With a dropout rate that high, it seems the military has much larger problems on which to focus than whether a few dropouts are sneaking in. One of two things will happen. Either they will successfully complete their enlistment, in which case they should be considered a welcome addition to the military rather than a problem. A definition of homeschooling would have strong impact if it came from the military. Because of the position of respect held toward the military in our society and its close association in the minds of most people with patriotism and the best interests of the nation, there is a tendency for policies or standards established by the military to have widespread influence on society.
Society also looks to the military to establish or reflect social values and standards.
Witness the historic role of the military in beginning to break down barriers to African-Americans in society. The use of early forms of standardized tests by the military contributed to their spread and acceptance in schools. Thus it is wise for us to be especially concerned about anything which establishes a precedent in the military because of the likelihood that it will have far-reaching effects on society. In addition to its other problems, survey results will be inaccurate because the survey is not based on a representative sample of homeschooling organizations. However, this kind of stratification is not possible because no one knows how many homeschooling organizations exist of what size, etc.