{"id":1562482,"date":"2022-07-20T08:43:03","date_gmt":"2022-07-20T12:43:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1562482"},"modified":"2022-07-20T08:49:36","modified_gmt":"2022-07-20T12:49:36","slug":"military-recruitment-hitting-record-lows-raising-questions-about-viability-of-all-volunteer-force","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/military-recruitment-hitting-record-lows-raising-questions-about-viability-of-all-volunteer-force\/","title":{"rendered":"Military Recruitment Hitting Record Lows, Raising Questions about Viability of \u201cAll Volunteer\u201d Force"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmilitary-recruitment-hitting-record-lows-raising-questions-about-viability-of-all-volunteer-force%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1562482&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><\/div>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">As if we weren\u2019t facing enough challenges as a country, the word is starting to bubble up that the military branches are struggling to meet their recruitment targets, so much so that some units may have too few people to function. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Even <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/top-gun-us-navy-recruiting-applications-increase\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tom Cruise can\u2019t<\/a> reinvigorate Americans\u2019 desire to serve their country.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Just how bad is it? Pretty dang bad. The Armed Forces are experiencing what is on pace to be the worst shortfall in enlistments since just after the Vietnam War.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Military recruitment efforts failing to attract high school grads. Many in the past saw pride as a decision factor in joining. With emphases on \u201cwoke\u201d issues in the military, pride has waned. In addition 77% of applicants need a waiver to join, for grades or other impediments<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Paddywagoneer (@AGoodJake4sure) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AGoodJake4sure\/status\/1534177365177339906?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 7, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">As of the end of June, the Army had only recruited <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/07\/14\/us\/us-military-recruiting-enlistment.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">40% of its 57,000 mid-year target<\/a>, and the Air Force is 4,000 short of its midsummer target. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">What could be causing so many military recruiters across the country to break out into excessive sweats? Honestly, it appears to be a perfect storm of factors.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">A Booming Labor Market<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">I joined the Air Force shortly after I turned 18. I\u2019d love to say it was out of a deep sense of duty and patriotism, but like many in my generation who pre-dated 9\/11, I joined due to a lack of options.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">My family couldn\u2019t send me to college, and the idea of joining the military, traveling the world, learning a trade, and getting an education appealed to me. <\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"subscribe\" class=\"email-signup inarticle\">\n<h4>Support Conservative Voices!<\/h4>\n<h5><strong>Sign up to receive the latest<\/strong> political news, insight, and commentary delivered directly to your inbox.<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">However, it wasn\u2019t until later that I re-enlisted out of a sense of duty and because I had grown to love wearing the uniform.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Why is <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/militaryrecruiting?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#militaryrecruiting<\/a> failing? A thread:<\/p>\n<p>I am a military recruiter. Looking back at historical data contracts in my assigned area went down 30% from FY20 to FY21, which was COVID. A lot of our access to high schools and events was severely diminished with the pandemic. \/1<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Simple_Redleg (@FreeToDisagree1) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FreeToDisagree1\/status\/1546320252212072449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 11, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">However, according to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness <a href=\"https:\/\/abc7.com\/military-troops-recruitment-war\/12011656\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gilbert Cisneros<\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cThe labor market, exacerbated by the effects of the pandemic and the military-civilian divide, creates a challenging recruiting environment.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">This leaves many young Americans wondering why they would sign away four years to a government agency when they can easily slide into a minimum wage job that now comes with many of the same perks as service \u2013 minus the gunfire. Although I suppose that depends on what part of the country you reside in.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Many places where high school graduates can get jobs now offer tuition assistance and other perks, including McDonald\u2019s, Starbucks, and Walmart. So how do you compete with that if you are the Army?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED: <a href=\"https:\/\/thepoliticalinsider.com\/the-truth-behind-military-brass-incompetence-and-the-system-that-perpetuates-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Truth Behind Military Brass Incompetence And The System That Perpetuates It<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Sweetening the Deal and Lowering the Bar<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">For my fellow veterans, get ready to fall out of your chair. The Army is offering <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2022\/01\/12\/1072628577\/army-increases-bonus-new-recruits\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">$50,000<\/a> enlistment bonuses and, in some cases, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/07\/14\/us\/us-military-recruiting-enlistment.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">$35,000 in \u2018fast cash\u2019<\/a> for individuals who can leave for basic training within 30 days.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">That\u2019s enough for me to slap on some icy hot and see if I can still ruck. But, unfortunately, with less than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/opinion\/articles\/2021-07-12\/joining-the-military-doesn-t-appeal-to-enough-young-americans\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">25% of young Americans<\/a> physically fit to enlist that also have no criminal record available, this isn\u2019t quite hitting the mark.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Of Americans between 17 and 24, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/07\/14\/us\/us-military-recruiting-enlistment.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">76% are either too fat<\/a>, too sick, or too naughty to wear the uniform. What\u2019s the answer? According to the Pentagon, it\u2019s rethinking some standards.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>In other words, lowering standards.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Meanwhile <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/USArmy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@USArmy<\/a> is removing high school recruiting requirements. Reality vs. fantasy \ud83e\udd26\u200d\u2642\ufe0f <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/X0OqRdCQtW\">https:\/\/t.co\/X0OqRdCQtW<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 John Luo, CFA (@JohnLuoSays) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JohnLuoSays\/status\/1543747195870277633?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 4, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">For a brief time, the Army announced that you no longer needed a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.military.com\/daily-news\/2022\/06\/24\/army-drops-requirement-high-school-diploma-amid-recruiting-crisis.