Anyone hear about the Marine Corps missing their retention goal for 2008 by 5%? I went back for the article but can't seem to locate it.
I know this thread is about officer retention, but as the economy moves forward, a substantial part of that issue will fix itself.
What I am curious is if the constant grind of Iraq is causing 2nd and 3d term Marines to elect not to reenlist? While the Army has had issues for years in making their enlistment goals, reenlistments have actually been very strong. The Marines have felt some of this pain but have always had an easier time getting quality recruits than the Army. However, if they are now feeling the pain among the group they want to keep as career Marines, this could quickly become an issue. The Marines pride themselves in having much more junior leaders running the same size elements as compared to what the Army uses (SGTs and CPLs running squads, SSGs running platoons). This problem probably wouldn't be felt for some time, even if the issue persists for a few years, but it is of interest. It could impact the Marines in a lot of ways, such as manning and how they operate in a more decentralized manner.
I haven't heard of Marines having any kind of enlistment/reenlistment issues since 2005 and even that was only for a single year and the first time in 10 years.
Don't anyone take this the wrong way - I am not gloating. I have been envious of the USMC for years as to their superior 'combat focus' which the big Army often forgets. It is just a very interesting circumstance and doesn't seem to fit very well with the economy and the likely move of the USMC from Iraq to Afghanistan. I hope it is not a sign of things to come for the Army as well (mainly because the Marines will adapt quickly to fix this while HRC will spin for 2-3 years until they recognize and analyze the issue or give a knee-jerk reaction that treats the symptoms, not the problem).
Tankersteve
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