The US military sees safety, not "awakening," as the primary barrier to recruitment
While some Republicans blame the army's recruiting woes on the COVID-19 vaccine or "waking up," the military says the biggest hurdles are the most traditional: Young people, not wanting to die or get hurt, cope with the stresses of the military Life. and put her life on hold. They "just don't see the Army as relevant," said Maj. Gen. Alex Fink, the Army's chief marketing officer. “They see us as revered but not relevant in their lives.”
Resolving these long-standing problems has grown in urgency as the Army tries to recover from its worst year of recruitment in decades, a situation exacerbated by the tight labor market. The Army offers new programs, advertising and incentives to change perceptions and reverse the decline.
An incentive awards recruiters up to $4,500 per quarter for exceeding their basic hiring requirements. A pilot program allows young Soldiers in the bottom three ranks to earn a promotion if they recommend someone to enroll and attend basic training. Only one promotion per soldier is allowed.
The Army fell nearly 15,000 troops, or 25%, below its recruitment target of 60,000 last year as all branches struggled to meet recruitment targets.
Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said the Army has set itself a tough target for this year: a goal to recruit 65,000 recruits, 20,000 more than in 2022. It's hard to predict how that will play out, she said, and he added that recruiters must do everything they can to beat last year's numbers.
"I would say it's an ambitious goal," he said.
Wormuth said that she and Gen.James McConville, the Army Chief of Staff, believed they had to aim high.
“I think we see momentum going forward. But it's still too early to tell where we'll probably end up at the end of this fiscal year. I know we will do better than last year," he said.
The polls that guide the army's efforts aim to find out why young people reject the army as a career.
These surveys were conducted over four months last spring and summer. About 600 respondents aged 16 to 28 took part each month. The Army discussed the general findings with The Associated Press but declined to provide a detailed methodology because the surveys were conducted by a private research firm and licensing agreements restricted public disclosure of some details of the data collection.
Officials said polls show young people simply don't see the army as a safe place or a good career path and believe they would have to put their lives and careers on hold if they did join.
Army leaders said very few said they were being stopped from enlisting because of the 'awakening'.In fact, concerns about discrimination against women and minorities are seen as a bigger problem, along with a more general distrust of the military.
Resolving these long-standing problems has grown in urgency as the Army tries to recover from its worst year of recruitment in decades, a situation exacerbated by the tight labor market. The Army offers new programs, advertising and incentives to change perceptions and reverse the decline.
An incentive awards recruiters up to $4,500 per quarter for exceeding their basic hiring requirements. A pilot program allows young Soldiers in the bottom three ranks to earn a promotion if they recommend someone to enroll and attend basic training. Only one promotion per soldier is allowed.
The Army fell nearly 15,000 troops, or 25%, below its recruitment target of 60,000 last year as all branches struggled to meet recruitment targets.
Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said the Army has set itself a tough target for this year: a goal to recruit 65,000 recruits, 20,000 more than in 2022. It's hard to predict how that will play out, she said, and he added that recruiters must do everything they can to beat last year's numbers.
"I would say it's an ambitious goal," he said.
Wormuth said that she and Gen.James McConville, the Army Chief of Staff, believed they had to aim high.
“I think we see momentum going forward. But it's still too early to tell where we'll probably end up at the end of this fiscal year. I know we will do better than last year," he said.
The polls that guide the army's efforts aim to find out why young people reject the army as a career.
These surveys were conducted over four months last spring and summer. About 600 respondents aged 16 to 28 took part each month. The Army discussed the general findings with The Associated Press but declined to provide a detailed methodology because the surveys were conducted by a private research firm and licensing agreements restricted public disclosure of some details of the data collection.
Officials said polls show young people simply don't see the army as a safe place or a good career path and believe they would have to put their lives and careers on hold if they did join.
Army leaders said very few said they were being stopped from enlisting because of the 'awakening'.In fact, concerns about discrimination against women and minorities are seen as a bigger problem, along with a more general distrust of the military.
"Awakening" is a slang term originally used to describe attention to racial and social justice issues. Some people and groups, particularly conservatives, are now using it in a derogatory sense, implying what they see as overreactions.
