Does anyone else think the Army is getting soft?

To be short and sweet, yes it is. So many NCO's walking around scared to make a correction because you might offend a Soldier with the way you talk to them. Soldiers complaining because you dropped the "F-bomb" while correcting them and you get in trouble for it. Then you listen to them talk while they are in line at the DFAC and the language they are using is 10X worse than you would ever use. Welcome to having Soldiers in service who grew up in what I call the "playstation era" They grew up with a video game controller in their hands instead of doing chores or going outside and playing with friends. I pull what's left of my hair out on a daily basis in an attempt to not choke these kids out. They talk about how stressed they are with being in AIT even though they are spoiled that it makes me sick. And these are the Army's future leaders!! I ask them all the time, "if you can't handle the stress of someone raising their voice to you, what are you going to do when the IED goes off or the bullet hits your windshield?" They look at me like I'm crazy, but it's a very valid question. I'm sorry about the rant, but all of the changes that the Army has implemented over the years has weakened our Army.

Depends on what you consider soft. Are Soldiers these days more apt to complaining and speaking their mind than they used to. Absolutely, but that is a consequence of the evolution the Army has taken these past 13+ years. When an organization drills into everyone to make "critical thinking" an important part of developing Soldiers I believe that the consequences of that action is lost on the "tough" Soldiers of the previous version of the military. When you encourage a private to think critically about a situation you, in essence, encourage them to think by themselves or independently. No longer do they require step by step direction by the sergeant to get things done. Most lower inlisted of the last decade has recieved this ideal and as such are less inclined to agree with the BS (for lack of a better phrase) of days past, you know the old addage "there's the right way, the wrong way and the army way." I think the problem has become the inability for the older generation to adapt to a different leadership style than that of the past which used to consist of E1-E4 just being mindless drones. Now leaders have to *INSPIRE* troops, which i feel is too difficult for some to accept.

I agree with SFC(R) Gates.  It is a societal issue.  Our military refelects our society, always has and always will.  Our Soldiers, Marines, Airmen, and Seamen come from our society and they bring the things that they have learned from our society with them.  I for one believe that we have noticed a significant increase in discipline issues within the military because of this.  Our society as a whole has seen the same issue get more and more out of hand over the years.  My personal belief is that this likely spawns from the way most children are raised these days and have been for two decades or more.  I won't go any deeper into my beliefs on why this is.  But yes, our mliitary is getting softer in some aspects and it comes from changes in our society.