JOINT CENTER News Room
Joint Center Forum on Why Fewer American Youth Enlisting in Army
May 18, 2000
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies is hosting a forum on "Why More of America's Youth Are Saying 'No' to the Army" today at the Crowne Plaza Hotel (Hamilton Room), 14th & K Streets, NW, Washington, D.C., from 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Lieutenant Colonel Lee A. Harris, the Joint Center's Senior Military Fellow (1999-2000), will discuss and release the findings of his study, "Major Factors Affecting Recruiting: Making Them Work for the Army." Brigadier General Billy R. Cooper, Deputy Commanding General - East, U.S. Army Recruiting Command, is the featured speaker.
"It is unfortunate that many Americans relegate the Army to the back burner until it is needed," said Eddie N. Williams, president of the Joint Center. "This report reinforces the need to reposition the Army in the American mindset, lest in times of crisis we are forced to resort to the highly unpopular draft."
Lieutenant Colonel Harris' report identifies several contributing factors in the recent decline in enlistment, including limits being placed on recruiting in high schools; a widespread view among potential Army recruits and their parents that the Army is an employer of last resort; and perceptions that base closures and down-sizing initiatives signal a lesser need for recruits.
Harris' recommendation to let recruiters have greater access to high school students mirrors one provision attached to a defense bill that is currently on its way to the U.S. Senate. The provision would give military recruiters the same access to high schools enjoyed by colleges and private sector representatives.
Conducted over a nine-month period, the study is largely based on interviews, surveys, and focus group discussions with senior military officials, U.S. Army recruiters, active-duty soldiers and their families, applicants currently being processed into the Army, trainees, school officials, parents, and high school students.
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