Army Recruiters Target Students
by Robyn Schafer
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Pumping his arms with explosive power, the soldier bangs out 100 rapid-fire push-ups, while the crowd cheers the few hardy volunteers who manage to keep up with him. Amidst the excitement, military recruiters mingle and distribute enlistment pamphlets. And yet, despite highly visible recruitment kiosks like this one, the all-volunteer U.S. Army struggles to meet its enlistment quotas.

Under the No Child Left Behind Act (2002), high schools receiving federal funds must give military recruiters access to students’ personal information. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld insists such information is “critical to the success of the all-volunteer force.” However, Representative Michael Honda argues, “Students and their families [should] choose who they want soliciting them in the mail and on the phone during dinner.”

PROTECTING PRIVACY

Flying fighter jets and cruising around in a Hummer may be appealing, but being in the middle of a war zone scares potential military recruits. With all the negative publicity from violent scenes in Iraq, armed forces enlistment is at an all-time low.

Recently, the Pentagon hired a marketing firm to compile an extensive database about potential recruits, including personal contact information and details like ethnicity, gender, and grade-point average. The Pentagon has the right to share this data with law enforcement and tax authorities— without notifying the individual—and that makes some people very nervous.

Schools are required to inform parents about an “opt out” option, preventing recruiters from accessing this information. Rather than “opt out,” some lawmakers feel that students should have to “opt in.”

“I don’t believe successful military recruitment efforts require access to students’ personal information without their consent,” says Representative Honda, sponsor of the Student Privacy Protection Act (2005). Currently in congressional committee, this act requires written consent before schools can release private student information.

FIGHTING FOR FAIRNESS

As pressure mounts for recruiters to meet quotas, some critics charge them with unfairly targeting minority and working-class populations. Representative Jim McDermott criticizes, “They’re not going to all the schools. They’re going to the schools where they figure the kids will have less chance to go to college.”

The Defense Department spends billions of dollars each year on recruitment. Recruiters insist they “give everyone an opportunity to enlist,” but admit they need to “maximize return on the recruiting dollar.” Enlistment is more common in minority and working-class communities, but Representative Charles Rangel protests that these young people are not patriotic volunteers; “They’re there because they need the money.” Recruitment director Kurt Gilroy counters that they just “fish where the fish are.”

THE JEWISH VIEW

According to the Torah (Bemidbar 1:3), military service should be spread equally to all citizens, with a few notable exceptions (see Devarim 20:5–8). In all cases, Judaism teaches the importance of respecting privacy (Bemidbar 22) and scorns those who invade it (Baba Batra 2a). The ban of Rabbeinu Gershom forbids looking at someone’s private information. On the other hand, Rambam teaches that confidentiality should be breached when safety demands it.

Nevertheless, when privacy is at stake, Judaism favors an “opt in” approach (Baba Metzia 66b), requiring informed consent. “If someone says something to a neighbor, the latter is not allowed to repeat it unless the neighbor specifically says, ‘Go and say it’” (Yoma 4b).

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Should military recruiters have access to student names, addresses, and phone numbers?