In light of low enlistment numbers, the U.S. military is allowing recruits to fulfill part of their obligations through the Peace Corps, The Washington Post reports.
MTV reports on the Peace Corps Option For New Recruits
Military Allowing Peace Corps Option For New Recruits
08.02.2005 8:12 PM EDT
New tactic to boost enlistment numbers drawing criticism.
In light of low enlistment numbers, the U.S. military is allowing recruits to fulfill part of their obligations through the Peace Corps, The Washington Post reports.
Some Peace Corps officials are voicing complaints over the tactic, saying the agency should remain unaffiliated with the military, as it has attempted to do over the course of its 44-year history. To date, the Peace Corps has trained more than 178,000 volunteers and helped assist people in 138 mostly undeveloped countries.
Congress actually passed the legislation, sponsored by Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Evan Bayh (D-IN), three years ago, but the military has started promoting it only recently.
Peace Corps Director Gaddi Vasquez told the Post the Peace Corps would not change its admissions standards, but also said he didn't know about the clause until it was signed into law.
Other Corps volunteers voiced concern over the move. "The magic that makes the Peace Corps work is motivation, and when you tinker with that, then it won't work for the applicant and it won't work for the people it serves," Pat Reilly, a former chairwoman of the National Peace Corps Association, told the Post.
In May, the Army announced the expansion of a pilot recruiting program that has been carried out in 10 cities since October 2003. It offers recruits the option of serving 15 months of active-duty service, followed by 24 months of participation with the Army Reserve or National Guard. After that, soldiers have the option of serving the remainder of their eight-year obligation in one of three ways: as an active drilling member of the Army Reserve or National Guard; a member of the inactive Individual Ready Reserve; or as a member of a National Service Program designed by the Secretary of Defense, such as AmeriCorps or the Peace Corps.
In December 2001, the Call to Service Act was enacted to offer a variety of proposals to expand various forms of national service, including AmeriCorps. A separate section of the legislation proposed the creation of a new short-term enlistment program to encourage more young Americans to serve in the military.
Elements of the Call to Service Act were later incorporated into a Senate defense-authorization bill that was passed into law in December 2002. Two primary changes were the linking of national service programs as a component of the short-term military enlistment incentive and the inclusion of the Peace Corps as a program to be considered as part of a national service option.
The Army failed to meet its recruitment goals from February through May (see "Army Recruitment Down For Fourth Consecutive Month"), a shortfall that could hinder it from meeting its annual target of 80,000 new recruits by September 30.
— Brandee J. Tecson
