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Army scraps program which had allowed soldiers to store vehicles and personal items free of charge while deployed

The Army has fallen short of its recruitment goals year after year — by 25% in 2022 — but some beancounter REMFS have discovered a way to make service just a little more disagreeable and expensive for the troops actually doing the, you know, soldiering.

The Army has ended a major program that allowed soldiers to store their home goods and vehicles at no cost while they are away from home for extended periods of time.

Army Sustainment Command, which oversees logistics for the force, discontinued the use of funds across the service to store vehicles and other goods owned by soldiers while they are deployed, Sgt. Pablo Saez, a service spokesperson, told Military.com on Wednesday.

The service has long offered vouchers for soldiers to store their belongings. During deployments, some troops have historically ended their apartment leases and rented a storage locker, subsidized by the Army, to save money on rent.

We can store their possessions, but we don’t have to! Morons at work.

But in October, the Army G-1, which oversees personnel policy and is commanded by Lt. Gen. Douglas Stitt, decided current travel policies note only that a soldier's belongings "may" be stored, meaning the Army didn't have to do so, according to an internal memo from Col. Heather Carlisle, director for support operations at Army Sustainment Command.

"HQDA G1, the proponent for [storage] entitlements, recently determined that the Army would no longer support [storage] entitlements because there is no Army policy explicitly authorizing storage in support of soldiers deployed for contingency operations," Carlisle said in an Oct. 23 memo. She did not return multiple requests for comment.

Anything to make service more onerous, because we have to reduce the number of young people beating down the doors of our recruiting stations to join up. Oh! Wait a minute ….

Military struggles to meet recruitment targets in 2023

WASHINGTON (TND) — The United States military faced significant challenges in recruiting new service members during the fiscal year 2023.

According to the Department of Defense, the military fell short of its recruitment goals by approximately 41,000 recruits. Of the six branches comprising the U.S. military, only the Marines and Space Force, the two smallest branches, managed to meet their objectives. Notably, the Army and Air Force fell short by 10,000 recruits each, while the Navy anticipates being 6,000 recruits below its target.

Looking ahead to 2024, the United States is projected to have the smallest military since before World War II, prompting questions about the underlying causes of this recruitment struggle.


Pentagon surveys show that 77% of 17 to 24-year-olds are disqualified from service due to factors such as mental or physical health conditions, drug abuse, or being overweight. Most of that age group (44%) are disqualified for multiple reasons.

There are 39% fewer people in the military than there were in 1987. The military's reduced size and presence in fewer states and cities around the country contribute to a disconnect, as many individuals lack personal connections to enlisted personnel, reducing the inclination to serve. Part of that trend is reflected in the percentage of young people with a parent who served in the military, which has decreased from 40% in 1995 to just 12% in 2022.

Additionally, fear of death and injury is identified as a deterrent for potential recruits, further complicating the recruitment landscape.

As the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force grapple with unmet recruiting goals for 2023, a Gallup Poll conducted between June 1 and 22 of this year reveals a notable decline in Americans' confidence in the military.

You’d have to be a real chump to risk death protecting a country you’ve been taught to despise and be ashamed of, so the refusal of the few remaining able-bodied American teenagers to join the military is understandable; General Dougie Stitt and his underling, Col. Heather Carlisle are simply providing one more reason to stay home.

It does occur to me that we’re bringing in millions of military-age men every year, so why not put them in the Army? They seem to have few, if any possessions, so Doug’s and Heather’s biggest worry would be resolved.