{"id":1970930,"date":"2023-07-12T15:12:02","date_gmt":"2023-07-12T19:12:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-u-s-navys-personnel-crisis-is-only-getting-worse\/"},"modified":"2023-07-12T15:14:32","modified_gmt":"2023-07-12T19:14:32","slug":"the-u-s-navys-personnel-crisis-is-only-getting-worse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-u-s-navys-personnel-crisis-is-only-getting-worse\/","title":{"rendered":"US Navy&#8217;s personnel crisis worsens."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">10<\/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%2Fthe-u-s-navys-personnel-crisis-is-only-getting-worse%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=1970930&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 class=\"article-content\">\n<p>Following the end of the Vietnam War and its accompanying draft, the U.S. military transformed into an all-volunteer force. In the decades that followed, the promise of good benefits, a chance for adventure, and comradery prompted swaths of Americans to give up their civilian lives to defend the freedoms of their fellow countrymen. It\u2019s a sacrifice that has generated much-deserved respect from the nation.<\/p>\n<p>But what happens when the country with the world\u2019s most sophisticated navy no longer possesses the manpower necessary to maintain its status as a global hegemon? It\u2019s a question the U.S. is having to grapple with as its maritime force experiences the worst personnel crisis in recent history.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-730421393\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-860dd39160b89be48410f7d6c8a2a47d fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-860dd39160b89be48410f7d6c8a2a47d\"><\/div>\n<p>In April, The Military Times <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2023\/04\/19\/army-navy-and-air-force-predict-recruiting-shortfalls-this-year\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a> that the Navy is expected to miss its recruiting targets for fiscal year 2023 by roughly 6,000 sailors. The news came months after it was revealed the branch <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2022\/09\/30\/navy-hits-its-active-duty-enlisted-recruitment-goals-but-not-officers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">failed<\/a> to meet its targets for new officers and reservists for fiscal year 2022, despite meeting its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-u-s-navys-personnel-crisis-is-only-getting-worse\/\" title=\"US Navy's personnel crisis worsens.\">active-duty enlisted recruitment goal<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>To combat its ongoing personnel crisis, the Navy also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.military.com\/daily-news\/2022\/11\/08\/41-new-39-facing-recruiting-challenges-navy-raises-enlistment-age.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">increased<\/a> its maximum enlistment age from 39 to 41 in November \u201cin an effort to allow more civilians to join its ranks.\u201d Nearly a month later, it <a href=\"https:\/\/maritime-executive.com\/article\/u-s-navy-lowers-test-standards-to-meet-recruitment-numbers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lowered<\/a> its entrance test standards. And just last month, the branch <a href=\"https:\/\/news.usni.org\/2023\/06\/28\/navy-recruiting-increasing-work-week-to-six-days-to-combat-recruitment-shortages?ct=t(USNI_NEWS_DAILY)&#038;mc_cid=bc3c23953d&#038;mc_eid=3f07bd8338\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">announced<\/a> further plans to extend the work week for its recruiters from five days to six to address existing shortfalls but <a href=\"https:\/\/news.usni.org\/2023\/06\/30\/navy-hits-pause-on-six-day-recruiter-work-week-after-sailors-protest?ct=t(USNI_NEWS_DAILY)&#038;mc_cid=5aadc201eb&#038;mc_eid=3f07bd8338\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">backed away<\/a> from the policy after facing backlash from sailors.<\/p>\n<p>The situation has gotten so bad that Navy leadership <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/05\/02\/report-unable-to-meet-recruiting-targets-the-u-s-navy-is-turning-to-drag-queens-for-help\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recently<\/a> turned to Yeoman 2nd Class Joshua Kelley \u2014 an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/i-cant-believe-i-fought-for-this-bullsh-t-navy-seal-who-killed-bin-laden-blasts-pentagon-for-drag-queen-gimmick\/\" title=\"Navy SEAL who killed Bin Laden criticizes Pentagon for drag queen performance.\">active-duty drag queen<\/a> who goes by the stage name Harpy Daniels and identifies as non-binary \u2014 to be a \u201cNavy Digital Ambassador.\u201d The program \u2014 which ran from October 2022 to March 2023 \u2014 was reportedly \u201cdesigned to explore the digital environment to reach a wide range of potential candidates\u201d for military recruitment.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Potential Causes<\/h2>\n<p>While there\u2019s no singular factor responsible for the Navy\u2019s recruitment crisis, Navy veterans and policy specialists have varying ideas on why America\u2019s maritime force is struggling to bring new sailors into service.