Project 100,000
Encyclopedia
Project 100,000 was a 1960s program by the United States Department of Defense
(DoD) to recruit soldiers that would previously have been below military mental or medical standards. While the project was considered part of President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society
, it has been an object of controversy.
, though this experience led to a legal floor of IQ 80 to enlist. Another instance occurred in the 1980s due to a misnormed Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery
.
in October 1966 during American involvement in the Vietnam War
and ended in December 1971. Considered part of Johnson's Great Society by giving training and opportunity to the uneducated and poor, the recruited men were classified as "New Standards Men" (or pejoratively the Moron Corps) and had scored in Category IV of the Armed Forces Qualification Test, which placed them in the 10-30 percentile range. The number of soldiers reportedly recruited through the program varies, from more than 320,000 to 354,000, which included both volunteers and conscripts (54% to 46%). Although entrance requirements were loosened, all the Project 100,000 men were sent through the normal training processes with other recruits, and performance standards were thus the same for everyone.
The men recruited or drafted under this program did not receive the same training as other recruits and draftees after Basic Training was completed. Mr. McNamara and his "Whiz Kids" insisted that these men had to be put into virtually all fields, and this was a disaster.
A 1995 review of book by McNamara in the Washington Monthly severely criticized the project, writing, "the program offered a one-way ticket to Vietnam, where these men fought and died in disproportionate numbers...the men of the "Moron Corps" provided the necessary cannon fodder to help evade the political horror of dropping student deferments or calling up the reserves, which were sanctuaries for the lily-white."
Project 100,000 was highlighted in a 2006 op-ed in The New York Times
in which Wesleyan assistant professor Kelly M. Greenhill, writing in the context of a contemporary recruitment shortfall, concluded that "...Project 100,000 was a failed experiment. It proved to be a distraction for the military and of little benefit to the men it was created to help." As for the reasons why veterans from the project fared worse after returning to civilian life compared to non-veteran peers, Greenhill hypothesized that it might be related to the psychological consequences of combat or unpreparedness for the post-military transition.
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
(DoD) to recruit soldiers that would previously have been below military mental or medical standards. While the project was considered part of President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society
Great Society
The Great Society was a set of domestic programs in the United States promoted by President Lyndon B. Johnson and fellow Democrats in Congress in the 1960s. Two main goals of the Great Society social reforms were the elimination of poverty and racial injustice...
, it has been an object of controversy.
Background
At various times in its history the United States military has recruited people that measured below specific mental and medical standards. Those who scored in certain lower percentiles of mental aptitude tests were admitted into service during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, though this experience led to a legal floor of IQ 80 to enlist. Another instance occurred in the 1980s due to a misnormed Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery
Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery
The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery is a multiple choice test, administered by the United States Military Entrance Processing Command, used to determine qualification for enlistment in the United States armed forces...
.
Project
Project 100,000 was initiated by Defense Secretary Robert McNamaraRobert McNamara
Robert Strange McNamara was an American business executive and the eighth Secretary of Defense, serving under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson from 1961 to 1968, during which time he played a large role in escalating the United States involvement in the Vietnam War...
in October 1966 during American involvement in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
and ended in December 1971. Considered part of Johnson's Great Society by giving training and opportunity to the uneducated and poor, the recruited men were classified as "New Standards Men" (or pejoratively the Moron Corps) and had scored in Category IV of the Armed Forces Qualification Test, which placed them in the 10-30 percentile range. The number of soldiers reportedly recruited through the program varies, from more than 320,000 to 354,000, which included both volunteers and conscripts (54% to 46%). Although entrance requirements were loosened, all the Project 100,000 men were sent through the normal training processes with other recruits, and performance standards were thus the same for everyone.
The men recruited or drafted under this program did not receive the same training as other recruits and draftees after Basic Training was completed. Mr. McNamara and his "Whiz Kids" insisted that these men had to be put into virtually all fields, and this was a disaster.
Aftermath
Regarding the consequences of the program, a 1989 study sponsored by the DoD concluded that:A 1995 review of book by McNamara in the Washington Monthly severely criticized the project, writing, "the program offered a one-way ticket to Vietnam, where these men fought and died in disproportionate numbers...the men of the "Moron Corps" provided the necessary cannon fodder to help evade the political horror of dropping student deferments or calling up the reserves, which were sanctuaries for the lily-white."
Project 100,000 was highlighted in a 2006 op-ed in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
in which Wesleyan assistant professor Kelly M. Greenhill, writing in the context of a contemporary recruitment shortfall, concluded that "...Project 100,000 was a failed experiment. It proved to be a distraction for the military and of little benefit to the men it was created to help." As for the reasons why veterans from the project fared worse after returning to civilian life compared to non-veteran peers, Greenhill hypothesized that it might be related to the psychological consequences of combat or unpreparedness for the post-military transition.