
like disrespectful, but inreality he was because he's not
looking at the person who'stalking to him, right, while in
(11:06):
formation.
So he says to me, he says, well,they don't know if I'm a
morning person, blah, blah, blah, whatever it is.
And I told him I was likenobody cares.
If you're a morning person,right, it's not everyone else's
duty to cater to your morningfeel.
(11:30):
What do I mean by that?
If I'm not a morning person,that doesn't mean that you have
to walk on eggshells.
Because I'm not a morningperson, you don't have to cater
to me.
What I told them was if you knowthat you're not going to be in
your correct mind by the timeyou hit formation, then you
(11:53):
should wake up earlier.
If 5.30 is when you wake up,wake up at 5.
That extra 30 minutes wakes youup and therefore you're in a
correct headspace to deal withthe demands of the military.
And that goes back to tying itall in.
You have to be willing to wakeup early and be in the correct
(12:14):
headspace for it, and the nextthing that you have to be able
to do or accept that you won't.
Well, you kind of know this,because people understand that
there's a war, let's say, forinstance, right, and people
deploy, but what I've noticed isno one really understands it
until it actually happens tothem.
(12:35):
A prime example is with all thelayoffs right now, right,
everyone understands.
Well, I voted this way becauseI want the, the, because I like
the fact that that they're goingto try and get all the budget
and and the fraud, waste andabuse.
But when you're part of that,um, when you're part of that cut
(12:57):
, you're like, holy hell, I'm,I'm part of the abuse, of fraud,
waste and abuse that they'retalking about.
So it hits you and now youexperience it firsthand.
So now you look at everythingdifferent.
So, the same thing with when youum, when you enlist, you have
to understand and you have toaccept, be willing to accept.
You're going to be away fromyour family from time to time.
(13:19):
This is just, uh, um, the, thenature of the beast.
Are we away more times than weneed to be?
I'd say yes.
Personally, I don't think youone thing about.
I'm in a BCT right, a BrigadeCombat Team, an Armored Brigade
Combat Team, and the calendars,the training calendars, like
(13:41):
this right, and there's alwayssomething there, and if there's
a little bit of white space,something's going to get filled.
So we're, oh, the op tempo islike this, right, and there's
always something there, and ifthere's a little bit of white
space, something's going to getfilled.
So we're, oh, the op tempo ishigh and a lot of people can't
handle it.
Sometimes you just gotta belike all right, it is what it is
.
But you have to understand thatand a lot of troops and new
first termers don't get it, butit is what it is, right, and
(14:07):
this is another thing thataffects it.
So, at the same time that weare enrolling these troops into
the program, are we actuallylike looking at who we're
enrolling into the program?
Right?
Looking at who we're enrollinginto the program, right?
So let's go ahead and take alook at the tape so we can see
who is it that we are actuallyenrolling into the program,
(14:30):
right?
So on ResponsibleStateCraftorgit shows and remember we talked
about the waivers, right?
So if you look right here, itsays the number of eligible
recruits in the country hasshrunken dramatically to a to a
(15:00):
senior officer.
Only eight percent of thepopulation for our is eligible
for clean enlistment with nowaivers much lower than 23 found
in a 2020 dod study.
So that's a 15 drop in lessthan five in five years.
Let's give it five years.
This article was written Marchof 2025.
(15:21):
The prior article that I readabout the rates was written in
January, march of 2025.
Okay, so these aren't.
These are like back to back.
I'm not making this stuff up.
Okay, all right, here we go.
So, so these are like back toback.
I'm not making this stuff up.
Okay, all right, here we go.
(15:42):
So, to combat this, the Army hasmore than doubled the number of
medical, academical andcriminal waiver records granted
to recruit in 2024 compared to2022.
More than 400 felony waiverswere included in the 2024
(16:03):
waivers up to 98, and it's upfrom 98 in 2022.
So pretty much 302 more waiverswere given out.
Not only did the Army reduceits recruitment goal to 55,000
from 65,000 in 2023, but theprevious recruitment gains are
muddled by the high attritionrates.
Again, this is something thatwe have to understand.
(16:28):
Right Back to what I was sayingthe phases in which we are
capturing information.
So if I say I've met myrecruitment goal, however, I'm
basing it off of a 10,000 lowernumber, then yeah, sure, I met
it.
But, to go off of what thearticle is talking about, there
(16:50):
are massive waivers, like anddon't get me wrong, I had a few
waivers because I had speedingtickets and all this extra stuff
, so I had waivers when I camein.
But what, what?
