Army Throws Cash at Recruitment Problem
In an effort to combat ever dwindling enthusiasm among America's youths for a career in the military, the Army is enlarging its recruitment staff, loosening age and criminal record restrictions and offering more cash bonuses, such as $45,000 tax-free to buy a house. Last year the Army spent $1 billion on bonuses and advertisements.
In an effort to combat ever dwindling enthusiasm among America’s youths for a career in the military, the Army is enlarging its recruitment staff, loosening age and criminal record restrictions and offering more cash bonuses, such as $45,000 tax-free to buy a house. Last year the Army spent $1 billion on bonuses and advertisements.
WAIT BEFORE YOU GO...AP:
Need a down-payment for your home? Seed money to start a business? The Army wants to help – if you’re willing to join up. Despite spending nearly $1 billion last year on recruiting bonuses and ads, Army leaders say an even bolder approach is needed to fill wartime ranks.
Under a new proposal, men and women who enlist could pick from a “buffet” of incentives, including up to $45,000 tax-free that they accrue during their career to help buy a home or build a business. Other options would include money for college and to pay off student loans.
An Associated Press review of the increasingly aggressive recruiting offerings found the Army is not only dangling more sign-up rewards – it’s loosening rules on age and weight limits, education and drug and criminal records.
This year, the ground feels uncertain — facts are buried and those in power are working to keep them hidden. Now more than ever, independent journalism must go beneath the surface.
At Truthdig, we don’t just report what's happening — we investigate how and why. We follow the threads others leave behind and uncover the forces shaping our future.
Your tax-deductible donation fuels journalism that asks harder questions and digs where others won’t.
Don’t settle for surface-level coverage.
Unearth what matters. Help dig deeper.
Donate now.
For this retired U.S. Army officer, the president's Thanksgiving visit with the troops has been "triggering" in all the worst ways.
The ACLU blasts the clemency action for Mathew Golsteyn and Clint Lorance as an "utterly shameful use of presidential powers."
Defense leaders express dismay and a resolve to do more to increase resilience in the force.
The CNN pundit appears to be taking his talking points from prominent military sources.
There already exists a proven protocol for the proper use of firearms. Why can’t it be implemented for civilians?
Aggressive, highly trained and hypermasculine Navy SEALs should not be used as the go-to tool for waging global imperial war.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.