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">high school diploma<\/a> or GED to enlist. Thankfully they realized that if you lack the discipline to finish high school, you may not be an excellent candidate to fight in a war, let alone stand post at a military installation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">However, the Army will allow individuals with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.army.mil\/article\/257828\/army_eases_tattoo_restrictions_with_new_policy#:~:text=The%20Army%20will%20now%20allow,long%20tattoo%20behind%20each%20ear.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">neck tattoos<\/a> to join without a waiver. Because at no point has that been an indicator of questionable behavior or, at the very least, lack of sound judgment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Pentagon is also reconsidering allowing individuals with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/opinion\/biden-military-recruiting-crisis-demon-own-design\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">asthma and ADHD<\/a>. Nothing says lean, mean, fighting machine like an overly distracted asthmatic.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The fitness issue is particularly alarming. The Army has opted not to run troops first thing in basic training because, as <a href=\"https:\/\/abc11.com\/military-troops-recruitment-war\/12011656\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">one former Army official<\/a> said:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cThey have to teach them how to run, and they\u2019ve had issues with bone density to the point that, when they do run them, they\u2019ve ended up breaking a leg or worse, a hip.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">He goes on to state that many are being forced to drink Ensure. So, my 70 and 60-year-old parents could re-enlist at this rate.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">A Hard Pass<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Even with the large cash payouts and lowering of standards, many young Americans are still not lining up outside their local recruiter\u2019s offices. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/military\/every-branch-us-military-struggling-meet-2022-recruiting-goals-officia-rcna35078\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Only 9%<\/a> of the target demographic of Americans say they would consider the military, which is down from 13% pre-pandemic.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Some of the top reasons cited for not wanting to wear the American flag on their sleeves included; fear of injury\/death, PTSD, and the COVID vaccine mandate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">However, other recent issues within the DOD don\u2019t favor recruiters. Between the <a href=\"https:\/\/thepoliticalinsider.com\/never-before-seen-video-of-navys-disastrous-red-hill-fuel-leak-in-hawaii-raises-accountability-questions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Red Hill Fuel leak<\/a> in Hawaii that poisoned thousands of soldiers and families, <a href=\"https:\/\/thepoliticalinsider.com\/u-s-navy-releases-gender-pronouns-training-video-in-attempt-to-create-safe-spaces\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">gender pronoun training<\/a> in the Navy, and <a href=\"https:\/\/thepoliticalinsider.com\/a-reimagined-military-pentagon-introduces-new-equity-plan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">extremism\/climate change training<\/a>, it\u2019s hard to get excited about shipping off to serve.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Last November, the Ronald Reagan Institute found that only 45% of Americans have \u201cA great deal of trust and confidence in the military.\u201d down 25 points from three years ago. <a href=\"https:\/\/dnyuz.com\/2022\/07\/14\/with-few-able-and-fewer-willing-u-s-military-cant-find-recruits\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Major General Edward Thomas Jr.<\/a>, the Commander of the Air Force Recruiting Service, said:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cThere are just lower levels of trust with the U.S. government and the military.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">What could possibly make him think that?<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">There isn&#8217;t a single American who now questions why volunteer to serve. Biden was part of the team that had the opportunity to withdraw after Osama bin Laden was killed. Everything after that was in vain and fraudulent.<\/p>\n<p>This lack of trust will set back our military for decades.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Gunnery Sergeant Jessie Jane Duff (@JessieJaneDuff) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JessieJaneDuff\/status\/1426958748812075010?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 15, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>RELATED: <a href=\"https:\/\/thepoliticalinsider.com\/video-of-atlanta-va-clinic-employee-mercilessly-beating-vietnam-veteran-is-latest-in-horrific-va-abuses\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Video Of Atlanta VA Clinic Employee Mercilessly Beating Vietnam Veteran Is Latest In Horrific VA Abuses<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">A Look In The Mirror<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">It\u2019s time for the Department of Defense to wake up and smell the burnt cup of Joe. We cannot rely on the same old demographics and pockets of America to raise their right hand and swear to protect and defend.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The military, an establishment that has long enjoyed freedom from public scrutiny, has made the headlines lately for some not-so-stellar moments. Coupled with the botched withdrawal of Afghanistan, which caused Americans to witness the first real military defeat since Saigon, it\u2019s no wonder the allure of service has waned.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">So let me get this straight\u2026. The army is now accepting transgender high School dropouts with HIV who have neck and hand tattoos and giving them $40,000 signing bonuses. But let&#8217;s kick out the healthy\/experienced\/unvaccinated soldier with natural immunity.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 That Unvaxxed Officer \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@UnvaxxedOfficer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/UnvaxxedOfficer\/status\/1542014664132796421?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 29, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">There is always an abundance of <a href=\"https:\/\/abc11.com\/military-troops-recruitment-war\/12011656\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">unnamed former officials<\/a> willing to comment when it comes to the Pentagon, and one said of the recruitment crisis:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cIt\u2019s a reflection on our country.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">With the anniversary of the Afghanistan withdrawal fast approaching, now might be a good time for the Department of Defense to do some soul searching and figure out how to get back to recruiting the best and brightest Americans.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><strong>Now is the time to support and share the sources you trust.<\/strong><br \/>The Political Insider ranks #3 on <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.feedspot.com\/political_blogs\/\">Feedspot\u2019s<\/a> \u201c100 Best Political Blogs and Websites.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As if we weren\u2019t facing enough challenges as a country, the word is starting to bubble up that the military branches are struggling to meet their recruitment targets, so<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1574631,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1562482","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1562482","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1562482"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1562482\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1574631"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1562482"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1562482"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1562482"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}