{"id":37207,"date":"2019-07-25T13:02:41","date_gmt":"2019-07-25T13:02:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/07\/25\/down-range-retention-is-really-high-afghan-war-deployments-still-boost-recruiting\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T02:46:55","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T02:46:55","slug":"down-range-retention-is-really-high-afghan-war-deployments-still-boost-recruiting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2019\/07\/25\/down-range-retention-is-really-high-afghan-war-deployments-still-boost-recruiting\/","title":{"rendered":"Down-range retention is really high: Afghan War, deployments still boost recruiting"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The desire to go to war remains a key factor in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/news\/your-army\/2019\/04\/11\/retention-more-recruiters-and-lower-goals-are-putting-guard-reserve-on-track-to-fill-the-ranks\/\" target=\"_blank\">recruiting and retention<\/a>, according to senior enlisted leaders across the services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/news\/your-army\/2017\/06\/21\/national-guard-welcomes-new-senior-enlisted-adviser\/\" target=_blank>enlisted advisers<\/a> to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/news\/your-army\/2018\/12\/31\/new-in-2019-the-armys-due-for-a-new-chief-of-staff-and-sergeant-major-who-will-they-be\/\" target=_blank>Joint Chiefs of Staff<\/a> were asked Wednesday at the Pentagon whether the 18-year war in Afghanistan was stemming the recruitment pool as the military attempts to grow its force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The answer: When people enlist in the military, they want to go to war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOur soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines are actually disappointed when we tell them we have a force cap and we\u2019re not going to be able to bring all of them into theater,\u201d Army Command Sgt. Maj. Timothy L. Metheny, the senior enlisted leader for U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, said Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe even look at how we can rotate different organizations in and out,&#8221; Metheny added. &#8220;One, to remain fresh with our new troopers, but also to make sure everybody gets a rotation \u2014 gets that combat deployment that they\u2019re seeking so badly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The retention rate in-theater stands at about 108 percent, according to Metheny, though he did not detail the exact methodology behind that number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Regardless, the majority of people looking to enlist want the chance to do their job in real-life operations, whether that be missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria or elsewhere, according to Army Command Sgt. Maj. John Wayne Troxell, the top enlisted adviser to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe risk of combat injury and death is with us,\u201d Troxell said. \u201cEven though there\u2019s that inherent risk all the time, I think that\u2019s accepted among the force.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2019\/06\/25\/itll-be-tight-but-the-army-expects-to-meet-recruiting-goals-this-year\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"188\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ARM-recruiting.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">It\u2019ll be tight, but the Army expects to meet recruiting goals this year<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">\u201cWe are on target, but it\u2019s close,\u201d Acting Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. military has roughly 14,000 troops in Afghanistan. More than 2,000 have died there in what has become America\u2019s longest war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The current casualty rates for troops deployed to the Middle East is nowhere near the surge years of Iraq and Afghanistan. There have been 10 hostile deaths in Afghanistan this year and more than 50 wounded-in-action troops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAbout 65 percent of the Air Force joined after 9\/11,\u201d Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Kaleth Wright said during the panel discussion Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI don\u2019t doubt that there are some airmen, some service members who from a maybe political standpoint have that mindset of \u2018why are we here; we shouldn\u2019t be here,\u2019&#8221; Wright added. \u201cBut I would say the great majority of our airmen and our service members &#8230; joined the military during a time of war because they wanted to contribute to defense of our nation.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the National Guard side of the equation, the prospect of deployment is similarly enticing to Army and Air Force enlistees, according to Command Sgt. Maj. Christopher Kepner, senior enlisted adviser to the chief of the National Guard Bureau.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe biggest question I get from our men and women today is not, \u2018oh my gosh, will I have to go down range?\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s \u2018deployments aren\u2019t going to stop, are they sergeant major?&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That sentiment was echoed by the incoming sergeant major of the Marine Corps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat\u2019s why we all join,&#8221; Sgt. Maj. Troy E. Black said. &#8220;At the end of the day, pick your service, but if I join the Marine Corps, it\u2019s to go deploy, to go to combat if called to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPeople want to serve, and the risk of it is just part of the deal,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When people enlist in the military, they want to go to 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