According to the Pentagon data, the Air and Army National Guard and Army and Navy Reserve fell below their recruiting goals for February. ANG recruiters only found 92 percent of their goal, ending a run of strong recruiting months in the first part of the fiscal year. All of the active forces achieved or bettered their February recruiting goals and are maintaining good retention numbers. Air Guard retention slipped somewhat, to 97 percent of its cumulative goal. Still, ANG stands at 99 percent of its authorized end strength.
The proliferation of small unmanned aerial systems, usually commercially available drones that can be outfitted to drop weapons, is the most “persistent and dangerous” threat to troops in the Middle East in decades. “These small- and medium-sized UAS proliferating across the [area of operations] present a new and complex threat…