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Republicans in Congress, including Rep. Jim Banks, chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel, have vowed to seek the "awakening" this year. Banks, R-Ind., has said that "uncovering and dismantling the Biden administration's revivalist agenda, which is reducing military recruitment and retention," will be a priority for him this year. His spokesman, Buckley Carlson, said combating the "awakening" at the Department of Defense will be a key issue for the congressman.
Banks and others have complained about Pentagon efforts to combat extremism in the military, offer courses in critical race theory, and other efforts to expand diversity. They say the focus on partisan left-wing issues distracts from the Pentagon's core mission, weakens the military and alienates recruits.
However, the Army says that on average only 5% of respondents cited 'awakening' as a problem, compared to 13% who believe women and minorities face discrimination and do not have equal opportunities.
Wormuth said the survey data is a tool to "allay concerns that some might have about being influencers or members of Congress about the wake or the vaccination mandate that has now been lifted and to show that they they are not are by no means primary. Drivers of the recruitment challenges we are experiencing.”
He said the survey data also provides insight into how the Army needs to better explain its benefits.
Fink, the Army's chief marketing officer, said the top three reasons young people give for turning down military conscription are the same across all services: fear of death, concerns about post-traumatic stress disorder, and leaving friends and family behind. in this order. He said the Army wanted a better understanding of any additional barriers to service beyond the first three.
By a "substantial margin," he said, the most common response beyond the No.1-3 was, "I'm going to put my life on hold." This was mentioned by more than 1 in 5 respondents.
Many young people do not know anyone in the army and are unfamiliar with the jobs or services it offers. Fink said trust in state institutions, including the military, has fallen, particularly among this group.
"They just don't see the army getting in touch with the modern, everyday culture that they're used to," he said.
Fink said that about 10% in polls say they don't trust military leadership based on how recent events or missions have been handled. That could include withdrawing from Afghanistan or using the military to deal with race riots and protests in the United States.
Other reasons are mentioned much less. These include concerns about living conditions on military bases, unwanted work orders, the coronavirus vaccine and the "waking up" problem.
,
Republicans in Congress, including Rep. Jim Banks, chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel, have vowed to seek the "awakening" this year. Banks, R-Ind., has said that "uncovering and dismantling the Biden administration's revivalist agenda, which is reducing military recruitment and retention," will be a priority for him this year. His spokesman, Buckley Carlson, said combating the "awakening" at the Department of Defense will be a key issue for the congressman.
Banks and others have complained about Pentagon efforts to combat extremism in the military, offer courses in critical race theory, and other efforts to expand diversity. They say the focus on partisan left-wing issues distracts from the Pentagon's core mission, weakens the military and alienates recruits.
However, the Army says that on average only 5% of respondents cited 'awakening' as a problem, compared to 13% who believe women and minorities face discrimination and do not have equal opportunities.
Wormuth said the survey data is a tool to "allay concerns that some might have about being influencers or members of Congress about the wake or the vaccination mandate that has now been lifted and to show that they they are not are by no means primary. Drivers of the recruitment challenges we are experiencing.”
He said the survey data also provides insight into how the Army needs to better explain its benefits.
Fink, the Army's chief marketing officer, said the top three reasons young people give for turning down military conscription are the same across all services: fear of death, concerns about post-traumatic stress disorder, and leaving friends and family behind. in this order. He said the Army wanted a better understanding of any additional barriers to service beyond the first three.
By a "substantial margin," he said, the most common response beyond the No.1-3 was, "I'm going to put my life on hold." This was mentioned by more than 1 in 5 respondents.
Many young people do not know anyone in the army and are unfamiliar with the jobs or services it offers. Fink said trust in state institutions, including the military, has fallen, particularly among this group.
"They just don't see the army getting in touch with the modern, everyday culture that they're used to," he said.
Fink said that about 10% in polls say they don't trust military leadership based on how recent events or missions have been handled. That could include withdrawing from Afghanistan or using the military to deal with race riots and protests in the United States.
Other reasons are mentioned much less. These include concerns about living conditions on military bases, unwanted work orders, the coronavirus vaccine and the "waking up" problem.
In some cases, these reasons vary by region. But Fink said the "wake-up problem" is fairly constant: between 4% and 5% across the country, with no big disparities by gender or ethnicity.