Army & Marine captains have the most difficult officer's job in combat. To be effective, they must lead by example. That means lead from in in front, not by telephone. if some knucklehead screws-up, their necks are on the block right along with the knucklehead's. And the pay, though nice, isn't that great even with bonuses. Especially when you consider that they are the #1 prime target for every sniper with a grudge and every court martial looking for a victim. Despite the huge risk, those people still show up for work.

In the particular case you reference, it might be useful to know that the O3/O4 rank is a transitional period for officers. At that paygrade they make a decision whether to pursue the armed forces as a career or whether to seek civilian employment. Thus, it should not be surprising that in a military that is ramping-up it's personnel that there would be a shortage in the junior officer grades. It takes much, much longer to ramp-up officers than it does enlisted personnel. Officers mostly have completed a bachelor's degree or better and at a minimum, they must have passed the OCS training -- not a snap course.

So let's take the Citadel class of 2004 as an example. In 2004 the Pentagon decided they needed to increase the number of uniformed personnel in all branches. Immediately, they begin recruiting civilians and in 10 weeks they have a newly minted soldier. But it takes perhaps 4 years after 2004 before the first increase in officers hits the ground. Meanwhile, the enlisted portion grows and attrition in the junior officers continues. Even though the numbers of officers is relatively unchanged year-to-year, the need for officers has outpaced recruiting and retention. It will take at least another year and likely another 2 years before the service academies and ROTC is able to catch-up with the expansion needs. Combine that with the average retention rate and you'll end-up with a significant officer deficit for several years.

B