US military reports recruitment problem from Gen Z

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
22 Mar 2023 19:52

Having recruited only 44,900 new servicemembers in the year 2022, the army failed to reach its recruitment target of 60,000.

US Military recruits are sworn in during halftime on Salute to Service military appreciation day at an NFL football game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Las Vegas Raiders, Nov. 6, 2022, in Jacksonville, Fla, The United States (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

During a US Senate hearing on Armed Services on Wednesday, the US military said it is facing difficulties in recruiting new servicemembers from Generation Z.

"Most of today's young adults are unaware of what it means to serve," Under Secretary of the Army Gabe Camarillo said. "About 75% have little to no knowledge about the Army, and only 9% have the propensity to serve, the lowest it has been in over a decade."

The official added that in the year 2022, the army failed to reach its recruitment target of 60,000, having recruited only 44,900 new servicemembers.

Several reasons have been raised to account for such challenges, citing low unemployment, the inability to recruit in person at schools during the pandemic, declining eligibility due to behavioral problems, and poor perceptions of military service.

Under Secretary of the Navy, Erik Raven pointed out that the army has a serious problem in "explaining the value of military service to younger individuals."

"We're approaching this as a multi-year initiative to reintroduce Americans to public service, whether that's uniform service, civilian service, working in shipyards," he added.

The officials noted that all arms of the US army have undergone an overhaul of their recruiting efforts.

A report issued by the Pentagon in February revealed that in the year 2022, the US army planned to recruit 70,000 people. However, by June 2022, the army dropped the number to 60,000, and by the end of the fiscal year in September, only 45,000 were enlisted. The Economist found that the year 2022 witnessed the lowest enlistment figures since 1973.

Congressman Adam Smith, former chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, claimed that the recruitment problem was mainly owed to two years of the pandemic.

Sputnik cited recent estimates as saying that 75% of Americans aged 16-28 are unaware of the work and history of the US army, adding that only 9% of young Americans are interested in joining the armed forces.

Jeremy Shepherd, a political scientist, told Sputnik that the fact that many young Americans are aware of how their relatives were treated when they served in the army is one factor that discourages them from joining the military.

"If you bring in a lot of coffins with flags on them, it looks very bad in the news," Shepherd said.

Another factor deterring young people from enlisting in the army is the mental health issues reported by active-duty service members in recent years. According to the Pentagon, suicide rates among active-duty service members increased by 40% from 2015 to 2020.