From Draft NOtices, October-December 2024
-- Lauren Reyna Morales
For the past several years, all branches of the U.S. military have experienced declining enlistment rates. Defense Department stakeholders have given varied explanations for this trend. Some espouse the ultra-conservative military-has-gone-woke narrative, while others cite a shift in young Americans’ perspectives on U.S. militarism. Some argue it’s because recruiters don’t have sufficient access to potential enlistees at high schools. Others point to the fact that a growing number of Americans are unable to meet standards required for enlistment, even if they had an interest in doing so.
No doubt there are a multitude of reasons for recent recruitment shortcomings. Regardless of the explanation, the military is working overtime to address the problem.