Once again, Col Stevens has hit the nail on the head. Too often, the services have to "react" to a situation they find themselves with---personnel unfit, for whatever reason, for military service. This is a huge cost in time, effort, and infrastructure costs. Col Stevens has offered some good thoughts on saving valuable dollars for other things.
Agree! Colonel Stevens is right on target. It's past time for the military to catch up to industry standard. As stated, many fortune 500 companies have been using assessment testing with resounding success. The benchmark is set. It's time to redirect these wasted dollars to better serve those who so bravely defend our great Nation.
The savings alone justify someone taking a close look at how we can be more effective. We are not a fortune 500 company but we can and should review their methods and results. Big business will tell you that hiring the wrong person costs on average 4 times the annual salary. Get someone who is unbiased to review the ASVAB results and the results of other tests and move towards hiring the best person for the military. Col Terry Stevens has a unique point of view and always has the best interest of the military first.
You touch on an issue I have long thought we needed: an ethics tool (for lack of a better term). Let's face it, some folks may have all the potential in the world, but can't hack the stringent ethical standards.
You also mention measuring tenacity/commitment. Most measures traditionally correlate 'ability to succeed' with a high school diploma. I personally know many who received their GED during times of adversity whose commitment far outpaced some lackadasical HS diploma graduates.
The army already offers one such test for any applicant that is less than a high school grad. It is called the AIMS Test. I am at a loss right now for what the acronym means.
You may be referring to Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS), a Standards-Based test, that provides educators and the public with valuable information regarding the progress of Arizona's students toward mastering Arizona's reading, writing and mathematics Standards. The ASVAB also covers much of the above, but neither test compares with a wide-ranging personality/assessment test.
