The problem with military recruitment

[LPTiger 5,167]

7 hours ago, autigeremt said:

US Army Active Duty 91-95 for myself. Then again 08-14 (USCG Reserve) 

God bless you!!!

[Mims44 1,874]

On 8/21/2023 at 2:38 PM, LPTiger said:

I saw every branch of the US Armed forces, except Marines and Space Force, will not hit their recruitment goals form the 2nd straight year.    Why?   I can think of some reasons -- if you repeatedly hear the country is inherently racist and thus bad, why would you sign up to defend it (particularly if you are a minority); if you witness the botched withdrawal in Afghanistan, is that something you want to be a part of; I suspect the wokeness of the military is turning off the types of personalities that are typically drawn to the armed services at a more rapid pace than it is encouraging the woke among us to grab a gun and a uniform; with so many vacancies in the job market right now, a decent paying job where you don't risk your life is likely fairly attractive; maybe there is a bleed over impact from all the negativity directed to police officers.  I suspect each of these are contributing factors.    Poor VA healthcare might be an issue?    Whatever it is, the UK is experiencing similar difficulties.    We need to get it figured out.   The Pentagon's answer of the day today is to allow applicants to use calculators while taking the entrance exam....

VA care desperately needs to be standardized. There are some that are awesome, and others *ahem Montgomery* that are woefully bad. But I don't think VA care is on the minds of a lot of 18 year olds. Expansion of government handouts could be a factor, since it's easier to get help nowadays for young people. Compared to decades ago when kids were kicked out of the home at 18 with next to no options.

 

On 8/23/2023 at 11:05 AM, autigeremt said:

There’s a multitude of reasons for the lower numbers but it’s not in the best interest of the military officer to single out political climate as a factor. They have enough to deal with. Lol 

I was gonna scoff at this, but honestly... maybe. Used to be lots of kids of republicans would feel a duty to serve. But that has been abandoned for some time now.

[TexasTiger 12,956]

On 8/21/2023 at 1:38 PM, LPTiger said:

I saw every branch of the US Armed forces, except Marines and Space Force, will not hit their recruitment goals form the 2nd straight year.    Why?   I can think of some reasons -- if you repeatedly hear the country is inherently racist and thus bad, why would you sign up to defend it (particularly if you are a minority); if you witness the botched withdrawal in Afghanistan, is that something you want to be a part of; I suspect the wokeness of the military is turning off the types of personalities that are typically drawn to the armed services at a more rapid pace than it is encouraging the woke among us to grab a gun and a uniform; with so many vacancies in the job market right now, a decent paying job where you don't risk your life is likely fairly attractive; maybe there is a bleed over impact from all the negativity directed to police officers.  I suspect each of these are contributing factors.    Poor VA healthcare might be an issue?    Whatever it is, the UK is experiencing similar difficulties.    We need to get it figured out.   The Pentagon's answer of the day today is to allow applicants to use calculators while taking the entrance exam....

Probably also has something to do with pay increasing for other jobs and so many young people being too out of shape. I’m guessing the fact that we were in Afghanistan for 20 years with multiple deployments doesn’t help either.

[DKW 86 7,429]

On 8/26/2023 at 11:32 AM, TexasTiger said:

Probably also has something to do with pay increasing for other jobs and so many young people being too out of shape. I’m guessing the fact that we were in Afghanistan for 20 years with multiple deployments doesn’t help either.

This is sadly what the real problem is at the moment. The declining standards are just the symptoms. 

Edited September 2, 2023 by DKW 86

[AU9377 4,977]

On 8/26/2023 at 8:26 AM, Mims44 said:

.......................................... Compared to decades ago when kids were kicked out of the home at 18 with next to no options.

 

 

Honestly, I am trying to think of a time when most families did that.  I can't think of a time when good families kicked their kids to the curb at a young age and said "find your own way."  My grandfather dropped out of school in 9th grade and went to work to support his mother and 3 younger brothers.  His father had died in a farming accident years earlier.  He was later drafted and spent 4 years fighting in Europe during WW2.  He married my then 16 year old grandmother when he returned home.

I think the part of there being no options was very real decades ago.  Today, there are more options, which means more competition for people to fill those spots.  As you know, standards are much greater to get into the military today than they were decades ago.  For some positions, that is a must, but for many it doesn't have to be. 

Edited September 2, 2023 by AU9377

[TexasTiger 12,956]

2 hours ago, AU9377 said:

Honestly, I am trying to think of a time when most families did that.  I can't think of a time when good families kicked their kids to the curb at a young age and said "find your own way."  My grandfather dropped out of school in 9th grade and went to work to support his mother and 3 younger brothers.  His father had died in a farming accident years earlier.  He was later drafted and spent 4 years fighting in Europe during WW2.  He married my then 16 year old grandmother when he returned home.

I think the part of there being no options was very real decades ago.  Today, there are more options, which means more competition for people to fill those spots.  As you know, standards are much greater to get into the military today than they were decades ago.  For some positions, that is a must, but for many it doesn't have to be. 

Yeah, I’m pretty sure math skills weren’t a big must to get in the military during major wars. Folks with certain skills will have more opportunities than those lacking those skills.

[DKW 86 7,429]

18 hours ago, TexasTiger said:

Yeah, I’m pretty sure math skills weren’t a big must to get in the military during major wars. Folks with certain skills will have more opportunities than those lacking those skills.

Are we at war now? I was totally unaware of that fact...

 

[TexasTiger 12,956]

46 minutes ago, DKW 86 said:

Are we at war now? I was totally unaware of that fact...

 

Not tracking the conversation.