force some hard decisions in the future.

The topic of military recruiting is not simple and worthy of it's own thread. There is no one single reason for the decline and while it was a challenge to recruit all during the Iraq/Afghanistan war period, recruiting finally went over a cliff starting in 2021.

Here's the readers digest version of the big items affecting recruiting:

1. Significant numbers of military vets have stopped recommending military service to the younger generation. Up until recently (haven't seen the up to date numbers), 80% of the all volunteer force had a family connection (military vet mother/father/brother/sister/aunt/uncle etc..) to the military prior to joining the service. For generations, advice from that familial connection has been the single most influential factor on a young person's decision to join the military. I won't get into the reasons why a lot of vets stopped recommending service in this thread but this alone has been devastating to military recruiting.

2. Plenty of jobs available in the US economy - if you want to work you can find many other options than the military.

3. Unfortunately, most young people in our society are not physically and/or mentally capable of meeting military standards.

4. Changes in our society that have affected our youth. These changes include their views of the country, our history, and patriotism that have now bled over into their willingness to serve in the military.


There is a lot more discussion and depth behind each of these issues but the downturn in military recruiting is not a simple "one issue" thing.

Unfortunately, I'm not seeing any real self correction by the military institution itself in their own culpability in the decline in recruiting. One thing is for sure - if the Army continues to be 15,000 recruits short every year (the equivalent of one Army Division of Soldiers) we are going to be in real trouble within a couple of years.