AMAC Exclusive – By Andrew Abbott
2022 marked one of the worst years for military recruiting since the Vietnam War. As American adversaries like Russia, China, and Iran grow more aggressive, military leaders are now turning to new incentive programs to try to fill their ranks – leading to concerns that lower standards could affect readiness.
The Army saw the worst recruiting shortfall in 2022, coming up 25% short of its goal – amounting to about 15,000 new soldiers. While the Pentagon has stressed that its current 465,000 troop count is enough to meet current mission demands, there is a significant danger to operational capacity moving forward if last year’s struggles are not reversed.
The Marine Corps, meanwhile, technically met its recruiting marks for 2022, but only after reducing its goals following a decade of missed targets. While the Navy also met its active duty enlisted recruitment goals last year, it only did so by increasing the number of recruits it accepted from the lowest aptitude percentile on the military’s qualification test, and also missed target numbers for active duty and reserve officers.
The Air Force also missed its goals for officers, and the Air National Guard and Reserve fell thousands of troops short. The Coast Guard saw its fourth straight year of missing its recruitment goals in 2022, a span where the branch has fallen an average of 20% short.
Amid these alarming recruitment failures and as some top generals are warning about a potential conflict with China on the horizon, recruiters are looking for any way to incentivize young people to sign up.
The Army has been the most active of the five branches so far in 2023 in implementing a renewed push for recruits. One of the simplest and most popular changes is the reintroduction of “Be All You Can Be” as the Army’s slogan. The widely beloved and popular advertising campaign was retired in January 2001. To this day, many consider it the signature Army motto, and its reintroduction was met with praise.
Along with the rhetorical changes came a series of financial and logistical incentives. Soldiers can now select their duty station right out of basic training. Army officials hope permitting junior enlisted service members to be stationed closer to their hometowns will ease their transition into service.
Recruits can also receive a guaranteed promotion if they convince a friend to enlist in the military. For doing so, they will be rewarded with a “recruiting ribbon.” Critics are concerned that such awards denigrate the integrity of other service medals, but the award is still moving forward.
Recruits are also being offered generous cash benefits for signing up, following similar moves by other branches. The Air Force offered more than $22 million in enlistment incentive bonuses in 2022. Army recruits can now earn up to $50,000 when they join.
Top Army brass insists these changes are being implemented to ensure recruitment standards do not need to be relaxed for new soldiers. Army Chief of Staff General James McConville stated in a recent interview, “We don’t want to lower standards. We think that quality is more important than quantity.”
Despite these assurances, the Army has already relaxed standards in several significant ways. Late last year, the Department of Defense allowed 700 recruits with behavioral disorders, specifically ADHD, to enlist without a waiver. If these recruits perform well in service, the DOD will likely expand these relaxed standards to even more psychological disorders. With over 77% of American youth ineligible for service, the measure is seen by many as a last resort.
Military leadership is hopeful that these changes will address the recruiting shortfall. Yet all of these measures seemingly fail to address the root issues that have created the crisis in the first place. A growing obesity and mental health epidemic among young people is creating a perpetually smaller applicant pool. Persistent concerns about “wokeness” in the military are also driving many would-be recruits away. And an insidious effort by the radical left to use the education system and other cultural institutions to inspire hatred for America rather than patriotism has made the prospect of military service less appealing to many young people.
None of these challenges are insurmountable, and the United States military has proven time and again that it can overcome great obstacles. But that doesn’t negate the need for urgent action, and for both political and military leaders to recognize the severity of the problem at hand.
Andrew Abbott is the pen name of a writer and public affairs consultant with over a decade of experience in DC at the intersection of politics and culture.
Liberals have worked hard to transform the republic to a nation that no one would fight for.
The Left and Joe Biden have made a mockery of our military. The Woke Secretary of Defense is a JOKE. The head of the Joint Chiefs is an EMBARRASSMENT and a disgrace to his uniform. This woke nonsense in the military repels warriors. It is disgusting.
‘We don’t want to lower standards’? How much of a lower standard could you have as Bozo Joe as the commander in chief?
The problem with the military “trades” training is that it is NOT recognized on civvy street! As an electrician’s mate, TQ5, the apprenticeship board may NOT donate any hours toward a journeymans license! Military is a waste of time, unless you can’t find ANY kind of work on civvy street, then you are pretty useless as Government Issue, anyway!
Even during the Carter Admin. when I served, the overriding principle was war fighting. Combat readiness was paramount, which was challenging because of Carter’s military budget cuts. But I will say the ” —— fully supports the Navy’s Affirmative Action Program” on our evals was the seed that grew into the woke crap we see in todays military.
This is not intended to be an insult to my Army brothers in arms on this site, but as a career Marine I can tell you a key reason we succeeded in the recruiting area relative to the Army is because the Corps focused recruiting efforts on selling the Marine Corps, whereas the Army focused on selling programs. Given the target demographic, pride of affiliating with an organization bigger than oneself will always exceed the attempted sale of bells and whistles.