What it means is it's theseverity of the waiver that
we're talking about.
Right, you got some medicalones, so maybe later on they'll
(17:11):
have medical issues.
And they got to get med boarded, um, academic, so they're not
as smart, so they can't get thebest MOSs.
And then the MOS that they doget, they don't like because
it's either too boring or toohectic.
And then you got criminalwaivers, which is now you have
to break that individual out ofwhat their previous structure
(17:34):
was, their previous structurewas, and not all of us leaders
are equipped to do that, becausewe have different leadership
styles Some yell, some are morecompassionate, empathetic,
whatever it is, and one or theother may work, or they just
don't work because the mindsetis already there.
So these are the things that wehave to look at right when we're
(17:57):
talking about these waivers andthe type of individuals that we
let in.
And I'm not saying that youcan't have a felony, let's say,
for instance, and not be a hellof a soldier.
I actually know a few that areCSMs with a felony and, I think,
a colonel, and you can go onTikTok Like I'm not making this
(18:17):
up, I don't know his name, buthe's a colonel and he tells you
about his whole life, okay, howhe comes from like a
not-so-decent background, andhe's a Fulberg colonel, I think
he's a colonel.
There's a few CSMs.
There's a Marine.
I've seen him on TikTok, I meanon Instagram, but he also came
(18:43):
from the trenches, if you will,and he's a high ranking
individual.
So the waivers don't dictate apotential outcome, but there's a
propensity to it, right?
And this is just.
We're talking about statistics,so let's move forward.
The next thing we're going totalk about is the quality of
life and leadership, right?
(19:05):
So there have been manyreported issues when it comes to
substandard living conditionsand I made a video on this a
while back ago and talking abouthow the army and how it.
The barracks are not good.
(19:26):
They have a small squarefootage and because of a
technicality, they'll they'llstuff two soldiers in a one
soldier room and because of atechnicality, they get away with
it.
And in comparison to what theAir Force does right.
They have dorms they even callthem dorms, but their rooms are
(19:48):
a little bit bigger.
I don't really advocate toomuch for how Air Force is better
than us, because I've knownmany.
When I was in Alaska I've met alot of Air Force people because
Allison's right there, down thestreet from Rain White, wayne
Wright, and used to hang outwith them and they complain the
same way we do, but when itcomes to their standards of
(20:09):
living, they're cream of thecrop.
I'll give them that.
So our barracks are substandard.
There's lack of trust inleadership and for some MOSs
there's a limited careeradvancement opportunity right,
which all can lead to justdissatisfactions amongst these
soldiers.
(20:29):
So addressing these concerns iscrucial to improving retention.
It's just that's what it it isright.
Um, we can say barracks aretrash.
Um, I think I think here onfort cabasso's, they, they, they
I can't remember, I don't, it'ssomewhere in in my uh folders
(20:52):
but they put a lot of money intore remodeling the barracks, so
that's a good thing.
Um, I think leaders and this isit and this is it's it's hard
to say because there's so muchtruth to this, but leaders are
more and not important um, aremore worried about leaders are
(21:18):
more worried about Leaders aremore worried about Looking good
to to those that are above themthan the troops that work for
them.
And I've seen it like you knowthat you have minimal manning,
soldier just came out the field,or soldier gets put twice on
(21:42):
staff duty, cq twice in twoweeks, knowing that it's
typically like once a month orso.
Right, and they don't sayanything like if you're not
going to protect your troop whois, I've seen a troop that
(22:02):
almost did, almost went to um,ntc because of um, almost went
to ntc while his, while we knewhis wife was going to give birth
, while she, while he was gone,and they almost took him and no
one wanted to say anything.
Right, like it's, it's, it'srough and and I think that's
that that soldier sees like Joepays attention to everything,
man, you can't, you can't doanything without Joe paying
(22:23):
attention to what you're doing.
So they're picking up on this.
Another thing is like soldiersgot to understand like you have
to compete, to promote, and Iknow we think that we're doing
the most we can.
My 100 is probably your 60 um.
However, there are certainthings that you got to do that
(22:45):
makes you more competitiveairborne air assault, making
sure you you you get the correctschoolings, that as you pace
through your ranks um, if you'rea sergeant, you should already
had field sand UPL.
You should be looking into EOcourses.
These things are benchmarksthat you need to be hitting as
(23:06):
you're trying to progressthrough the ranks and if you
don't, then you're not makingyourself competitive enough and
that factors in.
But we don't see that whenwe're us.
But until someone points it outto you or shows you another
person's SRB at the same levelthat you are and you're like
well, you're right.
