Pentagon officials say each of the services now are beginning to institute assessments of the health—physical and mental—of each troop returning from deployment—within 90 to 120 days of their return. Officials say the new program is slated to start in January. The Army, Navy, and Marine Corps began testing the program in June; the Air Force started its test in September.
Amid a high-profile recruiting crisis, Air Force leaders and experts have increasingly noted the challenging long-term trends the service will face in enticing young Americans to sign up—decreasing eligibility to serve, less propensity to do so, and less familiarity with the military. But while those same leaders say there’s no “silver…