National Security Risk? Study Finds Too Few Young Americans Fit for Military Duty

Saturday, December 19, 2009

By John George

A new report out by a group of retired U.S. military leaders warns that the U.S. potentially faces a long-term challenge to national security because most potential applicants would not pass qualifying tests.

Mission Readiness, an organization comprised of retired US military generals and admirals, released a report last month stating that, overall 75 percent of Americans between the ages 17 and 24 would be disqaulifed from serving in the military, because they failed to graduate from high school, they have criminal backgrounds, or they are overweight.

Although Mission Readiness states that the U.S. military currently has no shortfall in meeting recruitment goals, the organization adds that this is a short-term phenomenon due largely to the economic downturn. Once the economy improves, the retired generals are concerned about the risks of shortages in qualified recruits.

To avoid such risk, the retired admirals and generals called greater educational spending on early learning, citing evidence from several research studies showing that children who have early childhood education are significantly more likely to graduate high school and avoid criminal behavior as adults.

Research from at least one study comparing children who participaed in an early learning program versus children who did not found significant behavioral results across the groups. The study showed that, by the age of 18, children not participating in the program were 70 percent more likely to be arrested for a violent crime than those who attended. While by age 20, participants in the early education program were 29 percent more likely to have achieved high school graduation.

"Our national security in the year 2030 is absolutely dependent on what's happening in pre-kindergarten today," Retired Navy Rear Admiral Jamie Barnett said in a press release issued by the group.

"These are the same young people we depend on to serve in times of need and ultimately protect this nation," Gen. Clark added in the release. "Support for high-quality early education will help ensure that more young people are on track for successful careers, including military service. Congress is currently considering the Early Learning Challenge Fund and must pass it so states can provide more children with this essential opportunity for learning."