The American Spectator

Let the chips fall where they may. If we expand the recruit pool to the entire adult population, and select on the basis of individual performance capability, our personnel shortfalls may well vanish and be replaced by waiting lines. We may have to get used to the idea of devilishly fit greyhairs going down for 50 on Parris Island, but what of it? Medical technology, improved nutrition and lifestyle changes have spread and prolonged fitness throughout our population. If gung-ho geezers can cut the mustard, why in the world would we not capitalize on this asset? A ten-minute visit to any suburban gym is convincing in this regard — our Boomer cohort, now in its 50s and 60s, is lean, mean and ready to make the scene.

Henry Ford famously analyzed his innovative factories and defined the capabilities required for each and every job. He discovered factory jobs that blind men could perform, or those with only one arm, one leg, and no legs. Reasonable military standards couldn’t go that low, of course: Mr. Mirvish’s citation of the “…ability to perform all standard combat, casualty evacuation and damage control tasks” is a good start at defining the proper standard for an effective and suitably lethal military. We are, however, far from optimizing our recruiting and assignment protocols with respect to this standard.

We are going to need more people in the military if we are to carry the war on terror through to victory, prevail in the Korean and Iranian crises and deter renascent Chinese and Russian assertiveness. Let’s open the doors to all those who wish to serve — and can demonstrate the capabilities every American warrior should and must have.