Military-Recruitment Problems a National-Security Threat

The numbers are unambiguous. Americans are less qualified for, interested in, and trusting of the military than they ever have been before, and the results are recruitment shortfalls with national-security implications.

To date, with only three months remaining in the fiscal year, the Army has met just 40 percent of its recruitment goal and is culling its active-duty force by 12,000 troops. The Air Force is 4,000 recruits behind its goal at this point in the year. The Navy may or may not meet its goals, but only because it’s sending fewer recruits through its Delayed Entry Program to prevent a shortfall.

About the Author

Isaac Schorr

Isaac Schorr is an editor at Mediaite and a 2023–2024 Robert Novak Journalism Fellow at the Fund for American Studies.

Featured Tags

Manage following

Military

Pentagon

The numbers are unambiguous. Americans are less qualified for, interested in, and trusting of the military than they ever have been before, and the results are recruitment shortfalls with national-security implications.

To date, with only three months remaining in the fiscal year, the Army has met just 40 percent of its recruitment goal and is culling its active-duty force by 12,000 troops. The Air Force is 4,000 recruits behind its goal at this point in the year. The Navy may or may not meet its goals, but only because it’s sending fewer recruits through its Delayed Entry Program to prevent a shortfall.