Gen. Randy George, who was recently nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as the 41st chief of staff of the Army, has shared his priorities for the position.
Testifying before the Senate, George, who currently serves as Army vice chief of staff, highlighted recruiting challenges and several other areas as issues he would focus on if confirmed, the Department of Defense said on Thursday.
Strengthening the Army profession and creating successful teams, said George, begins with recruiting to maintain “an army of the people and for the people — a formidable team of all-volunteer warriors.”
George said that he suspects recruiting to be one of the toughest challenges he may face as chief of staff, and added that he sees it as the number one difficulty the Army is dealing with.
“I will tell you that every leader in the Army, and I have been as the vice, is completely focused on this,” he remarked.
A major aspect of this focus is the service branch’s approach to selecting and placing recruiters as well as the command and control structure of the recruiting enterprise and marketing, said George.
He noted a shift in public perception among young people as another challenge to Army recruitment. George attested that he believes many people view enlistment as “putting their life on hold” — but his perspective is different.
George said that he was told that the Army would “accelerate” his life, an idea that he still embraces.
“I still use that … because it has. And I think we need to get that word out. And we’re working very hard to do that,” he emphasized.
In doing so, the Army is offering support to help soldiers fulfill the service branch’s standards. George cited the Future Soldier Prep Course, a pilot program designed to help soldiers meet the weight requirements to progress to basic training, as an example.
George also noted preparing the Army for future warfighting, maintaining a strong industrial and sustainment base and providing soldier and family support infrastructure as key priorities during his testimony.
