Parents of today's recruits are either Vietnam vets or, more likely, don't have any first-hand experience with the military. They've done just fine without spending time in the military. And kids they are. Most of the young enlisted we saw were not much older than the shooters at Columbine High School in Colorado. But these were kids with a purpose and place, at least now that they were in the service.
Training takes time.
Telecommunications specialists in some services sign up for six years, rather than the typical four, to obtain the highly transferable training. So signing bonuses have common tools to encourage young soldiers to re-enlist. Family obligations among older troops also is a growing retention challenge. More than ever before are married, and long-term deployments are hard on families. The generals, like their civilian counterparts, also know that an employee who is a parent worried about the safety of his children is less productive on the road than one not worried about those left at home.