Documents obtained by NBC reveal that every branch of the US Military is having difficulty meeting targets for 2022.
Pentagon “scrambling”Multiple branches are looking for new recruits, as they fear that their annual enrollment targets will be missed. The number of Americans who want to serve in the military is at its lowest point in fifteen years.
According to an internal Defense Department survey, only 9% of eligible adults aged 17-24 intend to join the armed forces. This is the lowest percentage since 2007. Coupled with a fall in the overall number of Americans qualified to join – which has dropped from 29% to 23% in recent years – one senior Pentagon official involved in personnel issues said the military now faces a “recruiting crisis.”
“As the military has gotten smaller and the public has gotten less and less familiar with those in uniform, [the crisis] has grown,”According to the official, NBC also reported that he added: “Covid accelerated it.”
The pool of possible recruits is slowly shrinking due to increasing numbers of criminal convictions, obesity and drug abuse, but a growing number of Americans feel that military service does not suit their interests. According to the Pentagon survey, 57% more respondents than half (57%) said joining would bring about a positive outcome. “emotional or psychological problems,”A similar percentage raised concerns about “physical problems.”
“They think they’re going to be physically or emotionally broken after serving,”Another senior military officer familiar with recruiting issues told the outlet that the problem is being driven by a lack of knowledge about the Armed Forces.
Although the Pentagon says parents play a key role in deciding whether an individual will join the military, the Defense Department Survey shows that 13% respondents have had their parent serve in the military. This is down from 40% in 1995.
Even as the Pentagon faces what the Marine Corps officer in charge of manpower dubbed “the most challenging recruiting year since the inception of the all-volunteer force,”Some branches, such as the Space Force and Marines, believe they can reach their goals despite all the obstacles. However, others are far behind in reaching their targets.
The summer can be the busiest time for recruiting after high school graduations. However, only 40% of the Army’s enlistment targets have been met so far in this fiscal year. This ends on September 30. While the Air Force is currently looking for 50,000 more airmen to join its ranks, it has only 4,000 more than it needs at this stage in the year. One official said that the branch was struggling. “hopeful, but not certain”They will accomplish their overall goal. It is falling behind in the Coast Guard, which draws only 55% of its 4,200 active enlistments. However, it has had more success with officers and reserve troops.
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US Army not ready to ‘fight tonight,’ internal survey suggests, as Pentagon insists everything is fine
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