You don't have to go back that far. The Army, at least, lowered the bar in all kinds of ways circa 2006-2010. It went badly enough that senior Army leaders, in

You don't have to go back that far. The Army, at least, lowered the bar in all kinds of ways circa 2006-2010. It went badly enough that senior Army leaders, in the midst of the current recruiting crisis, have been adamant that they won't do it again. The result is that the Army is rapidly shrinking below the end-strength that the Army and Congress thinks is necessary. It remains to be seen how this will end.