U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin. Photo/Xinhua News Agency
According to a recent exclusive report by the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), the United States has experienced the most serious shortage of military personnel since the abolition of the military conscription system.
reported that multiple U.S. military and defense officials said that all U.S. services are working hard to achieve their 2022 recruitment goals. Data obtained by NBC show that the share of young Americans eligible to serve has reached a record low, and an even smaller share is willing to consider joining the military.
Top Pentagon leaders are now scrambling to find new recruits to fill the volunteer force, according to reports. Defense officials consider this a serious problem and have been discussing it.
However, as of June, the U.S. Department of Defense has still completed only 40% of its contract recruitment plan for fiscal year 2022 (until September 30). It seems that despite the efforts of all parties in the United States, it is difficult to reverse the current shortage of troops due to various reasons.
is located at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, USA. Photo/Xinhua News Agency
Soldiers are in short supply throughout the "Five Armed Forces" of the United States
Like many major countries in the world, the United States relied on military conquests to lay the foundation for its founding, and many presidents also came from the military. For more than 200 years since its founding, the United States has relied on force to dominate the world. The military has become an inspirational template that the U.S. government and mainstream social culture strive to shape.
Since the abolition of the military draft in 1973, the U.S. military has attracted thousands of young Americans who yearn for "fame and wealth" because of its great aura of honor, high income, and generous benefits. It can be said that for decades, the US military has almost never encountered a serious "shortage of troops."
However, the situation today is very different. Both Secretary of Defense Austin and his deputy Hicks are now worried about the difficulty in completing this year's recruitment plan: September 30 is the deadline for the current fiscal year of the United States. As usual, the annual recruitment plan must be completed on this day. However, the five major military services are currently experiencing "deficits" to varying degrees.
The one currently in the best condition is the Marine Corps . Its manpower department stated that the "deficit" of this service is not large and should be made up in the remaining few months without hindering the military. But they also admitted that "it will be more difficult to complete the recruitment plan this year than in any other year."
The situation of the youngest branch of the military, the Space Force, is unclear, but insiders revealed that the recruitment target for the Space Force this year is less than 500 people. "It doesn't matter whether it is completed or not."
The situation of the Navy is not too bad. Its human resources department stated that "there is great hope to complete the recruitment plan." Even if it cannot be completed 100%, they are confident that they can fill the gap by encouraging active military personnel to extend their service contracts. They also said privately that the timely release of the Naval Aviation inspirational film "Top Gun: Maverick" starring Tom Cruise and its promotion activities have invisibly helped the Navy's recruiting office.
The situation of the Air Force is not optimistic. The Air Force should recruit 50,000 people this fiscal year, but so far it has recruited less than 46,000 people. It is almost impossible to fill the gap of 4,000 people in the remaining few months. Moreover, the Air Force’s manpower department admits that even if every effort is made to mobilize active-duty soldiers to extend their service contracts, it may be difficult to maintain the number of active-duty personnel as they should be.
The Army is in the worst situation. Only about 40% of its recruitment plan has been completed, and it is difficult to get it together before the deadline. The harried Army's human resources department can only bet on the "universal summer vacation", hoping that graduates who are "choked" by finding jobs will remember the "green call of the barracks" and try to fill the Army's human resources hole as small as possible.
Even the US Coast Guard as a "paramilitary force" has not been immune. The Coast Guard plans to recruit 4,200 new people this year, but so far only 55% has been achieved. This has reduced its active duty and reserve force fullness rates to 93% and 80% respectively, resulting in a large deficit.
U.S. soldiers participating in military exercises in Nemirseta, Lithuania.Photo/Xinhua News Agency
The US military has become a "place of right and wrong"
As a country of immigrants, the population of the United States has not declined as a whole, and the aging trend of the population is not as prominent as that of other industrialized countries. The United States, which has implemented a military recruitment system for nearly 50 years, is reasonable. Problems such as the birth rate will not drag down the number of soldiers recruited, but suddenly there will be a "shortage of soldiers" across all branches of the military. What exactly is this for?
This is first of all because the reputation and attractiveness of the U.S. military and military personnel in society have declined. An internal survey of the Department of Defense obtained by
NBC shows that about 57% of young Americans surveyed believe that "military service will cause emotional or psychological problems," and nearly 50% believe that "military service will cause physical problems."
In this regard, US military personnel attributed it to "young people being unfamiliar with military life." However, some observers point out that the military scandals that have been exposed in recent years, such as bullying of recruits and sexual assault of female soldiers, have continued to "wear and tear" the "golden brand" of the U.S. military, giving more and more young people of the right age a "distant attitude". The negative connotation of "the place of right and wrong".
