As many believe that between the war between Ukraine and Russia and the war between Israel and Hamas, the United States is on the brink of World War III, the Pentagon is warning Congress that the US combat force by 2024 it is the smallest it has been since then. before World War II.
Speaking before the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday, Ashish Vazirani, the Pentagon's acting undersecretary for personnel and readiness, revealed that “the all-volunteer force faces its biggest challenge since its inception.”
“In fiscal year (FY) 2023, the military services collectively missed our recruitment goals by approximately 41,000 recruits, and this number underestimates the challenge before us as the services reduced force goals final in recent years, in part because of the difficult recruiting environment,” he told lawmakers.
According to the annual defense authorization bill passed by Congress this week, “the total number of active-duty troops in the armed forces will drop to 1,284,500 in fiscal year 2024.” military times reports “This represents a reduction of nearly 64,000 personnel over the past three years and the smallest total in the US military since 1940, before the United States entered World War II.”
The ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), is concerned that the reduction in military numbers is putting the country at risk.
“We need a bigger force, in every branch,” he told the Military Times. “But the reality of recruiting is driving the numbers, not what we really need.”
As BizPac Review has reported, some branches of the armed forces are bending over backwards to attract new young recruits with “inclusive” ploys.
In May, the United States Navy enlisted Yeoman 2nd Class Joshua Kelley — drag queen and TikTok influencer — to serve as a “Navy Digital Ambassador” in an online outreach program to attract future soldiers.
And in April, citing a rise in obesity among young Americans, the Air Force increased the amount body fat recruits may carry.
US Navy deploys drag queen influencer to recruit new sailors https://t.co/mZyUW7TNNY pic.twitter.com/t3UEzskyYqV
— BPR (@BIZPACReview) May 5, 2023
“The strategies didn't appear to be working, as both the Navy and Air Force are expected to cut thousands of airmen and sailors from their 2021 numbers,” daily thread reports “The Army faces the biggest recruiting problem of the military branches, drawing more than 40,000 soldiers over the past three years. The Marine Corps, which along with the Space Force hit its recruiting goal the most recent, it is still expected to be down nearly 9,000 active duty members compared to fiscal year 2021.”
“While the end of the draft ended an era of division in America and fostered the most capable military the world has ever known, it also set in motion a decades-long shift in who serves in the North's military American,” Vazirani said. “For example, in 1995, 40 percent of 16- to 24-year-olds in the United States had a parent who served in the military. But in 2022, only 12 percent had a parent who served.”
And according to Vazirani, “Gen Z members, and especially young adults aged 18-26, have little trust in many institutions, from government to media to big business.”
“We need a national call to service, especially for military service, but also for national and public service,” he stated. “We need national leaders, including government leaders, community leaders, business leaders, teachers and other influencers, and especially leaders like the members of this subcommittee, to talk about military service with young people in their communities and ask them to learn and consider serving in the military.”
“The Department is examining opportunities to increase awareness of potential recruits and how best to reach them,” Vazirani said. “Our messages need to reach today's youth where they are with a message that resonates with them and motivates them to take action.”
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