Study: Waiver troops OK, but need discipline

Study: Waiver troops OK, but need discipline
By Michelle Tan - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday May 10, 2008 7:04:00 EDT

Soldiers who join the Army after receiving moral or conduct waivers tend to stay in the service longer, re-enlist at a slightly higher rate, earn more valor awards and get promoted faster, but they also face more courts-martial and have more discipline problems, according to an Army study.

Conducted late last year by Army G-1 staff, the study was based on enlistment of non-prior service personnel from fiscal years 2003 through 2006, and the results were mixed.

The Army has come under fire for its increased use of waivers, especially those for adult felonies, to help meet recruiting goals. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have created an especially tough recruiting market, and the Army’s goal to grow its active-duty end strength to 547,000 by the end of fiscal 2010 has led some to believe the increasing use of waivers for recruits with criminal or drug records is too risky.

Army leaders have said the waivers give a second chance to people who want to serve.

“It’s worth the scrutiny because these soldiers have overcome their transgressions and (they) have skills the Army needs and wants,” said Lt. Col. Val Siegfried, chief of the enlisted accessions branch in the Army G-1.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/05/army_waivers_051008w/