(23:27):
But yes, you have to compete topromote.
There are some MOSs that you're.
I remember I think it was backin the day S1, if you were a 42
alpha points were at 798 on aconstant basis.
So it's very rare becausethat's a job that it's basically
HR right and it's verycushioned there.
Even when you're out in thefield you're still relaxed.
(23:49):
So a lot of people don't wantto retire from that.
So I can get that, but youstill got to be ready for it.
But I want to focus on theleadership, because the question
is how important is leadership?
So we're going to go to thetape real fast and we're going
to talk about it.
(24:09):
And this article is fromrandomorg and I'm again.
I'm just going to read a littlebit of it, because this one was
published October 5th 2021.
And if you think, oh well,that's almost four years old.
If you've been in long enough,you know not many things have
(24:32):
changed from what I'm about tosay.
So leadership experience withjob training calendars and
social support, all matter.
Unit level NCOs appear to playan outstanding role in the
attrition outcomes.
The busy NCOs have discretionin whom they decide to invest
time to provide guidance andmentorship.
(24:54):
And tell me I'm wrong.
Like you get a Joe and you'd belike nah, that's a lost cause.
But you get that high speed oneand everyone wants to gravitate
towards that one because that'sthe easy one.
But there's no challenge inleadership in that right.
So next point is soldiersindicate that the pace of
training calendars made adaptingto army life difficult.
(25:16):
This was further exacerbated bythe pace of training calendars
made adapting to army lifedifficult.
This was further exacerbated bythe lack of understanding of
why certain training exerciseswere necessary.
And I will tell you right now,man, so many times that I've
spoken about this and I've heardthis, as I was a platoon
sergeant is why are we doingthis training?
(25:37):
We have nothing to do with it.
They just want us to setsomething up for no reason.
Why do we need to do it?
Why are we setting up a rollone in the motor pool?
Why don't we just go out to thefield and actually do it?
Why don't the PAs come out withus Like there's the?
They don't understand the whyand sometimes there's no real
good reason.
Sometimes there is a goodreason, um, but the less you
understand the why, the, theless you're gonna um be
(26:02):
motivated to do it.
The next one is soldiersreported that the barracks
conditions detracted from thequality of life and location was
critical to a soldier's qualityof life assessment.
We spoke about barracks aretrash.
We understand it.
Social.
Next point is social supportappears to offer some
possibilities to a rest cycle ofthe soldier's decline that may
(26:25):
end in attrition, while familylife may actually contribute to
attrition.
So the social support, like if,if, if they don't have, like, a
friendship and all that stuff,they can stay in the barr
barracks, play their video gameand they might be able to cope a
lot more.
But when it comes to being awayfrom family.
That's going to be high on it,and I did a video about the
(26:49):
senior NCOs, or seniorsdeclining, and one of the
subjects was could it be becauseof family?
Right, this is my time for myfamily.
So what are the recommendationsthat they have?
Better managing the timeline ofnew soldier's assignment, and I
get with that.
(27:09):
How many times have you got asoldier?
How many times have youreceived a soldier and you're
about to either deploy in thenext month and they can't even
get their families situated, oryou're about to hit a field
exercise and they still takethem.
They don't delay them ornothing, they just take them.
How many times has thathappened?
(27:30):
Oh man?
Next one is train and equiprecruiters to advise enlisting
soldiers on crucial aspects oftheir enlistment, including
match to MOS benefits and otheraspects of life.
Right, because if you're notgood at medical, why would you
(27:53):
put them at medical right?
There's other things Providetraining and support to NCOs
preparing to take on leadershippositions.
What they do a lot.
They have the commanders andfirst sergeant program, but
there's no program for thatinitial groundbreaking E-5
sergeant, that buck sergeant.
No, it's just.
(28:14):
Oh, you hit sergeant, I expectyou to know everything the next
day.
There's no training for that.
There's, there's, there's BLC,but that's not training you.
Well, okay, you know what?
There is BLC, right, but thesame thing I could say for
there's ALC, mlc, slc.
So why do first sergeants andcommanders and captain career
corps?
So why do they get additionalor supplemental training, but
(28:39):
Joe or the sergeant doesn't?
So I've always thought aboutthat.
Learn why NCOs may provide moresupport to some soldiers over
the others, and that happens alot.
Like you, people just tend todiscount, discard that, that
problematic soldier, thatheadache.
That's just the nature of thebeast, and I think that's where
(29:01):
resilience kicks in.
