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3d ago

Pentagon Watchdog Says Army and Navy Undercounted Low-Score Recruits, Urges Policy Fix

The inspector general set a 30-day deadline for a Pentagon reply on guidance over counting post-preparatory test scores.

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U.S. Army Capt. Valerie Nostrant, assigned to 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, low crawls under barbed wire during the obstacle course portion of a spur ride at the 7th Army Training Command's Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, Dec. 14, 2021. The purpose of this spur ride is to integrate new paratroopers into the Airborne Cavalry and build esprit de corps within the squadron, focused on Cavalry heritage. (U.S. Army photo by Markus Rauchenberger)
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Overview

  • The Dec. 11 report found both services used post-course Armed Forces Qualification Test results rather than enlistment-time scores, understating Category IV accessions.
  • Based on initial scores, the Navy’s Category IV recruits would have been 11.3% of fiscal 2025 accessions as of March 31, and the Army also exceeded 10% without a disclosed figure.
  • The inspector general said the miscalculation sidestepped legal limits that cap Category IV recruits at 4% and require approvals and congressional notification when thresholds are crossed.
  • The review covered the Army’s Future Soldier Preparatory Course and the Navy’s Future Sailor Preparatory Course from April 2024 through August 2025 and cited unreported Navy academic and fitness programs.
  • Pentagon officials, including acting manpower chief William Fitzhugh, disputed the findings as lawful use of improved scores, while the IG pressed for clarifying Defense Department guidance.