| Well now that we all know that this is not a popular program (and for good reason for the most part), there are a few points that need to be clarified.
Yes, the Army has a retention problem, but this program was not designed to solve that problem. From my experience, the GWOT has made it more difficult to recruit. I believe that every branch of service has recruiters and a marketing and PR program to support that end (yes, I still get the fact that this ASO program is not popular).
I believe this is largely irrelevant to the philosophical argument, but since the taxpayer cost of the education was brought up, it is worth pointing out that cadets are required to pay back a prorated share of their education costs to compensate for time not served (it is a substantial amount). |