This is Bagram Air Base after the withdrawal of US and NATO troops in Parwan Province, Afghanistan, on July 2 last year. The proportion of young people eligible to serve has dropped significantly, and even fewer are willing to join the military, hitting a 15-year low.
According to reports, the number of young men and women eligible to join the military in the United States continues to decrease, and the proportion of people who are disqualified from the draft due to obesity, drug abuse, or criminal records has reached a new high. U.S. Army Chief of Staff McConville said that only 23% of Americans aged 17 to 24 are eligible to enlist in the military without a waiver, down from 29% in recent years.
NBC found through an internal Department of Defense survey that only 9% of young Americans eligible for military service have the intention to join the military, the lowest level since 2007. The survey shows that Americans' increasingly negative evaluation of the military and distrust of the U.S. government are the reasons for the reduced willingness of young people to join the military. As the overall size of the military shrinks and remaining personnel become less familiar with military service, the trend of declining willingness to recruit is likely to continue.
The leadership of the U.S. Department of Defense believes that the shortage of military personnel is serious and is trying to find ways to replenish the team. Thomas Spohr, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant general in charge of the Heritage Foundation's defense program, said: "This is the beginning of a long-term shortage of U.S. military recruits. Since the United States left Vietnam in 1973 and the draft officially ended, recruiting has never been this difficult. ."
(Source: Overseas Network)
