A combination of unsatisfying salary and poor housing threatens to drive U.S. troops out of the Army amid major recruiting shortfalls, according to a senior Pentagon official.
“In the data that we have, we don’t see concerns from young Americans about whether the pay is competitive or even whether the barracks are good quality,” Army Secretary Christine Wormuth told the House Armed Services Committee. “But, certainly once folks join the Army, they see their earning statement, they see where they’re living — and that shapes, I think, whether they want to stay in the Army.”
U.S. Army officials have “missed [their] recruiting goals over the last two years by a combined 25,000 soldiers,” as House Armed Services Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) observed at the outset of the hearing on the Army budget request. That shortage is part of an “historic recruiting crisis” across the military, putting additional pressure on defense officials to maintain the morale of the people who do join the armed forces.
“We have E-4s and less, who, basically if they have kids rely on food assistance in terms of SNAP to put food on the table,” Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) said Tuesday, using the military code for junior enlisted service members. “The Navy was off by 7,000 in terms of their recruitment [targets] last year. And, to me, it just is kind of blindingly obvious that we need to boost the package to attract more people.”
An Army corporal with fewer than two years of experience earns a base pay of $31,604, according to the U.S. Army website. That figure rises to more than $38,000 for E-4s with six years of experience. An Army staff sergeant with eight years of experience would be expected to make $51,030, according to the website.
“You don’t think competitive pay is essential in the recruitment process?” Rogers asked.
Wormuth emphasized that she was describing the results of surveys about the factors that weigh on recruits before they join the military.
“We haven’t seen it as a concern,” she said, citing a recent pay increase. “Young Americans basically, right now, see the pay as relatively competitive. … Soldiers are not indicating that that’s a huge concern — at least [for] the folks who are looking at joining the Army.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Wormuth noted in her prepared testimony that the Army will “invest an average of $2.1 billion annually in the construction, sustainment, restoration, and modernization of barracks for unaccompanied soldiers.” They are also planning “construction of 173 new homes, and renovation of 252 homes” for military families.
“I want to commend Secretary Wormuth and Gen. George for requesting significant increases in this budget to improve the quality of life for our soldiers and their families,” Rogers said at the outset of the hearing. “If we’re going to deter China, we need to recruit and retain the best and brightest. Addressing the quality of life issues our soldiers face will help us do just that.”