In 2021, the "Annual Reagan Defense Survey" conducted by the Reagan Foundation and Institute found that only 45% of American respondents had great trust and confidence in the U.S. military. In 2018, this figure was as high as 69%. Of course, there are also factors such as the frequent involvement of the US military in conflicts in various regions, which brings related security risks to soldiers.
Secondly, it is caused by the subtle influence of American social atmosphere and culture.
The United States has implemented a military conscription system for more than a hundred years, and many famous military families have emerged.
Research by the Center for a New American Security found that parental encouragement and family tradition are often the most reliable motivations for young Americans to enlist in the military, but this motivation has also begun to fade as the " contract soldier generation" has become the mainstream of veterans. Because of the small number of volunteers and long service periods, only 13% of young Americans of working age have parents who have served in the military, compared with 40% in 1995.
The Center for a New American Security pointed out that today more and more working-age American youth have parents who come from the middle class and have no military experience. They prefer that their children go to college first and then find a suitable job. "If these parents want their children to After working hard and putting in a lot of effort in school, it will be even harder to convince them to let their children go into the military.”
The Army has the most serious problem in this regard. A 2021 study led by the Army showed that 75% of Americans aged 16 to 28 know little about the Army.
The current unemployment rate in the United States, which is not too high, has also made recruitment less attractive. Despite high inflation, the unemployment rate in the United States has never exceeded 4%. Although most of the new jobs are low-wage positions, most of those who are willing to join the military are not young people with high initial job hunting expectations.
The epidemic and other factors are also considered to have interfered with the normal recruitment process. In addition, some school districts prohibit recruiting departments from entering traditional recruiting "holy places" such as middle schools and community centers, which also affects the recruitment effect. Even the decline in the number of qualified soldiers due to changes in social trends and lifestyles among young people is one of the reasons.
html In May, U.S. Army Chief of Staff McConville, who testified before Congress, said that only 23% of U.S. youths of appropriate age are qualified to enlist, far lower than the recent average of 29%. The rest were classified as "substandard" due to obesity, drug abuse, criminal records and other issues. Among the 23% who have "qualified", only 9% are willing to enlist, which is the lowest since 2007.U.S. soldiers faced Iraqi demonstrators with guns in the capital Baghdad . Photo / Xinhua News Agency
may face a "long-term shortage of soldiers"
In order to reverse this unfavorable situation in recruiting troops, the US Department of Defense and the military are really worried.
The U.S. Army created an Army recruiting group called "Tiger" that meets regularly every two weeks to discuss how to improve recruiting efficiency. In early June, the Army Recruiting Command announced that all qualified recruits who are willing to sign a four-year contract and report within 45 days will receive a guaranteed bonus of US$35,000 and a maximum of US$50,000.
The navy took action earlier.In April this year, the U.S. Navy proposed a record-breaking recruiting bonus of $25,000. Recruits who sign and report before the summer vacation can get this money.
The Ministry of National Defense and the recruitment departments of various military services are trying every means to increase the attractiveness of recruitment advertisements, targeting parents, teachers, coaches and other groups with the greatest influence on young people, and trying to set up more recruitment stations in "more suitable locations" to increase the appeal of recruitment advertisements. Recruitment efficiency. The military is even discussing allowing various services to place recruitment advertisements on TikTok.
You must know that no matter Republicans Trump or Biden and other Democrats, they have so far regarded TikTok, a social software originated from China, as a scourge, and they must eradicate it quickly. In this regard, a Pentagon personnel official said helplessly, "There is no way, our recruitment targets love to hang out there."
The Pentagon is still lowering the recruitment conditions, allowing applicants who have been rejected in the past, such as those with certain medical conditions, minor drug abuse or criminal records, to have the opportunity to enlist. It has even launched the "childhood illegal entry suspension deportees” (DACA).
In addition to increasing revenue, it is also essential to reduce expenditures. Taking the lead with the Navy and Marine Corps, various branches of the military have provided bonuses, salary increases, and better promotion opportunities to attract more active-duty soldiers to agree to extend their service periods. In this way, even if the number of new recruits cannot be increased, the fullness rate of active and reserve forces will not drop too much in the short term.
Of course, "flexible measures" are also indispensable. The Army has proposed plans such as "flexible service contracts from 2 to 6 years, where you can choose where to serve, and you can choose to serve at the same station with your friends" to attract more young people to join the army.
However, as Lieutenant General Spohr and others from the Heritage Foundation , the main policy research organization of the American New Right, said, advertising or bonuses can only treat the symptoms, not the root cause. If the U.S.'s national image and military reputation continue to decline, no measure can reverse the long-term trend of increasingly difficult recruitment for the U.S. military. "This will be just the beginning of a long-term shortage of troops." Written by
/ Tao shortfang (columnist)
editor / He Rui
proofread / Zhao Lin
