“Today, the Subcommittee turns its attention to the closely aligned issues of military recruiting and retention.  While the debate on the future of the war in Iraq is capturing much of the public’s attention, those laboring to recruit and retain the high quality force that is the bedrock of military readiness continue to perform their vital mission under great stress.  The sound job market and the pressures of the war make this task incredibly difficult and it is incumbent on the Congress to be watchful and ensure recruiters and their managers have the necessary funding and tools to be successful.

    “The one enduring lesson that the Subcommittee has learned is that those funds and tools are ineffective if not delivered in a consistent and timely manner.  Unlike many of the problems being confronted by the armed forces, the task of attracting people to the military cannot be achieved with increased spending at the 11th hour.  Competing in the marketplace for people requires the consistent and early allocation of resources.  It is the Subcommittee’s experience that every military recruiting failure in the last 20 years can be attributed to some degree to inconsistent and late allocation of funding to meet the challenge.

    “This hearing focuses on the Army because the Subcommittee has observed that all three Army components have endured setbacks in their recruiting programs in recent months.  It is no secret to anyone that recruiting and retaining a quality force is extremely difficult in today’s environment.  This is particularly true for the Army given the larger numbers associated with their mission.

    “However, a full understanding of the challenge seems to have not prevented funding from being a factor that has put the recruiting programs within all three Army components at greater risk.  In an era where we have an urgent need to increase the strength of the Army and its reserve components, it is critical that we not make mistakes in funding recruiting programs.

    “The Subcommittee will be interested in hearing the perspectives of DOD and the Army on the issue of consistent and timely funding and a range of other important issues, to include recruit quality and recruiter misconduct.”