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-ddc3ed0668497529a3e2f9066775d29f fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-ddc3ed0668497529a3e2f9066775d29f\"><\/div>\n<p>For Brent Sadler, a Navy veteran and senior research fellow for The Heritage Foundation\u2019s Center for National Defense, one of the most glaring causes advancing the Navy\u2019s personnel problems is the Biden Defense Department\u2019s embrace of DEI ideology, which he says is alienating potential recruits from demographics that lean more conservative. DEI, which stands for \u201cdiversity, equity, and inclusion,\u201d is a divisive and poisonous ideology dismissive of merit in order to discriminate based on characteristics such as skin color and sexual orientation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you start alienating where you draw the vast majority of your recruits, you\u2019re going to take a hit,\u201d Sadler told The Federalist.<\/p>\n<p>The embrace of DEI is \u201ca conscious decision by this administration,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to take them a while to figure out how to actually mitigate that and if they\u2019re going to try to broaden and diversify their recruiting. They haven\u2019t been effective at it yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In addition to its drag queen \u201cambassador\u201d stint, Navy leadership also issued a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.navy.mil\/Press-Office\/Press-Releases\/display-pressreleases\/Article\/2619239\/don-announces-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-planning-actions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">memo<\/a>\u00a0in May 2021 outlining an action plan to promote DEI throughout the branch. The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/media.defense.gov\/2021\/May\/17\/2002645340\/-1\/-1\/0\/DON%20DIVESITY%20EQUITY%20AND%20INCLUSION%20PLANNING%20ACTIONS.PDF\/DON%20DIVESITY%20EQUITY%20AND%20INCLUSION%20PLANNING%20ACTIONS.PDF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">document<\/a>\u00a0instructed the Navy\u2019s assistant secretary and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-washington-blm-alliance-begins-lobbying-state-legislature-demands-gov-inslee-declare-racism-a-public-health-crisis\/\" title=\"New \u2018Washington BLM Alliance\u2019 Begins Lobbying State Legislature, Demands Gov. Inslee Declare Racism A Public Health Crisis\">chief diversity officer<\/a> to \u201clead and oversee all DEI efforts across the Department to synchronize key policies and initiatives \u2026 and to develop a strategy to advance DEI across the enterprise.\u201d Last year, the branch also <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/06\/24\/u-s-navy-pushes-transgender-pronouns-while-allowing-massive-war-preparedness-gaps\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">published<\/a> an <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FreeBeacon\/status\/1538954448134934530\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">instructional video<\/a>\u00a0advising service members to create a \u201csafe space\u201d by using \u201ccorrect\u201d pronouns.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-b2d14d1b036d033e96bf08a50a0a802c fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-b2d14d1b036d033e96bf08a50a0a802c\"><\/div>\n<p>\u201cI do hear from veterans [who] are concerned\u201d about these policies, Rep. Jennifer Kiggans, R-Va., told The Federalist. \u201cWhen I served, I didn\u2019t care what political ideology, what religion \u2026 what race you were. We were there working together, doing the job that our country asked us to do. That\u2019s where the [military\u2019s] focus needs to be.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kiggans \u2014 who served as a Navy helicopter pilot for 10 years and whose district includes Naval Station Norfolk \u2014 also pointed to quality-of-life issues as a potential factor contributing to the Navy\u2019s recruitment headache. \u201cAre we able to house our sailors properly and their families? Are we taking care of their families? What kind of health care are we providing for them? And mental health care is a big part of that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Mental health issues, particularly suicide, among U.S. service members have been on the rise for years. An October 2022 Defense Department <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defense.gov\/News\/Releases\/Release\/Article\/3193806\/department-of-defense-releases-the-annual-report-on-suicide-in-the-military-cal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a> shows that \u201csuicide rates for Active Component Service members have gradually increased since 2011, although the 2021 rate [was] lower than in 2020.\u201d A Pentagon report <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stripes.com\/theaters\/us\/2023-07-03\/military-suicides-pentagon-report-10631188.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">released<\/a> earlier this month documented a similarly alarming trend for the 2023 fiscal year, with the \u201coverall number of active-duty suicides \u2014 94 \u2014 from January through March \u2026 up 25% compared to the number of troops \u2014 75 \u2014 who took their own lives in the first three months of 2022.