Army Ended Fiscal Year Short Almost 20,000 Soldiers, Chief Says

Officials have insisted that this first-of-its-kind prep course offers young Americans an unprecedented opportunity to meet the Army’s standards, rather than lowering the bar for entry. Leaders note that trainees who can’t meet the requirements to proceed to basic training will be discharged after 90 days. McConville reiterated that argument in the interview, calling standards essential to a “high quality” force.

But there’s concern that leaving boots empty could impact the service’s ability to meet its mission requirements, which have increased in recent months.

Expert Katherine Kuzminski, who leads the Military, Veterans & Society team at the Center for a New American Security think tank, likened the situation to “[Obama-era budget] sequestration, where...a smaller number of people [have] to still carry out the constant number of missions,” though the analogy isn’t perfect.

Read the full story from Army Times.