Military Recruiting: Where It Stands Today

July 18, 2022

Please note: Some of my opinion may be in this article. I alone am responsible for the content of this article, and not the Blackhawk Maverick. Thanks-Maverick.

You may have heard of the current military recruitment shortage. If you have not, I will give you a quick rundown. At the moment, the US military is having trouble filling its ranks. Not enough people are ready, willing, nor able to join the military. This article will explore many of the factors and take a deep dive into why people are unwilling to serve.

Unable to Serve

Many people are unable to serve in the military, even when they want to. According to congressional testimony by Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville, only about 23% of people ages 17-24, the military's key demographic, are able to serve. This is caused by the stringent entry requirements. Requirements such as not allowing those with ADHD, mental disorders, and obesity have caused many prospective recruits to be denied. A full list of these conditions can be found in the sources below. Many of these conditions, such as mental health issues and obesity, are rising among younger populations. This has caused a shallower recruiting pool, as not enough Americans can join the military.

Unwilling to Serve

Even if a young person is able to serve, they may not be willing to join the military. A parent serving in the military is strongly correlated with their children wanting to serve as well. This factor has declined in recent years due to military drawdowns after the Cold War and a reduction in personnel. Another factor is lack of awareness. Many younger people are unaware of what is done in the military. However, one of the biggest factors is bad perceptions of the military. Around half of young people believe joining the military will cause them physical or mental harm. This stems from the physical and mental harms, such as PTSD, moral injury, and injuries from service, such as burn pit exposure, that many veterans of the United States' recent wars have suffered. Speaking of those recent wars, the War on Terror has given the military quite a bad name. The United States just ended a 20 yearlong war in Afghanistan which turned into nation building that failed. Also in recent memory is a war against Iraq which had a justification that did not hold up to scrutiny and was proven false. The stigma of 2 pointless wars in Gen Z's lifetime is hard to scrub off. There are many factors that have caused this recruitment shortage, and one of the biggest is bad perceptions of the military.