Army recruitment numbers are at an all-time low as Americans are either too fat or too delinquent to join the country’s defense, an Army general has warned.
Lt. Gen. Xavier Brunson, the commander of Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state, theorized why recruitment is so low after the Army announced in July it would fall short of its 2022 recruitment target of 485,000 incredible 20,000 recruits.
Officials across the country are falling short of recruiting numbers as fewer youth are qualified for the service, which some attribute to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Some of the challenges we have are obesity, we have pre-existing medical conditions, we have behavioral health issues, we have crime, people with crime and we have drug use,” Brunson told Spokesman Review.
“It’s not an army problem, it’s an American problem.”
To increase recruitment numbers, according to the New York Times, the army plans to “lower the gates” and find new ways to make the armed forces attractive to youth, especially with the lowest deficit since the Vietnam War.
“Only 23% of those able to serve are actually qualified,” Brunson said.
“It’s a requirement now. It’s not a problem for the army, so we need to look at what’s going on with our youth at the national level.’
Army recruitment numbers are falling because Americans are either too fat or too delinquent to join the country’s defense, an Army general has theorized
The Army is trying to improve its recruiting and preparation process for young soldiers, as only 23 percent of youngsters are qualified for the service
The army will fall short of this year’s recruitment target of 485,000 new soldiers and will be short of at least 20,000 recruits
About 73 percent of the younger generation ages 18 to 25 — Gen Z — said they knew about the Army, but a recent national survey conducted by the US Army showed otherwise.
Lt. Gen. Xavier Brunson said the army had developed a new pre-training program to help young recruits get up to speed before enlisting in the armed forces
The survey, conducted in June, found that young people knew little about the Army’s accomplishments, including home buying, early retirement and educational benefits.
More than half also thought soldiers had a bad work-life balance.
To target young recruits, the Army plans to shift its recruiting focus by using “influencers.”
The Army plans to maintain its standards, focus on quality and invest in youth. Educators will be a key component in reaching potential recruits by teaching the various opportunities the Army offers, Brunson said.
Brunson highlighted a new effort, South Carolina’s Future Soldier Program, which aims to help prospective recruits prepare for the academic and physical demands of enlistment.
Officers anticipate the 90-day program will improve quality by allowing prospective Soldiers to prepare before formal enrollment.
“There are people who can be guided from the front, but there are a certain number of people with a desire to serve who can be guided a little bit from the back,” Brunson said.
Monetary efforts are also being made to increase recruitment, with enlistment bonuses of up to $50,000 and bonuses of up to $35,000 for soldiers departing within 45 days, according to US Army Chief of Staff General James McConville .
“I think we just want to show people that the military is a viable option,” Sgt. Jesse Wallace, of a Spokane recruiting office, told the Spokesman Review.
“We don’t want it to be seen as a last resort.”
Gen. James McConville, US Army chief of staff, said the Army is increasing its financial allocations to better target new recruits
McConville first initiated the goal of recruiting more soldiers in July, when he first said only 23 percent of Americans are qualified for the service and 83 percent of young soldiers have a military background.
He called military service “a path to success” and reiterated the need to “upgrade” the way the military branch prepares young recruits physically and academically.
The army general blamed the pandemic for the low number of qualified Americans.
“I think we just have to work through this,” McConville said at the time.
“I think we as the military and army need to invest in these young men and women. We want them to have the opportunity to serve and I think it’s going to take a little more work for us and we’re ready to do that. We will not lower our standards.’
Aside from the Army, the Navy, Air Force, and Marine Crops are also getting fewer recruits.
General McConville blamed the pandemic for the low recruitment and qualification numbers
The announcement of fewer recruits also comes after thousands of unvaccinated Army National Guard and Army Reserve Soldiers were expected to be barred from performing their military duties after refusing to receive the COVID-19 vaccination.
As of July, about 40,000 National Guard soldiers and 22,000 Reserve soldiers were unvaccinated.
Meanwhile, more than 10,000 troops applied for either a medical or religious waiver, with just 61 granted permanent and 17,046 temporary waivers as of August, according to the U.S. Army. About 16,000 soldiers continue to refuse the stab.
The military branch has upped the ante on soldiers, promising to go one step further and fire personnel if they continue to resist vaccination. Soldiers had to be vaccinated by July 1st.
“Soldiers who refuse the vaccination order without an approved or pending exemption request face adverse administrative action, including flags, bans from service and official reprimands,” an army official said in July.
“Going forward, soldiers who continue to refuse the vaccination order without a waiver may be subject to additional adverse administrative measures, including segregation.”
New York National Guard soldiers shown here administering and receiving a Covid-19 vaccination
