From today's SWJ Roundup and Early Bird: "Army Needs Rebuilding" by Bill Maxwell, Washington Times, 26 OCT 08 http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...ds-rebuilding/

A different look at the Army's retention and recruitment, focusing on desertion as a key indicator.

The result, some officials acknowledge, is that the Army is ailing, and the problem is reflected in the rate of desertions. More soldiers and enlistees are deserting in numbers that have not been seen since Vietnam, when the draft was in effect.
Anecdotal from my unit, there have been more AWOL cases the past two years, and they tended to be recent recruits with drug or discipline issues. Only one was a NCO that had many many many issues. I would not have thought to look at desertions as a basis to judge the volunteer force's viability as the Army is having a much bigger problem keeping quality people with years of service. His argument for better recruiting standards is pretty good though. I guess we're losing on both ends.

As desertions have increased, the Army has stepped up punishment, mostly as a warning to others. The overwhelming majority of deserters are handled administratively, given other than honorable discharges. This is especially true for those who desert during basic training. Soldiers who desert when their units are preparing to deploy, however, will more than likely go to prison. The standard sentence is two years, a far cry from the days when desertion during wartime was punishable by death.
I have yet to see this. The AWOL guys that do show up, even after Dropped From Rolls, tend to get a couple days confinement, if that, then out. Definately don't foresee any firing squads any time soon. Also, there was news recently about the trial for the LT from Washington that refused to deploy. He refused years ago, and he's still not resolved.