With a dementia plagued Biden as Commander in Chief, the cackling ninny Harris as second in command, and the tactical moron Milley as head of the Joint Chiefs, I find it hard to understand why they are having such problems. With the military high command (most of them probably are high) advocating for the Uniform of the Day to be Pink Tutus and Ballot Slippers and the Close Combat gear being kneepads, bibs and mouthwash. Who wouldn’t want to serve?
Even as a two tour, disabled Vietnam Veteran, I warn any young people asking my opinion about enlisting, “not for the next two years!!
But our hair and nails look GREAT! China MUST be shaking in their boots.
I used to be proud of America’s military forces. They were the best in the world! Leftists have deliberately destroyed them, because they want the US too weak to withstand their globalist tyranny.
So… the U.S. Military Grows Desperate for Troops and Biden wants to payoff College Debt. Idea… How about if you want your College Debt paid off join the Military, we’ll happily pay off 5% of your debt. for each year of Military Service!
The lack of recruiting tells us that US leadership stinks. No decent patriot wants to take orders from trannies, and other woke leaders.
Bad recruitment? Guess they shouldn’t have ADSEP’d all those active duty for refusing to take a sham vaccine, huh?
This is what our WOKE. Military can expect forever. Real men don’t want to be forced to be woke.
real men want real men comrades.
I bet China isn’t in this situation where 77% of its youth are unfit for military service. We didn’t get to this point overnight. Leftist influence in the schools, bad parents, drugs, misplaced priorities, politicians looking to line their pockets with lobbyists money instead of doing the right thing and so many more bad policies heaped on other bad policies.
If we were following the constitution that the founding fathers gave us, we would have an armed force less than half the size of the current one.
Maybe the military wants people who don’t think for themselves, just follow orders, so when told to fire at their own countrymen, they won’t question it. Just thinking.
Stop giving the covid shot and re integrate those they kicked out!!! Give them back pay too!
I’m a Navy retiree. The downward spiral of the Navy is just sad.
I wouldn’t let my child or grand child join the WOKE Military no matter what they offered…The quality of recruits will be the end of us all…and I spent 21 years in the Navy
Being a member of the military entails giving up basic rights and perhaps being killed or seriously injured. This duty should not be restricted to: “volunteers,” because the whole society depends the
military defending society from the likes of terrorists, Russia, the PRC, North Korea, and Iran.
Hence the U.S. should adopt the Israeli model of conscription. With a few relatively rare exceptions,
everybody in Israel does military service.
The result is evident. Israel has the highest quality defense force in the world and nearly everyone in Israel society contributes to the military. It is fair and it weeds out those who are too cowardly or unpatriotic to serve their country.
Thus, America must adopt the Israel military model now.
I am an honorable discharged veteran and have told my grandchildren to stay away from the services. The globalist foreign policy and the woke instruction that is required to serve makes service no longer something to be proud to do. Veterans honor the USA and our present government and its anti-american woke policies and woke senior officers are destroying the good order and discipline that a military needs to function. God help us all in a war with China.
Joined the Army from 1975-1979. Always believed a man’s duty was to serve his country, either in a civilian role or in a branch of the military. We have four sons, none of whom I hope will join either branch now. Since Vietnam, Iraq, and especially the fiasco in Afghanistan I have lost the respect/confidence in our government officials in these proxy wars and do not want to sacrifice my sons.
My son is a graduate of a very good college and an MMA fighter. But since he was taking
antidepressants he was turned down by the military. How can we be so particular when selecting soldiers who are paid very little and are willing to go to battle ? Makes no sense to me. The US military created this problem. We know that very few people want to work in the private sector due to the fact that the benefits for beginners is very little
The top gig today is a US govt desk job. Top pay , work at home, and no responsibility along with guaranteed longevity. Why go fight when the top job is a cupcake desk job ?
I hope there are incentives to keep the ones they have in the military.
Robots are coming. ‘Joe’ will get replaced by ControlSystemsModule 31-G/4. Wheeled, tracked, quadripedal, quadcopter, also stationary sentinel, all with auto-destruct feature. The future is now.
Proudly served 1980-84. Father was career Army and brother Army AB Ranger. None of us believe that Biden/Milley/Austin are competent leaders. I have two nephews that are of age, but we are not talking up our service or doing anything to encourage them to enlist. Biden and his crack foreign policy team, the same team that gave us ISIS, Syria, Libya, and Kabul Bug-Out are the same crack team that goaded Putin into war in Ukraine. Biden is the wrong man to lead America in war. All he has done with Ukraine is promote more war and killing.
Let’s go Brandon.
It is not a lowering of standards to allow enlistment or commissioning for an otherwise capable person with ADHD. As it is permitted to be on the meds the day after enlisting or commissioning, it is illogical to make this an issue the day before.
I am.78 but was a 1Lt when I mustered out. I would nt join today’s military under any circumstance. Just NO!
Lose even 500 men in a military action surrounding Ukraine, and then see how fast national recruiting for all of the services will dry up.
Few young people are willing to actually die for Joe and Hunter Biden’s Eastern European quid pro quo grift games.
