The Patriot Post® · Tough Times for the All-Volunteer Force

Since 1973, when the military draft came to an end, the American people have had the luxury of relying on an all-volunteer force to fight our wars. By and large, it’s worked out well.

Since that time, the military has enjoyed steady numbers in part due to its marketing efforts and its attractive benefits, such as healthcare and retirement benefits, VA loans, and of course the generous college tuition benefit of the Montgomery GI Bill. And as a result of the resounding military success and the patriotic fervor that swept the nation during the 1990-91 Gulf War and immediately after 9/11, young people were lining up to defend the red, white, and blue.

But now the appeal of military service is wearing off due to a variety of factors. As a result, only 9% of Americans would now consider joining the Armed Forces, according to Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth.

Last year, the Department of the Army said in a memo that the recruitment challenge is “driven in part by the post-COVID labor market, intense competition with the private sector, and a declining number of young Americans interested in uniformed service.”

Strange. Not a word about wokeness.

In some cases, the stark realities of war have played a role as well. “After the patriotic boost to recruiting that followed 9/11, the U.S. military has endured 20 years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan with no decisive victories, scandals over shoddy military housing and healthcare, poor pay for lower ranks that forces many military families to turn to food stamps, and rising rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide,” reports The Wall Street Journal.

The Journal adds: “The Navy expects to fall short by as many as 10,000 of its goal of nearly 38,000 recruits this year, and the Air Force has said it is anticipating coming in at 3,000 below its goal of nearly 27,000. The Marine Corps met its target last year of sending 33,000 to boot camp, and expects to meet its goals this year, but its leader described recruitment as challenging.”

In what can only be seen as a scathing indictment of the current state of affairs, veterans themselves want their children to look at other opportunities besides military service due to concerns over what are perceived to be endless wars, injuries and suicide rates, low pay, and a tough labor market. And, of course, a belief that our current military leadership no longer takes warfighting seriously and has compromised our readiness.

Yet another challenge is that the number of eligible Americans is dwindling.

As Jason Dempsey and Gil Barndollar write at the reliably left Atlantic: “The stark fact is that most young Americans can’t currently serve and even fewer want to. Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, just 23 percent of Americans ages 17–24 are eligible to enlist without a waiver. Obesity, medical and mental-health issues, or a history of substance abuse prevent most of their peers from being able to serve.”

The Council for a Strong America addressed the issue in a report published earlier this year in which they called on policymakers and school boards to promote healthy eating and physical exercise in order to prepare the next generation of service members.

Recognizing they have a problem, the secretaries of the Army, Air Force, and Navy wrote an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal mentioning the military’s need for scientists, coders, and engineers while promising that the military can offer unique skills not found in the private sector.

But they’ve got a tough sell. To make matters worse, the military under its current commander-in-chief is contributing to its own tarnished reputation.

Sixty-five percent of active-duty personnel were concerned about the politicization (read: wokeness) of the current military, according to the Report of the National Independent Panel on Military Service and Readiness. This is a self-inflicted wound of the Biden administration and the Obama administration before it, with a brief respite of military renewal during the Trump years in between. And this spring, a group of retired generals, admirals, and other senior military officials penned a letter to members of Congress warning of DEI’s threat to America’s military readiness.

Another concern with the enlisted and potential recruits is finances. Each year, the Blue Star Families publishes its Military Family Lifestyle Survey, and the 2023 results show that service members and their families are concerned about affordable housing, relocation costs, military pay, and other factors.

One way the Armed Forces are hoping to attract and retain recruits is through bonuses, some of which include a $100,000 retention bonus for select special warfare sailors and nearly $5 million in bonuses and incentive pay in the Space Force. Meanwhile, the Air Force is requesting more than $600 million in bonuses and retention efforts for 65 specialty positions.

Financial incentives are one solution, but money alone can’t make up for the perception among many service-minded young people that our politicians are playing woke war games. If high school graduates see more financial benefits or a higher quality of life in starting a business or going to college, they’re going to walk right past those recruitment offices. And under the current administration, who can blame them?

America’s Armed Forces need to be ready to tackle threats from abroad, and the fact that our political and military leaders have acknowledged the current recruiting problem is the necessary first step toward recovery.

Unfortunately, the second step — which is to honestly assess why we have a recruiting problem — will likely have to wait for a new administration.