Right, if I offend you, if I'mconstantly late, I have to be
you as a leader, have to be moreresilient and not hold it
against me.
But feelings get in the way andwe like talking about how
feelings are an issue, but if webreak it down to bare bones,
the reason why they're beingdiscarded is because of a
(29:22):
feeling, and the feeling is Idon't like that person, right,
that person is a headache.
So that's a huge bullet, rightthere.
Next thing is consider opting amodel of attrition that allows
for the greater degree ofcomplexity and interplay between
quitting and firing behaviors.
So when, when a soldier isabout to treat pretty much, when
(29:46):
they're about to exit, treatthem the same, like you're not
treating them, like they'refiring, like you're firing them
or you're not mad at thembecause they're getting out the
army.
A lot of guys, they'll, they'll.
They'll be like, oh, you'regetting out, well, they'll just
be like, well, it is what it isand don't help them as much as
they should to get out and then,um, the the last thing is
(30:07):
further explore the link betweenattrition and re-enment.
Right, and this is what we'redoing, this is what I try and do
right here with when I reportthis stuff is putting the
information out there so we canthink about it and create a
conversation online and thoseand hopefully the right people
see it and hopefully the rightmessage.
I'm conveying the right messageand at the same time, we can
(30:30):
start, spark a conversation,right?
I think these high attritionrates for our first term
soldiers are not only depletingthe Army's ranks, but also are
tied directly to a significantfinancial cost and it impacts
the overall morale at the end ofthe day.
It impacts the overall moraleat the end of the day.
(30:53):
Did you guys know that it costs$55,000 to $75,000 every time
we train a soldier.
I'll show you better than I cantell you.
So, armymil, it costs between$55,000 to $74,000 to send a
recruit through training, andthis is dependent on if they're
at OSIT, which is one station,unit training or combined of
(31:15):
basic training, combat or basiccombat training and advanced
individual training.
So this is a real figure.
Every time a troop gets out, wegot to train three more to take
their position right, becausewe're accounting for to take
their position right, Becausewe're accounting for them
getting out, and those keepgoing through right.
(31:35):
We don't know what's gonnahappen.
So I mean, that said, asleaders, we have to do our best
to retain these already trainedtroops because it's in our best
interest for maintaining, Iguess, an effective and more
experienced force.
So I'm not saying be soft orlet them walk over you, but all
(32:00):
I'm trying to say is like wehave to meet them where they are
and bring them up to speed.
Right, joe's coming off thestreets, let's just assume every
Joe's coming off the streets,let's, let's, let's just assume
every Joe's coming off thestreets.
How do we convert them into umactual soldiers?
(32:20):
Because three months in basictraining, another two months in
um, in in uh.
Ait is not going to breakhabits.
That's just five months of ofof 18 years of their life.
Let's say, for instance, andthe last thing I want to say on
this part is it's not cool towant to kick troops out, right,
(32:46):
it's not cool, like, as soon assomething happens is like their
way, like leaders are waiting,all right, well, two more times
and strike three, you're out.
Let's get them out.
The Army, I don't know, I don'tthink it's cool, that's all.
But I do think that while theArmy has created, they've come
(33:06):
up with creative attempts, withtheir recruiting strategies,
retaining soldiers beyond theirinitial enlistment.
It remains a critical challengefor us If we want to address
the factors like preparatorytraining, effectiveness,
recruitment standards andquality of life.
(33:27):
I can't promise, but it willhelp If we address those three
factors.
I can't promise, but it willhelp If we address those three
factors.
I can't promise it, but I thinkit will help reduce the early
attrition rates.
So another thing is likeimplementing like targeted
retention strategies can alsohelp build a more stable and
capable future for the army.
(33:49):
But at the end of the it's, it'sall about the ncos, because the
the officers take care of themore important stuff.
We take care of the, the um,the troops, right, and when I
say more important stuff, I meanlike all the paperwork.
Let's say, for instance, allthe, all, the um, all the uh,
(34:11):
procedural stuff, and we takecare of who gets the procedural
stuff done right and the ncos.
That's why we're the biggest,most impactful um entity that
touches these soldiers.
Now I want to hear from you doyou think the army's future um
soldiers program or initiativeis is ultimately a good thing or
(34:33):
a bad thing?
So drop your thoughts in thecomments.
I answer all my comments and,if you found this discussion
insightful, check out my othervideo where I talk about the
senior Army officers turningdown command.
And remember you don't have toembrace the suck if you got the
right tools in your rug.
I'm Saren Cruz and I'll see youin the next one.
(34:55):
Peace.
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