I’m a military brat. My father died while serving in the Air Force & my stepfather retired from the Army. My Grandfather, father’s side, w his identical twin was a dough boy served in France in WWI.
Yet after watching our senile Old President & woke incompetent leftist military leadership needlessly get our kids needlessly killed in the worst surrender & retreat in History in Afghanistan! Then watch their woke, transsexual, CRT insanity degrade everyone, & without even mentioning forcing healthy young people to endanger their health w dangerous experimental vaccines or be fired like trash? I have no problem telling our young people to run not walk away from any military recruiter. Call the police & report them for harassing you. Our current worthless woke leadership will get you killed in some worthless forever war they have no plan to win.
I served for thirty years, starting with the Reagan military of the 80s, where we had no problems fielding a military of millions, enabling us to fight two major adversaries if necessary, even though the economy was booming. Gee, what’s changed? We now have an administration that hates white people, despises America, and is much more concerned with erasing natural women from society than it is in promoting western civilization. Sleep well, America!
The Democrats have, disastrously, done everything they can to turn off possible recruits. No wonder DoD has a recruiting problem.
I am a Viet Nam Veteran my father served in Korea last week i discussed going in the service with my grandson my advice to him was not to enlist i told him u don’t want to die for the woke generals who are destroying the services and with crooked Joe the whole country. My family has had members of our family serve as far back as the civil war but like many military families we neither want to support a woke government who seems to want to alienate white people so go to your colleges see how many of your woke activists and phony leftists will serve but tell them first their are no safe places in war.
Go woke, go broke, or in this case miss your recruiting goals. Critical Racist Theory discriminates by race, violating both the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Constitution. Diversity, Eqity and Inclusion is biased against the straight white males that would be the majority of recruits, and everyone knows it.
I don’t want any grandkids anywhere near our Woke military. Every general and admiral must be and is Woke in order to cater to our masters. Just like the Super Bowl fly over where males were pulled off the job so the Air Force could brag about discrimination based on sex.
You relatives could be killed because they advance and promote based , not on combat effectiveness, but rather on skin color, sex and other leftist concerns. Your white relatives may purposely die if they decide to force whites into risky positions.
Our Military is not aloud to win wars.Just kill off all the patriots that join.It is a business just like any other.If you do make it out of war you get a metal,and a trip to the VA every month with people that you really do not know are real Doctors.It is run by WOKE officers and NCO that hate America.I would never tell any body top join our military.I am a Vietnam Marine.
All 3 of my son’s are military veterans.. I am very proud of them but also very happy they got out before this administration was voted in. Kicking out active military because they would not be guinea pigs for an unproven vax. All while congress exempted themselves from this mandate! This is all on the Biden admin!!!!
I’M DONE!! Every time I try to comment it Freezes Up!S
libs = CANCER AND ARE THE ENEMY OF OUR NATION
CANNOT WIN WARS FIGHTING WITH ONE HAND TIED BEHIND UR BACK LIKE THE U. S. DOES
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SERVING OUR NATION !!!!!!! IF I SEE A VET WEARING A ”VETERAN” HAT, I ALWAYS THANK HIM AND HER. MOST TELL ME THAT I WAS THE ONLY NON FAMILY MEMEBER TO SAY THAT TO THEM
AFTER THE CANCEROUS, ANTI-AMERICAN, LYING, CHEATING libs DESTROYED OUR ONCE GRA 8 NATION, WHO WANTS 2 FITE 4 IT ??????
I served 7 years in the military back in the 80’s. You couldn’t offer me enough money to join such a woke mamby pamby organization as out military is today. I feel sorry for the grunts, it isn’t their fault. It is the generals who need to be thrown out of the military and tried for treason.
End this woke, equity, inclusion “agenda”. Get rid of weak and pathetic military leaders especially effeminate generals. Promote American greatness and service to the nation. Properly teach American history and the Constitution so High School students gain a true understanding of America and love what it stands for. Until then, our country will be weak and vulnerable to attacks and wars of all kinds, including kinetic battles.
I served from 87-99 in the Army Military Police. I don’t agree with new woke mandates, but if u need me I’m in! God bless what’s left of the USA.
Woke???
Vaccine Mandate???
WAKE UP AMERICA ????????????????????????????
Biden has gutted the true combat leadership in the military and it’s obvious to those young men and women who are true patriots and would make exceptional soldiers, sailors, airmen,and marines Until America returns to strong and faithful civilian and uniformed leadership recruiting will continue to decline.
What do you expect when LOSER
WOKE is forced into the military.
LOSER WOKE won’t win wars. It only creates LOSERS to LOSE.
ALL Joint Chiefs of Staff should be Court Martial for permitting LOSER WOKE since it is an Act of Treason by Destroying the U.S. Military from within.
We have family members who have listed and they love the USA. ????????
Praying these brave Soldiers will see the Greatness of our freedoms that they have enlisted to protect!
The type of men and women who are willing to defend this country are not into the
woke B.S. that is being promoted in today’s military.