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Solutions to Stop Sailors From Abandoning Ship<\/h2>\n<p>Efforts to dismantle the Pentagon\u2019s DEI complex have already begun, as House Republicans gear up to pass their version of the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/rules.house.gov\/sites\/republicans.rules118.house.gov\/files\/RCP_xml_1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024<\/a> before summer recess.<\/p>\n<p>Among the bill\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/07\/11\/jim-banks-blasts-bidens-unconstitutional-and-dangerous-push-for-racial-and-sexual-politics-in-the-military\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">provisions<\/a>\u00a0are those <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/06\/21\/house-committee-advances-amendment-restoring-meritocracy-to-military-personnel-decisions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">mandating<\/a>\u00a0the Pentagon use a merit-based system to determine military promotions and assignments and prohibiting the defense secretary from appointing or employing anyone, military or civilian, \u201cwith a rank or grade in excess of GS\u201310\u201d to carry out DEI-related duties. Sections barring the \u201cuse of federal funds for certain training or education that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/crt-activist-ibram-x-kendi-defends-lebron-people-mad-cop-didnt-disarm-girl-who-was-stabbing-someone\/\" title=\"CRT Activist Ibram X. Kendi Defends LeBron: People Mad Cop Didn\u2019t \u2018Disarm\u2019 Girl Who Was Stabbing Someone\">promotes critical race theory<\/a>,\u201d prohibiting the use of federal money for drag shows and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/toronto-public-library-eliminates-late-fees-to-combat-racial-inequity\/\" title=\"Toronto Public Library Eliminates Late Fees To Combat Racial Inequity\">drag queen story hour<\/a>, and cutting the position of DOD chief diversity officer, are also included.<\/p>\n<p>Unsurprisingly, the White House has already expressed its opposition to the provisions, claiming in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/H.R.-2670-NDAA.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">memo<\/a> to ranking members of the House Armed Services Committee the Pentagon\u2019s use of DEI instruction \u201cpromote[s] a cohesive and inclusive force.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Also included in the NDAA are several amendments sponsored by Kiggans derived from the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/118th-congress\/house-bill\/3373\/text?s=3&#038;r=4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sailor Standard of Care Act<\/a>,\u201d a bill she introduced in May that directs the secretary of the Navy to provide more mental health resources for sailors and requires the Navy to conduct mental health screenings for \u201ceach member \u2026 designated for limited duty receives.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to an <a href=\"https:\/\/kiggans.house.gov\/posts\/kiggans-secures-sailor-standard-of-care-act-provisions-in-annual-defense-package\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">office press release<\/a>, provisions added to the NDAA include requirements for the Navy to \u201cbrief the House Armed Services Committee on its recommended standard operating procedures for responding to multiple suicides\u201d and \u201cstudy the feasibility of constructing and managing a dashboard to track quality of life programs and their utilization rate,\u201d among others.<\/p>\n<p>We must ensure that our military is \u201ctaken care of, and that they have the resources and tools they need to get the job done to serve the country,\u201d Kiggans said.<\/p>\n<p><em>Read Part 1 of The Federalist\u2019s breakdown of the biggest problems facing the U.S. Navy <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/07\/11\/how-years-of-decay-and-neglect-crippled-americas-navy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-83f34e79b902a298128095e4e6006b05 fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-83f34e79b902a298128095e4e6006b05\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">    \t\t\t\t\t   \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After the Vietnam War, the U.S. military became all-volunteer. Good benefits, adventure, and camaraderie attracted many Americans to sacrifice their civilian lives for the defense of their countrymen&#8217;s freedoms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":1970931,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1970930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1970930","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\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1970930"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1970930\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1970931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1970930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1970930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1970930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}