Military can’t recruit
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https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/06/14/armys-recruiting-problem-male.html?amp
This is not a new trend. But just got me thinking - what’s the narrative for joining the military these days?
Our last 20 years are pretty firmly seen as a waste of blood and treasure.
Our new posture seems to be that we need get resources first.
Would you feel proud as a parent if you lost your son trying to secure Ukrainian mineral fields?
No one likes the military anymore - left or right.
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I thought recruiting was up after the election.
35 years ago when I was in high school, the military was seen mostly as a destination for the kids who weren't smart enough to go to college.
These days, the narrative is probably more towards economic opportunity. I don't think we need to take anybody's word for that, we should probably look to the military's marketing materials, and what the recruiters actually say when they're recruiting. I'm very sure it's all weighted towards economic opportunity. Also probably excitement and action. (Fun.)
And of course, the honor and bravery and self-sacrifice narrative is still alive. That narrative is part of the compensation as well. It's every citizen's duty to pay that compensation when called upon to do so. Generally this comes up in conversation with random military members who tell you they served, and then it's your job to thank them for their service.
Education is extremely important.
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That article is from June, 2024. Turns out that when you stop gaying up the military, guys will join. Record highs in recruitment since the election.
https://thedefensepost.com/2025/02/07/us-army-recruitment-surges/
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Recruitment is exceeding goals.
Joining the military usually is for economic reasons. Kids join to either acquire skills that are transferable to good paying civilian jobs or they are in direct combat MOS, then use their GI Bill benefits for economic benefit. Some guys like the military and the benefits enough to become lifers or they follow active duty with the Guard or Reserves.
Some examples would be J.D. Vance or maybe my friend's son who was a tanker, and when mustered out, went to electrician school. A different example would be my wife's uncle, who did a couple of enlistments with the Marines, then took a job as a prison guard, but stayed in the Marine reserves until he could retire. Or a guy I worked whose son signed up for a six-year hitch, because the Army guaranteed him cyberwarfare training.
Another example would be a guy I went to school with, who joined the Army, got his college degree while in and went to OCS. He later left the Army and joined the fulltime National Guard, retiring as a Brigadier General.
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https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/06/14/armys-recruiting-problem-male.html?amp
This is not a new trend. But just got me thinking - what’s the narrative for joining the military these days?
Our last 20 years are pretty firmly seen as a waste of blood and treasure.
Our new posture seems to be that we need get resources first.
Would you feel proud as a parent if you lost your son trying to secure Ukrainian mineral fields?
No one likes the military anymore - left or right.
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I think this is a very new phenomenon. Kids growing up in the Donald Trump era have a very different view of this from people who grew up in mine.
@xenon said in Military can’t recruit:
I think this is a very new phenomenon. Kids growing up in the Donald Trump era have a very different view of this from people who grew up in mine.
It's also probably regional. What did kids in your high school think about joining the military? Or maybe the better question is, what did kids think of other kids who joined the military?
The Onion started in the area I grew up in, and I remember one headline "Bottom Half of High School Graduating Class Ships Off to War".
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I move only talked to a very small sample size. I don’t know that many American teens.
But what sort of mission can kids point to lately and be excited about joining?
I’m trying to think about this in terms of my own kids.
If you asked me 10 years ago if I’d be supportive of my son joining the military - I’d probably say yes.
Now it’s trending no.
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I thought recruiting was up after the election.
35 years ago when I was in high school, the military was seen mostly as a destination for the kids who weren't smart enough to go to college.
These days, the narrative is probably more towards economic opportunity. I don't think we need to take anybody's word for that, we should probably look to the military's marketing materials, and what the recruiters actually say when they're recruiting. I'm very sure it's all weighted towards economic opportunity. Also probably excitement and action. (Fun.)
And of course, the honor and bravery and self-sacrifice narrative is still alive. That narrative is part of the compensation as well. It's every citizen's duty to pay that compensation when called upon to do so. Generally this comes up in conversation with random military members who tell you they served, and then it's your job to thank them for their service.
@Horace said in Military can’t recruit:
35 years ago when I was in high school, the military was seen mostly as a destination for the kids who weren't smart enough to go to college.
Though even then the marketing messages were about learning marketable skills.
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@Horace said in Military can’t recruit:
35 years ago when I was in high school, the military was seen mostly as a destination for the kids who weren't smart enough to go to college.
Though even then the marketing messages were about learning marketable skills.
@jon-nyc said in Military can’t recruit:
@Horace said in Military can’t recruit:
35 years ago when I was in high school, the military was seen mostly as a destination for the kids who weren't smart enough to go to college.
Though even then the marketing messages were about learning marketable skills.
Yep. But now they can compare the economic opportunity favorably with a bachelor's degree. Back then, they were comparing favorably to no college.
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I was surprise to see the below picture. On a historic basis, the % of military vs. the overall population is not a big difference (except of course during major wars)
